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Marzban

For the villages in Iran, seeMarzban, IranandPir Marzban.
For the dessert, seeMarzipan.

Marzbān,orMarzpān[1](Middle Persiantransliteration: mrzwpn, derived frommarz"border, boundary" and the suffix-pān"guardian";Modern Persian:مرزبانMarzbān) were a class ofmargraves,warden of the marches, and by extension military commanders,[2]in charge of border provinces of theParthian Empire(247 BC–224 AD) and mostlySasanian Empire(224–651 AD) ofIran.

Etymology

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The Persian wordmarzis derived fromAvestanmarəza"frontier, border";pān/pāvanis cognate withAvestanandOld Persianpat"protector". The word was borrowed from New Persian into Arabic asمرزبانmarzubān(pluralمرازبةmarāziba). "Al-Marzubani"(المرزباني) has been used as anisba(family title) for some Iranian families whose ancestor was a marzbān. The prominent Islamic scholarAbu Hanifa,whose formal name is given in Islamic sources as Nu'man ibn Thabit ibn Zutaibn Marzubān(نعمان بن ثابت بن زوطا بن مرزبان), was descended from the marzbāns ofKabul,where his father came from. TheBavand(651–1349 AD) andSallarid(919–1062 AD) dynasty rulers also usedmarzubānin their name.

The word marzban was borrowed intoArmenianasmarzpan(մարզպան) and intoGeorgianasmarzapani(მარზაპანი).[3]

History

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The ranks tradition (primarily ofvāspuhrānandāzādān) can be traced to theAchaemenid Empire(550–330 BC),[4][5]but due to lack of sources even in theParthian Empire(247 BC – 224 AD) the existence of a proper classification of ranks is unknown,[6][7]in comparison to the Sasanian royal inscriptions from the 3rd century AD when the aristocracy was divided into four or five ranks;[6][4]šahrdārān(kings, landholders),vāspuhrān(princes; theseven great noble families[4]),wuzurgān(magnates; "great ones"[4]), lower nobilityāzādān(feudal nobles; freemen), andkadag-xwadāy(householders).[8]The Sasanian military organization was more sophisticated than the inherited Parthian system.[5]The caste system wasn't rigid as in India, but the ruling officiers were mostly fromwuzurgāncaste.[4][9]There's a possibility that the Late Sasanianmarzbānānalso originated from theāzādān,[10]who mostly were lords of villages (dihqānān), supplied the cavalry with young riders (asbārān), or were bodyguards and security forces with titlesbandagān,ayyārānorjānbāzān,all signifying association with the king.[11]

The titlemarzbāncan be dated to the Parthian Empire, where in the frontier areas such asNisa(1st century BC[12]) are found titlesmrzwpn(marzban), probably an officier in charge of the frontier troops, anddyzpty,an officier in charge of a fort.[13]Some scholars consider thatmarzbānsexisted during the reign ofDarius I(550–486 BC) of the Achaemenid Empire.[14]There is some uncertainty for the exact relationship between titlesmarzbān,spāhbed,kanārang,pāygōsbān(Parthianptykwspn,Sasanianpaygospānorpadhospān[13]) andostāndār.[15][16]The historical sources blur the distinction between themarzbānandspāhbed(army general or military governor), implyingmarzbānwas a military title strictly limited to the frontier marches and provinces.[15]The least clear is the distinction withkanārang,apparently an East-Iranian derivation ofmarzbānin the provinceAbarshahrinCentral Asia.[15]Thepāygōsbān,meaning "guardian of the district",[16]is an uncertain title,[13]seemingly provincial military commanders or governors, while themarzbānmeant "guardian of the borders, provinces".[15][16]Perhaps thepāygōsbānlacked civilian duties.[17]Theostāndārwas the governor of anostān(province or district within a province).[15]

The primary sources imply themarzbānwas a provincional function practiced for a single or multiple provinces,[18][19]but there is no evidence for a "quarter of the empire", asal-MasudientitledŠahrwarāz(629 AD).[16]The rank ofmarzbān,like most imperial administration, was mostly patrimonial, and was passed down through a single family for generations. Themarzbānsof greatest seniority were permitted a silver throne, whilemarzbānsof the most strategic border provinces, such as the province of Armenia, were allowed a golden throne.[9]In military campaigns the regionalmarzbānscould be regarded as field marshals, while lesserspāhbedscould command a field army.[20]

The function ofmarzbānchanged over the years, with smaller territorial units being part of the civil administration.[17]In the early years the mainmarzbānregions wereArmenia,Beth Aramaye,Pars,Kirman,Spahan,Adurbadagan,Tabaristan,Nishapur,Tus,Sakastan,Mazun,Harev,MarvandSarakhs,[21]several mentioned belonging to theGreater Khorasan.[21]Some regions enjoyed considerable autonomy while other were militarily more important, for example the Adurbadagan facing theCaucasuswas special military frontier.[22]

Marzbānswere granted the administration of the border provinces and were responsible for maintaining the security of thetrade routes,fighting the encroaching nomadic tribes such asBedouin Arabs,White HunsandOghuz Turks,and holding the first line of defense against settled enemies such asRomansandKushans.[23]During the reign ofKhosrow I(531–579 AD) were heldmilitary reformsby which were createdfour frontier regions(Khwarasan,Khwarwaran,Nemroz, Adurbadagan) withspāhbedin charge, sometimes still called asmarzbān,but now generally considered for more central provinces.[24]Also, the previous gentry rankdihqānānwas moulded into influential "nobility of service" which became the backbone of the Sasanian state.[25]However, this measures of centralization caused the transfer of the power to the military (thedihqānāngradually became more independent from the government, while the four largespāhbedterritories quasi-independent fiefs), and led to the eventual disintegration of the Empire.[26]

The Sasanian social, administrative and military structure and system was inherited by the Medieval Islamic civilization,[17]however, themarzbānssteadily disappeared depending on the region, as such in Iraq diminished and were replaced by Muslim frontier warriorsmuqātila,while in Khorasan still had special privileges.[27]In generally were replaced by the titledihqānān.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Hoyland 2011,p. 46.
  2. ^Pourshariati 2008,p. 503.
  3. ^Rapp, Stephen H. Jr (2014).The Sasanian World through Georgian Eyes: Caucasia and the Iranian Commonwealth in Late Antique Georgian Literature.Routledge. p. 57.ISBN978-1-4724-2552-2.
  4. ^abcdeFrye 1984,p. 316.
  5. ^abFarrokh & McBride 2012,p. 6.
  6. ^abWiesehöfer 2001,p. 138-139.
  7. ^Frye 1984,p. 316, 224.
  8. ^Tafażżolī, Ahmad (15 December 1989)."Bozorgān".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition.Retrieved23 April2015.
  9. ^abNicolle 1996,p. 10.
  10. ^Zakeri 1995,p. 30.
  11. ^Zakeri 1995,p. 11, 30-31.
  12. ^Shaki, Mansour (21 October 2011)."Class System III: In the Parthian and Sasanian Periods".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition.Retrieved23 April2015.
  13. ^abcFrye 1984,p. 224.
  14. ^Briant 2015.
  15. ^abcdeFarrokh & McBride 2012,p. 8.
  16. ^abcdGyselen 2004.
  17. ^abcNicolle 1996,p. 13.
  18. ^G. Gropp (1969),Einige neuentdeckte Inschriften aus sasanidischer Zeit,Berlin:W. Hinz, Altiranische Funde und Forschungen, pp. 229–262
  19. ^Skjaervo, Prods O.(1983),The Sassanian Inscription of Paikuli III/1-2,Wiesbaden,pp. 38–39{{citation}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. ^Nicolle 1996,p. 14.
  21. ^abNicolle 1996,p. 12-13.
  22. ^Nicolle 1996,p. 12.
  23. ^Nicolle 1996,p. 53.
  24. ^Nicolle 1996,p. 51-53.
  25. ^Nicolle 1996,p. 53, 55.
  26. ^Nicolle 1996,p. 55.
  27. ^abZakeri 1995,p. 11, 110.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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