| Shir-Zad شیرزاد | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adud al-Dawla | |||||
| Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire | |||||
| Reign | March 1115 – February 1116 | ||||
| Predecessor | Mas'ud III | ||||
| Successor | Arslan-Shah | ||||
| Born | ? Ghaznavid Empire | ||||
| Died | c. 1116 Ghaznavid Empire | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Ghaznavid | ||||
| Father | Mas'ud III | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
Adud al-Dawla Shir-Zad (Persian: عضدالدوله شیرزاد), better known as Shir-Zad (شیرزاد) was the sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire from 1115 to 1116. A son of Mas'ud III (r. 1099–1115), Shir-Zad served as a governor in India during his father's reign. The deputy governor of Shir-Zad was Qiwam al-Mulk Nizam al-Din. During his governorship, Shir-Zad became very close friends with the Persian poet Masud Sa'd Salman, who had recently been released from his imprisonment at Nay.[1] In one of his poems, Masud Sa'd Salman makes mention of a certain Amir Kaykavus at Shir-Zad's court in the city of Lahore, which may have been the Ziyarid ruler and author of the Qabus-Nama, Kaykavus.[2]
It was probably at his accession that Shir-Zad adopted the laqab (honorific epithet) of Kamal al-Daula. He ruled for one year, until he was overthrown by his brother Arslan-Shah in February 1116. Shir-Zad fled to the Caspian lands, where he received shelter by the ispahbad (ruler) of the local Bavand dynasty of Tabaristan. With the help of the ispahbad, Shir-Zad made a pilgrimage to Mecca in April–May. After his return, Shir-Zad attempted to regain the throne from his brother, but was killed by the latter.[3]
No coins of Shir-Zad are known, which implies he did not rule long enough to have them minted, or none minted by him have been found yet.[4]