x families controlled the entire empire. These families began to abuse their power over local peasants. It was these abuses, the unequal disbursement of power, and the high cost of ongoing war with Rome that led to the rise of the
In 210, Ardeshir-I Pabakann, the local governor of Pars (Persia), started disobeying the central rule of the Parthian emperor. Promising a better future for his constituents, Ardeshir gained support for a revolt against Ardavan IV. Ten years later, Ardeshir defeated Ardavan in a battle at Lurestan province. It was at this point that Ardeshir became the de-facto ruler of half of the Parthian Empire. In 224 Ardeshir defeated the Parthian emperor for good and crowned himself Ardeshir I in the city of Ctesphion. The Sassanian dynasty was born.
In a practice that has a chilling echo today in Afghanistan, one of Ardeshir's first acts as the newly crowned emperor was to order the destruction of all Parthian relics and documents. Ardeshir then set about reorganizing his new empire to ensure its longevity. As such, he divided his empire in to 12 provinces and abolished the Parthian feudal system. In its stead, Ardeshir reinstated the old Persian system whereby local governors were appointed with direct approval of the central government. Ardeshir proved to be a shrewd politician once in power: "'The King's power,' he said once, 'derives from his military power, and this can only be maintained by taxes, and all taxes in the end fall upon our farmers. It behooves us therefore to protect our farmers and treat them always with justice'" (ali.sdc.uwo.ca). Having given the people a vestige of power they had been lacking, Ardeshir cemented his hold over the region.
When Ardeshir's son Shapur rose to power, the Sassanian Empire had flourished and prosperity was widespread. Shapur was not content with the empire, however, and almost immediately invaded India, capturing Peshawar, Bactria and Samarcand. Retu...