Editing Bahram III (section)

== Biography ==
In Sasanian Iran, it was customary for kings after conquering a land or people, to give their sons [[titles]] showing domination over them. Bahram III gained his title of "sākān shāh" presumably after his father's victory over the [[Sakastan (Sasanian Province)|Sakastan]] (present day [[Sistan]]) region. Also following early Sasanian practices of giving appanage of provinces to princes, Bahram III was appointed to Sakastan, a region of strategic importance in defending the eastern extremes of the kingdom.<ref name="Bosworth47">''Bosworth'' p.47</ref>
[[Image:NarsehCoinHistoryofIran.jpg|thumb|right|[[Gold dinar]] of [[Narseh]].]]
Following the death of [[Bahram II]] in 293, Bahram III was proclaimed king in [[Pars (Sasanian province)|Pars]] by a group of nobles led by [[Wahnam]] and supported by Adurfarrobay, King of [[Meshan]]. He was still a minor at the time of his ascension, and many nobles (outside his core group of supporters) considered him too weak to properly handle the threat posed by the Romans and the possibility of invasion. They decided to challenge his succession to the throne and instead pledged allegiance to [[Narseh]], the last remaining son of [[Shapur I]], perceived as being a stronger leader and better able to bring glory to Iran.<ref name="Henning403">''Henning'' p. 403</ref><ref name="Neusner3">''Neusner'' p. 3</ref>

Four months into Bahram's reign, his grand-uncle Narseh was summoned to [[Mesopotamia]] at the request of many members of the Iranian nobility. He met them in the passage of Paikuli in the province of [[Garmekan]], where he was firmly approved and likely also declared shah for the first time. The reasons behind the nobles favour of Narseh might have been due to his jurisdiction as governor, his image as an advocate of the [[Zoroastrian]] religion and as an insurer for harmony and prosperity of the empire. His ancestry from the early Sasanian family probably also played a role.{{sfn|Weber|2016}}

In order to avoid bloodshed, Narseh proposed to make peace with both Bahram III and Wahnam.{{sfn|Weber|2016}} Both seem to have agreed, as no accounts of battles have been made. The reason behind Bahram and Wahnam's quick agreement to peace may have been due to desertion amongst many of Bahram's men. Bahram abdicated as shah and was probably spared, whilst Wahnam was executed when Narseh entered the Sasanian capital of [[Ctesiphon]].{{sfn|Kia|2016|p=269}}{{sfn|Weber|2016}} Narseh then summoned the aristocrats to take part in the royal referendum, a ritual which had been used since the first Sasanian shah, Ardashir I ({{reign|224|242}}), and which Narseh now made use of in order to gain the approval of the aristocracy as a legitimate ruler instead that of a usurper. Narseh was decisively voted in favour by the majority, and guaranteed "to enter the throne of our father and our forefathers with the help of the Gods, in their name and that of our forefathers."{{sfn|Weber|2016}}