Editing Bahram III

{{Short description|Shahanshah of the Sasanian Empire in 293 CE}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name= Bahram III<br>{{lang|pal|𐭥𐭫𐭧𐭫𐭠𐭭}}
| title= [[King of Kings of Iranians and non-Iranians]]
| image= Silver coin of Bahram II (together with prince), struck at the Balkh mint.jpg
| caption = [[Ancient drachma|Drachma]] of Bahram III as a prince with his father [[Bahram II]], minted at [[Balkh]]
| succession  = [[List of shahanshahs of the Sasanian Empire|Shahanshah]] of the [[Sasanian Empire]]
| reign= 293
| coronation=
| predecessor=[[Bahram II]]
| successor=[[Narseh]]
| queen=
| royal house= [[House of Sasan]]
| father= [[Bahram II]]
| mother=[[Shapurdukhtak]]
| religion =[[Zoroastrianism]]
| birth_date=
| birth_place=
| death_date=
| death_place=
| place of burial=
}}
'''Bahram III''' (also spelled '''Wahram III''' or  '''Warahran III'''; {{langx|pal|𐭥𐭫𐭧𐭫𐭠𐭭}}, [[New Persian]]: {{lang|fa|بهرام سوم}}), was the sixth king ([[shah]]) of the [[Sasanian Empire]]. He was son and successor of [[Bahram II]].<ref>Touraj Daryaee, ''Sasanian Persia'', (I.B.Tauris Ltd, 2010), 11.</ref> As a prelude to his kingship he was [[viceroy]] in the province of [[Sakastan (Sasanian Province)|Sakastan]], which had been re-conquered by his father sometime in the 280s.

Bahram III ascended to the throne after his father's death in 293. Many nobles considered him too weak to rule, instead pledging allegiance to his grand-uncle [[Narseh]]. After reigning for a period of only four months, Bahram III was either captured or more likely killed during a campaign by Narseh, who took his place as king.

== Name ==
His [[Theophoric names|theophoric name]] "Bahram" is the [[New Persian]] form of the [[Middle Persian]] ''Warahrān'' (also spelled ''Wahrām''), which is derived from the [[Old Iranian languages|Old Iranian]] ''Vṛθragna''.{{sfn|Multiple authors|1988|pages=514-522}} The [[Avestan]] equivalent was [[Verethragna]], the name of the old Iranian god of victory, whilst the [[Parthian language|Parthian]] version was ''*Warθagn''.{{sfn|Multiple authors|1988|pages=514-522}} The name is transliterated in [[Greek language|Greek]] as ''Baranes'',{{sfn|Wiesehöfer|2018|pages=193-194}} whilst the [[Armenian language|Armenian]] transliteration is ''Vahagn/Vrām''.{{sfn|Multiple authors|1988|pages=514-522}} The name is attested in [[Georgian language|Georgian]] as ''Baram''{{sfn|Rapp|2014|page=203}} and [[Latin]] as ''Vararanes''.{{sfn|Martindale|Jones|Morris|1971|p=945}}

== 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}}

== Artifacts ==
Many coins that could be attributed to him are small in number and due to uncertainty, many are often attributed to Narseh. Because many of the coins are attributed to him are smoother than usual the details of his crown are faint. It is believed that he is depicted wearing a [[gold]] crown with a crenellated lower rim and two large [[deer]] [[Horn (anatomy)|horns]] or at least replicas of them attached on each side. The Sasani sphere sits between the horns on the front of the crown.<ref name="Ayatollahi156">''Ayatollahi'' p. 156</ref>

A low relief at the [[Bishapur]] archeological site depicts a figure being trampled by a horse. It is assumed that this scene is a representation of either the death of Bahram III or more likely his ally Wahnam.<ref name="Baker181">''Baker'' p. 181</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== Sources ==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Bosworth
 | first = Clifford
 | year = 1999
 | title = The Sāsānids, the Byzantines, the Lakhmids, and Yemen
 | publisher = SUNY Press
 | location = Albany
 | isbn = 0-7914-4355-8
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Yarshater
 | first = Ehsan
 | year = 1968
 | title = The Cambridge History of Iran
 | publisher = Cambridge University Press
 | location = Cambridge
 | isbn = 0-511-46774-5
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Ayatollahi
 | first = Habibollah
 | year = 2003
 | title = The Book of Iran: The History of Iranian Art
 | publisher = Center for International-Cultural Studies
 | location = City
 | isbn = 964-94491-4-0
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Baker
 | first = Patricia L.
 | year = 2005
 | title = Iran, 2nd: the Bradt Travel Guide
 | publisher = Bradt Travel Guides
 | location = City
 | isbn = 1-84162-123-4
 | url-access = registration
 | url = https://archive.org/details/iran0000bake
 }}
*{{cite book
 | last = Henning
 | first = Walter Bruno
 | year = 1974
 | title = Acta Iranica
 | publisher = Bibliothèque Pahlavi
 | location = Téhéran
 | isbn = 90-04-03902-3
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Neusner
 | first = Jacob
 | year = 1997
 | title = A History of the Jews in Babylonia: from Shapur I to Shapur II
 | publisher = Brill Academic Publishers
 | location = Boston
 | isbn = 90-04-02144-2
}}
* {{cite encyclopedia | title = Bahrām III | last = Klíma | first = O. | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bahram-03 | encyclopedia  = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. III, Fasc. 5 | pages = 514–522 | year = 1988 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | article = Narseh | last = Weber | first = Ursula | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/narseh-sasanian-king | encyclopedia  = Encyclopaedia Iranica | year = 2016 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Kia|first1=Mehrdad|title=The Persian Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]: A Historical Encyclopedia|date=2016|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1610693912|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B5BHDAAAQBAJ&q=false}}
*{{cite book |last2=Jones |first2=A. H. M. |last1=Martindale |first1=J. R. |last3=Morris |first3=J. |title=The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire: Volume 1, AD 260-395 |date=1971 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521072335}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rapp|first1=Stephen H.|title=The Sasanian World through Georgian Eyes: Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature|date=2014|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1472425522|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T8VIBQAAQBAJ&q=rapp+inscription+kartir}}
* {{cite encyclopedia | article = Bahrām | last = Multiple authors | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bahram-the-name-of-six-sasanian-kings | encyclopedia  = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. III, Fasc. 5 | pages = 514–522 | year = 1988 }}
* {{ODLA|last1=Wiesehöfer|first1=Josef|authorlink1=Josef Wiesehöfer|title=Bahram I|url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001/acref-9780198662778-e-603?rskey=rkOrOO&result=1}}
{{Refend|2}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927205815/http://www.sasanika.com/pdf/Paikuli.pdf The Sassanian Inscription of Paikuli by Prods Skjærvø]

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[Sasanian Empire|Sasanian dynasty]]||||}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Bahram II]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of Kings of Iran and non-Iran]]|years=293}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Narseh]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Sasanian Rulers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahram 03}}
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]
[[Category:3rd-century Sasanian monarchs]]
[[Category:3rd-century births]]
[[Category:Sasanian governors of Sakastan]]
[[Category:Shahnameh characters]]