Yazdegerd III

Yazdegerd III (died 651, Merv, Sāsānian Empire) was the last king of the Sāsānian dynasty (reigned 632–651), the son of Shahryār and a grandson of Khosrow II.

A mere child when he was placed on the throne, Yazdegerd never actually exercised power. In his first year the Arab invasion began, and in 636/637 the Battle of al-Qādisīyah on one of the Euphrates canals decided the fate of the empire. His capital, Ctesiphon, was occupied by the Arabs, and Yazdegerd fled into Media, where his generals unsuccessfully attempted to organize resistance. After the Battle of Nahāvand (642), in which Sāsānian forces were badly defeated, Yazdegerd sought refuge in one district after another, until at last he was slain at Merv. The Parsis—Zoroastrians who immigrated to western India on the advent of Islām—still use the old Persian calendar and continue to count the years from Yazdegerd’s accession.