Editing Kavad I (section)

===Accession and conditions of the empire===
[[File:Coin of the Sasanian king Kavad I, minted at Ahvaz during his first reign.jpg|thumb|[[Ancient drachma|Drachma]] of Kavad during his first reign, minted at [[Ahvaz|Hormizd-Ardashir]]]]
Kavad ascended the throne in 488 at the age of 15. His youth is emphasized on his coins, which show him with short whiskers.{{sfn|Schindel|2013a|pp=136–141}} He inherited an empire that had reached its lowest ebb. The nobility and clergy exerted great influence and authority over the nation, and were able to act as king-makers, as seen by their choice to depose Balash.{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|pp=25-26}} Economically, the empire was not doing well either, the result of drought, famine, and the crushing defeats delivered by the Hephthalites. They had not only seized large parts of its eastern provinces, but had also forced the Sasanians to pay vast amounts of [[tribute]] to them, which had depleted the royal treasury of the shah.{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|p=58}}{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|p=26}}{{sfn|Daryaee|Rezakhani|2016|p=50}} Rebellions were occurring in the western provinces including [[Sasanian Armenia|Armenia]] and [[Sasanian Iberia|Iberia]].{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|p=58}}{{sfn|Kia|2016|p=253}} Simultaneously, the country's peasant class was growing more and more uneasy and alienated from the elite.{{sfn|Kia|2016|p=253}}