Mihr-Narseh

Mihr-Narseh was an influential politician in the Sassanid Empire in the 5th century .

Mihr-Narseh came from a noble family and served in a prominent court function during the reign of the great kings Yazdegerd I , Bahram V and Yazdegerd II. He is referred to on an inscription from Firuzabad as wuzurg-framadar , as the highest royal court official. He was apparently able to exercise this influential position for several decades.

Mihr-Narseh traced himself - like the kings - back to the mythical Kayanids . In the tradition he is assigned the creation of important offices (such as the artēštārān sālār , translated: leader of the warriors ) in the administrative, religious and military area. According to Tabari , he put his sons Zurvandad, Mah-Gušnasp and Kadar in the offices of a herbedan herbed (translated: chief of the priests), vastaryošan sālār (translated: chief property tax collector ) and artēštārān sālār . Armenian sources report that under Yadzegerd II, Mihr-Narseh played a major role in the attempt to force Zoroastrianism on the Christians in the empire . From the name of one of his sons (Zurvandad) and the planting of 12,000 trees by Mihr-Narseh, the conclusion was drawn that he was probably a supporter of Zurvanism (the number of trees points in the direction of the world age speculations of Zervanism). Mihr-Narseh is also believed to have founded several fire sanctuaries in Fars Province .

According to later tradition, he was still a priest in the fire temple under Bahram V , and allegedly under Yazdegerd II he had to work as a temple slave on a crown domain because of an offense, but was again allowed to serve as a suitor under Peroz I.

literature

• Touraj Daryaee: More-Narseh . In: Encyclopædia Iranica