| Mardavij مرداویج | |
|---|---|
 Gold dinar of Mardavij, minted at Nahavand in 933/4 | |
| King of the Ziyarid dynasty | |
| Reign | 930 – January 935 |
| Successor | Vushmgir |
| Born | ca. 890 Gilan |
| Died | January 935 Isfahan |
| Father | Ziyar |
| Mother | Sister of Harusindan |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Mardavij (Gilaki/Persian: مرداویج, meaning "man assailant") was an Iranian prince, who established the Ziyarid dynasty, ruling from 930 to 935.
Born to a Zoroastrian family native to Gilan, Mardavij sought to establish a native Iranian Zoroastrian empire akin to the Sasanian Empire that had been conquered in the 7th century by the Rashidun Caliphate and subsequently ruled by Muslims.[1] He first started his career by joining the army of his kinsman Asfar ibn Shiruya. Mardavij, however, later betrayed and killed him, conquering much of Jibal. He then set out to conquer Hamadan, Dinavar and Isfahan from the Abbasid Caliphate, and thereafter declared himself king of Iran, making Isfahan his capital.
He then defeated the Daylamite military leader Makan ibn Kaki, and conquered Tabaristan in 932. By 934, his authority was acknowledged as far as Shiraz[2] and Ahvaz.[3] However, his goal of recreating the Iranian Empire was ruined when he was murdered by his own Turkish slaves in 935.
- ^ Robinson, Chase F. (2010-11-04). The New Cambridge History of Islam: Volume 1, The Formation of the Islamic World, Sixth to Eleventh Centuries. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781316184301.
Later on, Mardavij made threats against Baghdad and the caliphate, declaring his intention to restore the Iranian monarchy and the Zoroastrian religion.
- ^ Madelung 1975, p. 213.
- ^ Bosworth 2010.