The Mystery of Long-lasting Quarrel between Narseh and Bahrams: A Cultural Anthropology Perspective

Selecting crown prince has always been an ambiguous enigma in the Sassanid era. Crown prince nomination had been a matter of debates and sometimes quarrels amongst the royal family, the Magi, and the powerful feudals. According to the primogeniture law, in the Sassanid dynasty, crown prince was a position dedicated to the eldest son. However, documents indicate that sometimes the King himself decided to choose a younger son as his successor. One of the most challenging examples of such exceptional cases is the long-lasting quarrel between Narseh and Bahrams (Bahram I, II, and III) for grasping throne, which lasted for three decades. Naresh (youngest son of Shapur I) clearly violated the Primogeniture law and claimed throne over his older brother (Bahram I) and his successors for more than three decades. This research is trying to answer some key questions in this matter: why did Prince Narseh violate the Primogeniture law and claim the power for about three decades? What were his justifications in pursuing the power? Why did he insist on his solicitation? Here we represent another crucial element in selecting crown prince in the Sassanid dynasty, which is called “blood purity”. This law indicates that princes with double - sided pure blood (paternal and maternal) might have been preferred to the elder ones. This research is based on comparative analysis of historical documents, ethnographic studies, and archaeological data via psyco-anthropological view. It seems that in the Sassanid era, the law of “Royal Biternality” or “Royal Bilateral Descent” was superior to the law of “Primogeniture”.