Bahram Chobin

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Bahram Chobin (Chubin, Chobina) (in Persian بهرام چوبین) was a famous Eran spahbod (military commander) during Khosrau II's rule in Sassanid Iran. Descended from the House of Mihran, one of the Seven Parthian clans, his first great victory came in Herat in 589, which is reported in a number of sources. He successfully defeated a large Göktürk army in great Turkish War. Reportedly, the Turkish forces outnumbered his troops five to one. Relying on the discipline and superior training of his Persian Cataphract cavalry, Bahram trapped and defeated the Turks, killing the Göktürk Yabqu. After suffering a minor defeat in battle against the Eastern Roman empire and Khosrau II's humiliation which followed the defeat, he along with the main Persian army (spah) rebelled against Khosrau II and marched toward Ctesiphon. Khosrau II, unable to fight such an army, fled to Roman territory and Bahram sat on the throne as King Bahram VI for about a year (590 - 591).

Bindoy, the uncle of Khosrau, who had accompanied him into exile, was sent with a 70,000 men Byzantine army granted by Byzantine Emperor Maurice, to Armenia to outflank Bahram, who was defeated in the lowlands and lost Ctesiphon. He retreated to Azerbaijan but was finally defeated and fled to the Turks in Central Asia where he received asylum, until he was assassinated after a year. Thus ended the reign of Bahram who, more than his sovereign, captured the emotions of Persian bards and story tellers.

There is much fable attributed to Bahram VI, as is the norm in for many heroes in Persian literature. See especially the chapters in Volume VIII of Ferdowsi's eleventh century (c.e.) Shah Nama (online at <http://persian.packhum.org/persian/>) on the reigns of "Hurmuzd, Son of Nushirwan," and "Khusrau Parwiz," both of which are almost as much aboaut Bahram Chobina as about Hurmuzd or his son. (The sections on Bahram Chobina's sister are of special interest.)

After collapse of Sassanid empire and Islamic conquest of Persia, the Samanid dynasty, one of the first independent Persian dynasties, considered themselves from Bahram Chobin's lineage.