
Piruz Khosrow (died 642) was a Sassanid Persian nobleman who served as Vizier from 25 February to 6 September 628, preceding Mah-Adhur Gushnasp.
Biography[]
Piruz Khosrow was born to a family of Persian nobles, and he headed the Persian faction at the Sassanid court during the 7th century. He rivaled Parthian faction leader Farrukh Hormizd for power during the civil wars of 628-632, serving as Vizier to Shah Kavadh II and executing all of Kavadh's brothers and half-brothers on the Shah's orders. Kavadh and half of the population of western Iran were killed in a devastating plague, and Piruz later raised Azarmidokht to power after deposing the usurper Shapur-i Shahrvaraz. When Farrukh Hormizd attempted to marry Azarmidokht, Azarmidokht had him killed, leading to Rostam Farrokhzad killing her. The Persians and Parthians worked together to raise her sister Purandokht to the throne, but Rostam later killed her and attempted to seize power for himself. Piruz planned to confront him in battle, but the two men's armies mutinied and forced them to make peace and focus on the empire's external enemies. In 636, Piruz commanded the Sassanid rearguard at the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah, and he survived the disaster, only to be defeated after retreating to Babylon. After the fall of Ctesiphon, he fled to Jalula to raise another army, but he was once again defeated at the Battle of Jalula. He finally fled to Media and fought the Arabs at the Battle of Nahavand in 642, during which he was killed.