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One this day in the year of 260AD in Ctesiphon,
near the present-day Baghdad, then capital of the Persian Empire, Shapur I
(reign 241-271), second Sassanid king of Iran, declared Iran as the sole
superpower on earth in front of Valerian( Publius Licinius Valerianus ), the
captive Roman emperor and his generals in chains.
Valerian was the third Roman emperor who started war with Shapur I ,but which
defeated decisively and captured. The capture of the Emperor Valerian by king
shapur has concluded a disastrous for Romans.
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| Valerian submits to
Persia's king |
This was not the first time Iran got this title. Since February (Bahman)
of the year 599 BC, the Persian Empire enjoyed being the sole superpower
several times.
The Ashkanians (Aracids) dynasty, which had
ruled Iran for more than four centuries (250BC-226AD) had been overthrown by
Ardeshir, the son of Papak Sassani in an Iranian civil war.
Ardeshir from Pars (Fars) defeated Ardavan V (Artaban) at Hormozdigan(near the
present-day Behbahan)in the year of 226AD. Ardisir who was a religious hard-line
and the head of the Zoroastarian Southern Atashkadeh (the holy fire) blamed the
Ardavan’s government for spreading corruption across the country by his
mismanagement.
Ardeshir, also a nationalist, won the civil war by his superior armored cavalry
and the support of the Iranian people with the exception of the nobles.
Ardeshir moved to Ctesiphon, the capital city which was established by the
Ashkanians on the Tigris and called himself the true descendant of Cyrus the
Great and Darius and the successor of the Acheamenid dynasty. Therefore, he made
the Roman Empire very worried about the future. The senate of Rome found the
empire facing a new Iranian nationalism and urged the emperor to go to war with
Ardeshir before he consolidated his power. But the Roman Army was defeated by
Ardeshir and lost all of the areas occupied from the last king of the Ashkannian
dynasty.
The Roman casualties in the war of the year 238AD were 41,000 dead and 28,000
injured or captured.
After the death of Ardeshir, The Senate of Rome again urged the emperor to fight
a new war with the new king (Shah) of Iran, Shapur I. But Gordian III
(Gordianus)the Roman emperor was defeated by the Iranian Army in the year of
246AD after two years of war and Gordian III was assassinated by his own
humiliated officers.
Phillip, the next emperor, paid Iranians 500,000 golden coins and bought the
truce.
Soon after the declaration made by Shapur I that Iran is the sole superpower, he
decided to send thousands of Roman prisoners of war to Kuzestan as workers to
help build the Shadravan dam and the Shushtar bridge. Before Valerian died,
Shapur I had the once proud Roman emperor kneel when he wished to mount his
horse. Shapur would then place his foot on Valerian’s neck and hoisted himself
up into the saddle.
After this great victory, Shapur built a city near Kazeroon, which carried his
name, Bishapur. He extended Iranian borders from the Indian and Mediterranean
and Black seas, including Central Asia. |
