Rostam Farrokhzād


 * For the character in the 10th century Persian epic Shahnameh or Epic of Kings, see Rostam.

Rostam Farrokhzād (رستم فرّخزاد in Persian) (6?? – 636) was the Ērān Spāhbed (Spāhbed of Iran, Commander of the Army of Iran) of the Sasanian Empire under the reign of Yazdegerd III, (reigned 632–651). Rostam is remembered as an historical figure, a character in the Persian epic poem Shahnameh, and as a touchstone of most Iranian nationalists. His grandfather Vinduyih was the brother of Vistahm, the twenty-seventh Shahanshah of the Sasanians, as well.

Early life and Rise
Rostam Farrokhzād was a powerful Sasanian general and a member of the House of Ispahbudhan, from Azarbaijan, one of the provinces of the Sasanian Empire. His grandfather was Vinduyih, the uncle of Khosrau II and brother of Vistahm, a Sasanian rival king. His father, Farrokh Hormizd, and his brother, Khurrazad, served the Sasanian rulers in high office. As his father before him, Rostam was "ishkan" or "prince” of Azarbaijan and Media and governor of Khorasan. By this date Sasanian governors (Spahbods) held their lands in a type of hereditary fiefdom. In a period of Sasanian decline, such aristocrats became increasingly powerful and in many cases were the power behind a series of weak rulers.

During the reign of Azarmidokht, Farrokh Hormizd, the military commander of Khorasan and father of Rostam Farrokhzad, proposed marriage to queen her. Not daring to refuse, the queen invited him to her private quarters, where she had him killed. To avenge him, his son Rostam captured the capital Ctesiphon, then dethroned the queen and had her blinded and killed.

By 632, Rostam reappears in Persian sources as a supporter of another young ruler Yazdegerd III who had just taken Ctesiphon, perhaps with the aid of Rostam's faction. Rostam's brother Khurrazad was the 'darik-pat' (or chamberlain). With another aristocrat named Zadhoe, there appears to have been a triumvirate behind the new ruler.

Throughout this period the great expansion of Arab-Muslim armies had slowly been penetrating the south-western frontiers under Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattāb. The Persians had repeatedly blocked this advance and in 634 the Caliph's army suffered a seemingly decisive defeat at the Battle of the Bridge. The Sasanian general Bahman Jaduya, though, was ordered back to Ctesiphon by Rostam in order to put down a revolt in his own capital city. Caliph `Umar's forces retreated, only to launch a successful assault three years later.

Battle of al-Qadisiyyah
In 636, Yazdegerd III ordered Rostam Farrokhzad to subdue the Muslim Arabs invading Iran and then told him: "Today you are the [most prominent] man among the Iranians. You see that the people of Iran have not faced a situation like this since the family of Ardashir I assumed power."

Yazdegerd III then said: "the Arabs and their exploits since they have camped at Qadisiyyah and ... what the Iranians have suffered at their hands."

Rostam replied that he believed the Arabs to be "a pack of wolves, falling upon unsuspecting shepherds and annihilating them."

However, Yazdegerd III then argued with him and said: "It is not like that. I put the question to you in the expectation that you would describe them clearly and that then I would be able to reinforce you so that you might act according to the [real situation]. But you did not say the right thing." Yazdegerd III then compared the Arabs to an eagle who "looked upon a mountain where birds take shelter at night and stay in their nests at the foot of it." In the morning the birds recognized that the eagle is preying upon them. Whenever "a bird became separated from the rest, the eagle snatched him. When the birds saw him [doing this], they did not take off out of fear ... If they had taken off all at once, they would have repelled him. The worst thing that could happen to them would be that all would escape save one. But if each group acted in turn and took off separately, they all perished. This was the similarity between them and the Iranians. Yazdegerd III was clearly describing the division and lack of collaboration among the different Iranian factions.

Rostam, however, did not agree with Yazdegerd III and then told him: "O king, let me [act in my own way]. The Arabs still dread the Iranians as long as you do not arouse them against me. It is to be hoped that my good fortune will last and that God will save us the trouble." Rostam then said: "We should employ the right ruse," he insisted. "In war, patience is superior to haste, and the order of the day is now patience. To fight one army after another is better than a single [and total] defeat and is also harder on our enemy." Yazdegerd III, however, was too young and stubborn to listen to Rostam.

Before the Muslim Arabs and the Sasanians engaged in battle, Rostam tried to negotiate with the Arabs. He therefor sent them a letter saying:

In the presence of the pure Lord of the world we may not stand without fear and reverence, for it is through him that the revolving heavens endure and all his governance is justice and charity. May there be blessings from him on the monarch who is the adornment of his crown, throne and seal, who by his Farr holds Ahriman [the sprit of evil] enthralled, the lord of the sword and the sublime crown. This deplorable vent has occurred and to no purpose has this grievous thing, this struggle, come to pass. Tell me this, who is your king? What man are you and what is your religion and way of life? Over whom do you seek to triumph, you, naked commander of a naked army? With a loaf of bread you are satisfied yet remain hungry. You have neither elephants nor platforms nor baggage nor gear. Mere existence in Iran would be enough for you, since crown and ring belong to another, one who possesses elephants and treasures, Farr and sublime rank. His forebears from ancestor to ancestor have all been renowned kings. When he is visible, there is no moon in the sky. There is no monarch of his stature on earth. When he laughs at a feast with his lips open and teeth shining like silver, he gives away what is the ransom of an Arab chief without any loss to his treasury. His hounds, panthers and falcons number twelve thousand, all dight with golden bells and earrings. From a diet of camel's milk and lizards the Arabs have come so far as to aspire to the Kayanian throne. Is there no shame in your eyes? Do feeling and honour not lie on the path of your wisdom? With a countenance such as yours, such birth, such sentiments and spirit, do you aspire to such a crown and such a throne? If you seek to posses some portion of the world you will not make over-boastful claims. Send us some man to speak for you, someone of experience, a warrior of understand, of the kind who may tell us what your religion is and who your guide is upon the royal throne. I shall send a cavalier to the Shah requesting him to grant you what you desire. And now do not attempt to make war on so great a monarch, for it is in his hands that the outcome of it will lie. Observe well the contents of his letter filled with good counsel; do not bind up the eyes and ears of wisdom.

The Arabs did as he asked and sent a man named Zuhrah, the negotiations with him did not go well, Rostam therefor asked for another messenger, and a man named Mughirah b. Shubah was sent. Rostam then told Mughirah: "We are firmly established in the land, victorious over our enemies, and noble among nations. None of the kings has our power, honor, dominion." Mughirah then interrupted him and said: "If you need our protection, then be our slave, and pay the poll tax out of hand while being humiliated; otherwise it is the sword." Feeling insulted, Rostam flew into a rage, and swore by the sun: "Dawn will not break upon you tomorrow before I kill you all".

Rostam, while preparing to face the Arab army, wrote a letter to his brother Khurrazad, telling him to gather the army of Iran and then go to Azerbaijan and pray for what was about to transpire, and he reminded them all that Yazdegerd III was the only legacy left from the Sasanians. Rostam then set out from Ctesiphon in command of a large Sasanian force to confront the Arab-Muslim army of Caliph `Umar ibn al-Khattāb on the western bank of the Euphrates River at the plains of al-Qādisiyyah, a now abandoned city in southern Mesopotamia, southwest of al-Hillah and al-Kūfah in Iraq.

During the final day of the battle, there was a heavy sandstorm facing the Sasanian army. Rostam used a camel loaded with weapons as shelter to avoid the sandstorm. Not knowing that Rostam was behind, Hilāl ibn `Ullafah accidentally cut the girdle of the load on the camel. The weapons fell on Rostam and broke his back leaving him half dead and paralyzed. Hilal beheaded Rostam and shouted "I swear to the god of Kaaba that I have killed Rostam." Shocked by the head of their legendary leader dangling before their eyes, the Sasanian were demoralized, and the commanders lost control of the army. Many Sasanian soldiers were slain in the chaos, many escaped through the river, and finally the rest of the army surrendered.

Consequences

 * See Sasanian Empire: Decline and fall (622–651)

The defeat of Rostam's army marked the beginning of the end of the Sasanian Empire and the conversion of Persia (and soon all Central Asia) to Islam.

Personality and skills
The Shahnameh describes him as: "A sagacious, warlike and one who had been a conqueror. He was a calculator of the stars, of great perception; and he listened deeply to what his counsellors advised."

Christensen describes him as: "A man endowed with extraordinary energy, a good administrator and a fine general."