House of Suren
Iranian noble family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
House of Suren or Surenas[1][2] (Parthian: 𐭎𐭅𐭓𐭉𐭍 Surēn, Middle Persian: 𐭮𐭥𐭫𐭩𐭭) is one of two[c] Parthian noble families explicitly mentioned by name in sources dateable to the Arsacid period. They held considerable influence within the Parthian Empire and were the rulers of Sistan.[3][4]
| House of Suren | |
|---|---|
| Country | Sakastan |
| Current head | None, extinct |
| Members | Surena, Gregory the Illuminator, Chihor-Vishnasp, Mehr Narseh, Mahbod |
| Estate | Sakastan |
| Cadet branches | Gondopharids |
History
The head of Suren family had the privilege to crown the first Parthian king in the 3rd century BC, which founded a tradition that was continued by his descendants.[5][3][a] Following the 3rd century AD defeat of the Arsacids and the subsequent rise of the Sassanids, the Surenas then switched sides and began to serve the Sassanids,[6][7] at whose court they were identified as one of the so-called "Parthian clans." The last attested scion of the family was a military commander active in northern China during the 9th century.[8]
It is probable[6] that the Surenas were landowners in Sakastan, that is, in the region between Arachosia and Drangiana in present-day southeast Iran and Southern Afghanistan. The Surenas appear to have governed Sistan (which derives its name from 'Sakastan' and was once a much larger region than the present day province) as their personal fiefdom.[6]
Notable members of the family include the 1st century BC cavalry commander Surena, Gregory the Illuminator,[9][10][11] and Chihor-Vishnasp, a 6th-century AD governor of Armenia who attempted to establish Zoroastrianism in that country.[12]
Mehr Narseh, the minister of four Sasanian kings, was from the House of Suren,[13] as was Mahbod, who was ambassador during the reigns of Khosrow I (r. 531–579) and Hormizd IV (r. 579–590).[14]
Gondopharids
The ruling dynasty of the Indo-Parthian kingdom may have belonged to the house of Suren.[15] "Ernst Herzfeld maintained that the dynasty of [the Indo-Parthian emperor] Gondophares represented the House of Suren."[16]