Pushtigban Body Guards
Encyclopedia
The Pushtigban Body Guard was an elite Persian military unit during the time of the Sassanid Persian dynasty, charged with the protection of the Emperor.
They were stationed during peacetime in the royal capital of Ctesiphon
and were drawn from the best of the ranks of the Sassanid Savārān cavalry
. They numbered 1000 men, under the command of the Pushtigban-Salar ; in battle they fought mostly as cataphract
s, heavily armed and armoured horseman who would charge enemy positions with tremendous momentum.
A sub-unit of Pushtigban were the Gyan-avspar, the sacrificers of their lives - the best of the Pushtigban. The Pushtigban fought with distinction and zeal befitting their name during Julian
's invasion of Persia in the 4th century AD.
The Pushtigban bodyguards fought with distinction also during the final years of Sassanid Persia to repel the invading Muslim
Arabs and made a great impression on the Arabs. It was said that the Pushtigban cataphracts were so mighty that they could split two Arab soldiers on their lance
s at once due to their furious charge. Their institution logically disappeared with the death of the last Sassanid emperor Yazdegerd III and the subsequent submission of the Persian throne to Arabian suzerainty in AD 651
.
They were stationed during peacetime in the royal capital of Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon, the imperial capital of the Parthian Arsacids and of the Persian Sassanids, was one of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia.The ruins of the city are located on the east bank of the Tigris, across the river from the Hellenistic city of Seleucia...
and were drawn from the best of the ranks of the Sassanid Savārān cavalry
Savaran cavalry
The Savārān cavalry were Persian military units and were a division of cavalry during the time of the Sassanid Persian dynasty; they ranged from light cavalry such as horse archers to heavy cavalry such as Cataphracts. Each Savārān unit would have had its own Drafsh...
. They numbered 1000 men, under the command of the Pushtigban-Salar ; in battle they fought mostly as cataphract
Cataphract
A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalry utilised in ancient warfare by a number of peoples in Western Eurasia and the Eurasian Steppe....
s, heavily armed and armoured horseman who would charge enemy positions with tremendous momentum.
A sub-unit of Pushtigban were the Gyan-avspar, the sacrificers of their lives - the best of the Pushtigban. The Pushtigban fought with distinction and zeal befitting their name during Julian
Julian the Apostate
Julian "the Apostate" , commonly known as Julian, or also Julian the Philosopher, was Roman Emperor from 361 to 363 and a noted philosopher and Greek writer....
's invasion of Persia in the 4th century AD.
The Pushtigban bodyguards fought with distinction also during the final years of Sassanid Persia to repel the invading Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Arabs and made a great impression on the Arabs. It was said that the Pushtigban cataphracts were so mighty that they could split two Arab soldiers on their lance
Lance
A Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
s at once due to their furious charge. Their institution logically disappeared with the death of the last Sassanid emperor Yazdegerd III and the subsequent submission of the Persian throne to Arabian suzerainty in AD 651
Fall of Sassanids
The Sassanid era is one of the most influential periods in Iran's history. It also marks the second rise of a great Persian empire, a dynasty that rivaled its predecessor, the Achaemenids who too, like the Sassanids were native to the province of Pars, and in some instances the Parthians, in...
.
See also
- Persia
- Sassanid Empire
- Sassanid armySassanid armyThe birth of the Sassanid army dates back to the rise of Ardashir I , the founder of the Sassanid dynasty, to the throne. Ardashir aimed at the revival of the Persian Empire, and to further this aim, he reformed the military by forming a standing army which was under his personal command and whose...
- Fall of SassanidsFall of SassanidsThe Sassanid era is one of the most influential periods in Iran's history. It also marks the second rise of a great Persian empire, a dynasty that rivaled its predecessor, the Achaemenids who too, like the Sassanids were native to the province of Pars, and in some instances the Parthians, in...
- Islamic conquest of PersiaIslamic conquest of PersiaThe Muslim conquest of Persia led to the end of the Sassanid Empire in 644, the fall of Sassanid dynasty in 651 and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia...
- CataphractCataphractA cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalry utilised in ancient warfare by a number of peoples in Western Eurasia and the Eurasian Steppe....