| چکیده انگلیسی مقاله |
In the last decades of the Sāsānid history, aside from the names of kings, princes, and queens, the names of warriors such as Bahrām Čōbīn, Bendōy, Bestām, Šahrwarāz, and Rostam Farroḳ-Hormozd appear in important events of this period. One of the mysterious figures of this era, with a history of amazing works, is Ḵorrād Borzīn. He was one of the dignitaries and notables during the reign of Hormozd IV (579-590 AD) and Ḵosrow II Parviz (590-628 AD). In the days of Kavād II/ Šīrōy (628 AD) as well, he was an old man, but as in the past, he was a very honorable person among the courtiers and in the eyes of the Iranians. In the Islamic historical sources, there are only brief references to Ḵorrād Borzīn, but in Ferdowsī's Šāh-nāma, there is a more extensive report about his life and wonderful works. In these sources, he is always mentioned as an educated secretary, a seasoned politician, a wise, eloquent, and cunning individual, and one of the most honorable courtiers of Hormozd IV, Ḵosrow II, and Kavād II. In this descriptive-analytical study, the story and works of Ḵorrād Borzīn, as one of the unknown politicians of the last decades of the Sāsānian history, and his collaboration and his role in the events of this time will be discussed. INTRODUCTION Studies that have been conducted on the history of Iran during the Sāsānid era have, to a large extent, ignored the life and works of Ḵorrād Borzīn, who was one of the wise and famous Iranian politicians during the reign of Hormozd IV (579-590 AD), Ḵosrow II (590-628 AD) and Kavād II (628 A.D.). Therefore, although valuable research has been conducted on the biographies of people such as Bahrām Čōbīn, Bendōy, Bestām, Šahrwarāz, and Rostam Farroḳ-Hormozd, who were all prominent political and military figures at the end of the Sāsānid period, and now there is more or less significant information about them, few if any studies have particularly focused on Ḵorrād Borzīn who was their contemporary and was known as a skilled and wise politician during this period. Likewise, in the existing documents about the history of the Sāsānids, either his name is missing, or only tacit mention is made of him as one of the Sāsānid courtiers in the events of the period of Hormozd IV and Ḵosrow II, Ḵorrād Borzīn. Aside from some historical sources of the Islamic period that provide brief information about the works of this Iranian politician, Ferdowsī's Šāh-nāma is the most important source for knowing the history and personality traits of Ḵorrād Borzīn. Therefore, in Šāh-nāma’s studies and especially in research about the names of people in Šāh-nāma, the biography of Ḵorrād Borzīn has also been narrated based on the report of Šāh-nāma. It is thus necessary to study the history and works of this prominent politician at the end of the Sāsānid period, his special role in the events of this period, and his personality traits in separate research. METHODOLOGY The current descriptive-analytical research explores the biography of Ḵorrād Borzīn as one of the mysterious politicians of the last decades of the Sāsānid history. The study investigates his contribution to and his role in the events of this period. Although the historical sources of the Islamic period, especially Ferdowsī's Šāh-nāma, offers some information about Ḵorrād Borzīn, the Sāsānian history researchers seem to have ignored him. To become familiar with this less known politician, in light of the Islamic historical reports as well as the narrative of the history of Theophylact Simocatta, a contemporary Byzantine historian with Ḵorrād Borzīn, the personality traits and history of this Iranian politician and his role in the events of the period of Hormozd IV and Ḵosrow II and Kavād II were investigated, hoping to throw light on his mysterious standing. RESULT AND DISCUSSION In 588 AD during the period of Hormozd IV, groups of Hephthalites - in Islamic sources: Turks - attacked the eastern borders of Iran and advanced as far as Bādqis and Herāt. In the Sāsānians capital, Bahrām Čōbīn, a renowned Iranian commander from the Parthian Mehrān family, was chosen by the Sāsānid king to face this eastern enemy, and he hastened to the eastern borders and fought against the Turks. However, it seems that before the Iranian army was ready to move to the east, Hormozd IV sent one of the prominent, wise, and cunning politicians of his court named Ḵorrād Borzīn towards the Hephthalian ruler to prevent further attacks of the Hephthalians/ Turks to the eastern lands of Iran. He was sent to pacify the Turks with his tricks and then prepare ground for Bahrām's warriors to trap them. Ḵorrād Borzīn had to deceive this eastern enemy by giving them the delusion that Hormozd could not withstand their attack and that he was ready to accept the peace treaty and pay ransom to them. However, with his skill and cleverness, he prevented the advance of the Turks in Iran, and in this way, he was able to reconnoiter and gain valuable information about the enemy army. Later, when Bahrām and the Iranian army arrived near the camp of the Turks, Ḵorrād Borzīn escaped at night and reached Bahrām and informed him of the organization and fighting power of the Turks. Ḵorrād Borzīn, as a special envoy of Hormozd IV, was with him during Bahrām's battles with the Turks, until Bahrām disobeyed the king and following his rebellion, Ḵorrād Borzīn fled to the capital and informed the king about the events in the east and the rebellion of Bahrām and his troops. The fire of Bahrām's rebellion ignited, and before Bahrām arrived in the capital of Iran, the Iranian nobles deposed Hormozd and handed over the throne to his son Ḵosrow. Despite all this, Bahrām, who wanted the throne for himself, reached the capital with the support of his troops, and Ḵosrow inevitably fled to Byzantium with his closest associates, one of whom was Ḵorrād Borzīn, and sought refuge with him in a border city of the Roman Empire. To get war help from the Byzantine emperor, Ḵosrow sent Ḵorrād Borzīn and several other companions to the emperor's court, and as reported by Theophylact Simocatta, this wise and cunning emissary of Ḵosrow, with his wisdom, eloquence, and shrewdness, brought the emperor and the Romans together with Ḵosrow. Finally, Ḵosrow, with the help of the Romans and his Iranian supporters, wrested the Sāsānian royal throne from Bahrām, and he inevitably sought refuge at the court of the Turkish Ḵāqān. With Ḵosrow's ascension to the throne, Ḵorrād Borzīn gained a special position and dignity, and later, with Ḵosrow's orders, he went to the court of the Ḵāqān of the Turks, and in a complex and surprising plot, he killed Bahrām, the militant enemy of Ḵosrow, and returned to Iran. Besides being a clever and wise politician, Ḵorrād Borzīn sometimes took command of the army in wars and according to several sources of the Islamic period, finally in the war with the Arabs in Ḏū-Qār, probably between 604 and 610 AD, he was killed. However, from other sources, it appears that this mysterious person was alive for a few decades after the battle of Ḏū-Qār and even until the time of Kavād II (628 AD), the successor of Ḵosrow II. CONCLUSIONS As one of the enigmatic figures of the last decades of Sāsānid history, Ḵorrād Borzīn’s story of his amazing deeds are reported especially in Ferdowsī's Šāh-nāma, in the context of the events of the reigns of Hormozd IV, Ḵosrow II, and Kavād II. In all our sources, he was always regarded as an educated secretary, a wise and eloquent politician, and one of the most honorable courtiers of this period. Ḵorrād Borzīn was especially one of the closest and most loyal companions of Ḵosrow II and held a special position in his eye. Ḵorrād Borzīn's entry into the Sāsānian history begins from the time of Hormozd IV and the attack of the Hephthalites Turks on the eastern borders of Iran. It is from this time that he is seen as a veteran, wise, and cunning politician of the Sāsānian court. At this time, Ḵorrād Borzīn was sent by the Sāsānid king to the camp of the eastern enemy to prevent their further attacks to Iran through conciliatory talks, so that the Iranian army under the command of Bahrām Čōbīn could confront the Turks. With his skill and cleverness, he stopped the enemy from advancing and destroying more and gained valuable information about the ability of the enemy's army until the Iranian army arrived to fight the Turks. Later, when Bahrām and the Iranian army arrived near the camp of the Turks, Ḵorrād Borzīn, whose secret was now revealed, escaped at night and reached the Iranian army and informed Bahrām of the organization and fighting power of the Turks. Ḵorrād Borzīn, as a special envoy and the eyes and ears of Hormozd IV, was with Bahrām during Bahrām's wars with the Turks, and later when Bahrām rebelled and stood up to confront the king, he, who did not agree with Bahrām, fled to the court and informed the king about the events in the east and the rebellion of Bahrām and his troops. Hormozd IV was soon deposed by Iranian nobles, and when Bahrām arrived in the capital with his troops, Hormozd's son and successor, Ḵosrow, fled to Byzantium with his closest associates, one of whom was Ḵorrād Borzīn. Then, Ḵosrow sent Ḵorrād Borzīn to the emperor's court to get war help from the Byzantine emperor and as it appears from the report of Theophylact Simocatta and Ferdowsī, it was with the eloquence and cleverness of this wise Iranian politician that the Byzantine emperor accompanied Ḵosrow to fight Bahrām. During the reign of Ḵosrow II, Ḵorrād Borzīn found a special base and respectability, and his name is always heard as a respectable secretary and a skilled politician. His masterpiece in the politics of this time was a complex and surprising plot to kill Ḵosrow's militant enemy Bahrām in the land of the Turks, and by doing it, the name of Ḵorrād Borzīn became immortal in the history of the Sāsāanids. He, who was always a loyal friend of Ḵosrow, occasionally took command of the corps in wars, as he was one of Ḵosrow's commanders in the battle with Bestām. Also, later, he was given the command of the border fortress of Bāreq near Hīra, and he, along with two other commanders of Ḵosrow, fought with the Arab tribes in the battle of Ḏū-Qār and was reportedly killed in this battle. However, as it appears from other sources, especially Ferdowsī's Šāh-nāma, I believe that he was alive until the time of Kavād II (628 AD), the son and successor of Ḵosrow II. Perhaps Hormozd, the cunning commander of the Iranian army, who was killed by Ķālid bin Walīd in the battle of Chains in the twelfth year of the Hijri (633 AD), was the same Ḵorrād Borzīn. Anyway, the history and the amazing impact of Ḵorrād Borzīn are such that the face of this Iranian secretary and politician is mysterious. |