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TYRANT COLLECTION
88
207
Sasanian Empire
Silver Drachm (4.05g, 31.0 mm), AD 531-579
Khosrau I, Sasanian King, AD 531-579
Sunrise # 970, Gobl Type II/2. Extremely Fine.
Mint: KR (Kirman or Kirmanshah).
Khosrau I (also written as Khosrow, Chosroe, Xusro, Husrav and Kisra) is one of the most revered kings
of Persia and the Sasanid dynasty. He has the tilte “Anooshak Ravan (Anushiruwan)” meaning “im-
mortal soul”. In addition, he was given the title “the Just” for his legal and financial reforms. His father
Kavad I put him in charge of crushing the Mazdakite movement in which he was highly successful. His
adherence to the Zorastrian religion put him in a favorable position with both the priesthood and the no-
bility. His financial reform, which started at the time of his father, based on a proper and accurate survey
of agricultural lands, came to completion and created fair conditions for subjects. The reform was also
instrumental in establishing better ways to collect taxes. He also was responsible for military reforms by
dividing the empire in to 4 divisions, each responsible for its own defense. The military generals respon-
sible for each division were given the title of “Ispahbod” meaning the “leader of the army”. Although an
excellent reform in terms of logistics, it concentrated a great deal of power in the hands of these generals
who at times began to challenge the crown, posing an existential threat to the monarchy. Khosrau was
highly successful in war with Byzantine Empire. The emperor Justinian and his general Belisarius were
engaged in large military operations against Khosrau in Persarmenia, Cacausia, Golchis and the eastern
Black Sea as well as in Syria. The war over silk, one of the most sought-after commodities of the time,
heated up as the Byzantines began an effort to end the Persian silk monopoly. Khosrau captured Yemen
which became his base for monitoring the passage of the Byzantine ships into the red sea carrying silk
from China. In the same theater of war, Khosrau crushed the Byzantine forces near Antioch (modern An-
takiyeh at the border of Turkey and Syria) and captured Antioch itself, which had largest silk processing
workshops. He ordered his engineers to survey the city and built a duplicate near the capital of Ctesiphon
calling it Vah Andiyok Khosrau (“better Antioch built by Khosrau”). He then moved the population of
merchants and silk workers to the new Antioch and directed all the commerce from old Antioch to the
new. The foreign merchants who knew the old Antioch, were able to easily navigate the new Antioch,
thus continuing their commercial ventures with ease. There is a story by the Persian poet Jami about the
new city of Antioch that Khosrau built. The story says that when an old merchant was asked to compare
the new city with the old, he said all is the same except the trees are young and not as old as the old city.
Eventually Khosrau signed a major and lasting peace treaty with Justinian ending the hostilities between
the two empires. Another major military achievement of Khosrau I was his full victory against the Hep-
htalites who had menaced the Sasanian realm for nearly a century. Khosrau’s alliance with the Turkic
Khanate of Central Asia resulted in the complete defeat of the Hephthalites. Khosrau’s successes brought
the Sasanian Persian Empire to its second Zenith after Shapur II “he Great”. Khosrau ruled for 48 years.
He has been credited with introducing the game of chess to the world. The Shahnameh of Ferdowsi
records a game of chess between Khosrau and his grand vizir Bozorgmehr.