Yazdegerd II
Yazdegerd II (also spelled Yazdgerd and Yazdgird; Middle Persian: 𐭩𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭥𐭲𐭩), was the Sasanian King of Kings (shahanshah) of Iran from 438 to 457. He was the successor and son of Bahram V (r. 420–438).
| Yazdegerd II 𐭩𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭥𐭲𐭩 | |
|---|---|
| King of Kings of Iran and non-Iran | |
| Shahanshah of the Sasanian Empire | |
| Reign | 438–457 |
| Predecessor | Bahram V |
| Successor | Hormizd III |
| Died | 457 |
| Consort | Denag |
| Issue | Hormizd III Peroz I Balash Zarer Vachagan III (?) |
| House | House of Sasan |
| Father | Bahram V |
| Mother | Sapinud |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
His reign was marked by wars against the Eastern Roman Empire in the west and the Kidarites in the east, as well as by his efforts and attempts to strengthen royal centralisation in the bureaucracy by imposing Zoroastrianism on the non-Zoroastrians within the country, namely the Christians. This backfired in Armenia, culminating in a large-scale rebellion led by the military leader Vardan Mamikonian, who was ultimately defeated and killed at the Battle of Avarayr in 451. Nevertheless, religious freedom was subsequently allowed in the country. Among the Christians who died in these crackdowns was a woman named Meskinta, subsequently recognized as a martyr and saint by Chaldean Christians, and the namesake of the Mart Meskinta Chaldean Church of Mosul, Iraq.
Yazdegerd II was the first Sasanian ruler to assume the title of kay ("king"), which evidently associates him and the dynasty to the mythical Kayanian dynasty commemorated in the Avesta. His death led to a dynastic struggle between his two sons Hormizd III and Peroz I for the throne, with the latter emerging victorious.