Editing Kavad I (section)

===Reforms===
[[Image:Asbaran cavalryman bearing a banner of homa.jpg|thumb|200px|Artistic illustration of an Iranian cavalryman bearing a banner of the [[Huma bird]]]]
Kavad's reign is noteworthy for his reforms, which he had been able to make with the nobility and clergy weakened by the Mazdakites. They would not be completed under his reign but were continued by his son, Khosrow I.{{sfn|Schindel|2013a|pp=136–141}}{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|pp=59–60}} The serious blows the Sasanians had suffered at the hands of the Hephthalites in the last quarter of the 5th century was a key reason behind the reforms the two made.{{sfn|Daryaee|Rezakhani|2017|p=209}} Tax reform was implemented, a poll tax was created, and a review of taxable land was undertaken to ensure that taxation was fair.{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|p=60}} The empire was divided into four frontier regions (''kust'' in Middle Persian), with a [[spahbed|''spāhbed'']] (military commander) in charge of each district; a chancery was also added to keep the soldiers equipped.{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|p=60}}{{sfn|Miri|2012|p=24}}

Before Kavad and Khosrow's reforms, the Iranians' general (''Eran-spahbed'') managed the empire's army.{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|p=124}} Many of these military commanders were notably from the ''[[wuzurgan]]'' class of [[Parthia]], indicating the continuation of their authority despite the efforts by Kavad and Khosrow.{{sfn|McDonough|2011|p=307}} A new priestly office was also created known as the "advocate and judge of the poor" (''driyōšān jādag-gōw ud dādwar''), which assisted the clergy to help the poor and underprivileged, which they had possibly ignored previously.{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|pp=129–130}}{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|p=60}}

As a result of the reforms, the power of the [[dehqan|''dehqans'']], a class of small land-owning magnates, increased substantially. The ''dehqans'' may have even been created by the reforms in the first place.{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|p=60}} A group of these ''dehqans'' was enlisted into a group of cavalry men, who were managed directly by the shah and earned steady wages.{{sfn|Schindel|2013a|pp=136–141}} This was done to decrease the reliance on the Parthian cavalry.{{sfn|McDonough|2011|p=306}} Soldiers were also enlisted from Sasanian allies, such as the Hephthalites, [[Arabs]], and [[Daylamites]].{{sfn|McDonough|2011|p=306}} As a result, the newly rejuvenated Sasanian army proved successful in its efforts in subsequent decades. It sacked the Byzantine city of [[Antioch]] in 540, [[Aksumite–Persian wars|conquered Yemen]] in the 570s, and under the Parthian military commander [[Bahram Chobin]] defeated the Hephthalites and their allies, the [[Western Turkic Khaganate]], in the [[Perso-Turkic war of 588–589]].{{sfn|McDonough|2011|p=307}}

Although the reforms were beneficial for the Empire, they may also have resulted in the decline of the traditional links between the aristocracy and the crown under [[Hormizd IV]] ({{reign|579|590}}) and [[Khosrow II]] ({{reign|590|628|show=none}}), to the degree that many belonging to the ''wuzurgan'' class, notably Bahram Chobin of the Mihran family, and later [[Shahrbaraz]] of the same family, were bold enough to dispute the legitimacy of the Sasanian family and lay claims to the throne.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=811}}