Seven Parthian clans

The Seven Parthian clans or Seven Houses were seven feudal aristocracies of Parthian origin, who were allied with the Sasanian court.

History

Only two of the seven - the House of Suren and the House of Karen - are actually attested in sources date-able to the Parthian period. The placement of the remaining five in Parthian times is "in all probability not in accordance with reality." "It may be that [...] members of them made up their own genealogies in order to emphasize the antiquity of their families."

During Sasanian times, the seven feudal houses played a significant role at the Sasanian court. Bahram Chobin, a famed military commander of Hormizd IV (r. 579–590), was from the House of Mihran.

The clans

The seven houses with their respective main fiefs and ruling-family seats were:

• the House of Ispahbudhan, of Gurgan
• the House of Varaz, of Eastern Khorasan
• the House of Karen, of Nahavand
• the House of Mihran, of Ray
• the House of Spandiyadh, of Ray
• the House of Zik, of Adurbadagan
• the House of Suren, of Sakastan

See also

• Sasanian government
• Chosroid dynasty

References

Citations

Works cited

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