Vandad Hormozd

Vindadhhurmuzd (Persian: ونداد هرمز), also known by the more correct form of Vandad Hormozd (ونداد هرمزد), was the ruler of the Qarinvand dynasty from 765 to 809.

Background In 760, during the reign of Vandad Hormozd's father, whose name is unknown, the Dabuyids, under Khurshid of Tabaristan, revolted against the Abbasid Caliphate. Khurshid was defeated, however, and fled to Daylam. From there he launched a counterattack against the Abbasids, but was once again defeated. After learning that his family was captured by the Abbasids, Khurshid poisoned himself. This marked the end of the Dabuyid dynasty, but the other local dynasties such as the Qarinvands, Bavandids and Zarmihrids, who were all formerly subject to the Dabuyids, continued to control parts of Tabaristan, as tributary vassals of the Abbasid government.

Biography

In 765, Vandad Hormozd became the ruler of the Qarinvand dynasty. In 772, Khalid ibn Barmak, the Abbasid governor of Tabaristan, left the region. Shortly after Khalid's departure, Vandad Hormozd sent the Bavand ruler Sharwin I a letter which urged him to revolt against the Abbasids. Sharwin I accepted, and along with Vandad Hormozd, and the Zarmihrid ruler, rose in revolt. They then began destroying the cities built by the Muslims in the region, and in 782, Sharwin I along with Vandad Hormozd exterminated all the Muslims in Tabaristan. During the same period, Vandad Hormozd assumed the Dabuyid title of Gilgilan, while Sharwin I assumed the title of Padashwargarshah ("king of the mountains"). The Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi, who had received the news about the Zoroastrian revolt in Tabaristan, sent one of his most distinguished officers, named Salim of Farghana, against the rebels, but Vandad Hormozd, with the aid of his brother Vinda-Umid, managed to defeat and kill Salim. Starting from the 8th century, Arabic became the main cultural language of Iran and was widely adopted by the Islamicized Iranian aristocracy. However, this change was not embraced by local princes in remote regions, like Wandad Hurmuzd, who did not know Arabic and needed an interpreter to communicate with Harun al-Rashid.

Vandad Hormozd died in 809, and was succeeded by his son Qarin ibn Vindadhhurmuzd.