Editing Kavad I (section)

== First reign ==
===Accession and conditions of the empire===
[[File:Coin of the Sasanian king Kavad I, minted at Ahvaz during his first reign.jpg|thumb|[[Ancient drachma|Drachma]] of Kavad during his first reign, minted at [[Ahvaz|Hormizd-Ardashir]]]]
Kavad ascended the throne in 488 at the age of 15. His youth is emphasized on his coins, which show him with short whiskers.{{sfn|Schindel|2013a|pp=136–141}} He inherited an empire that had reached its lowest ebb. The nobility and clergy exerted great influence and authority over the nation, and were able to act as king-makers, as seen by their choice to depose Balash.{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|pp=25-26}} Economically, the empire was not doing well either, the result of drought, famine, and the crushing defeats delivered by the Hephthalites. They had not only seized large parts of its eastern provinces, but had also forced the Sasanians to pay vast amounts of [[tribute]] to them, which had depleted the royal treasury of the shah.{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|p=58}}{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|p=26}}{{sfn|Daryaee|Rezakhani|2016|p=50}} Rebellions were occurring in the western provinces including [[Sasanian Armenia|Armenia]] and [[Sasanian Iberia|Iberia]].{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|p=58}}{{sfn|Kia|2016|p=253}} Simultaneously, the country's peasant class was growing more and more uneasy and alienated from the elite.{{sfn|Kia|2016|p=253}}

===Conflict with Sukhra over the empire===
[[Image:Sufaray (The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp).png|thumb|alt=Illustration of Sukhra shown holding a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left | Illustration of [[Sukhra]]]]
The young and inexperienced Kavad was tutored by Sukhra during his first five years as shah.{{sfn|Schindel|2013a|pp=136–141}} During this period, Kavad was a mere [[figurehead]], whilst Sukhra was the [[de facto]] ruler of the empire. This is emphasized by [[al-Tabari]], who states that Sukhra "was in charge of government of the kingdom and the management of affairs ... [T]he people came to Sukhra and undertook all their dealings with him, treating Kavad as a person of no importance and regarding his commands with contempt."{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=78}} Numerous regions and the representatives of the elite paid tribute to Sukhra, not to Kavad.{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=79}} Sukhra controlled the royal treasury and the Iranian military.{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=79}} In 493, Kavad, having reached adulthood, wanted to put an end to Sukhra's dominance, and had him exiled to his native [[Shiraz]] in southwestern Iran.{{sfn|Schindel|2013a|pp=136–141}}{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=79}} Even in exile, however, Sukhra was in control of everything except the kingly crown.{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=79}} He bragged about having put Kavad on the throne.{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=79}}

Alarmed by the thought that Sukhra might rebel, Kavad wanted to get rid of him completely. He lacked the manpower to do so, however, as the army was controlled by Sukhra and the Sasanians relied mainly on the military of the Seven Great Houses of Iran.{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|pp=79–80}} He found his solution in [[Shapur of Ray]], a powerful nobleman from the House of Mihran, and a resolute opponent of Sukhra.{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=80}} Shapur, at the head of an army of his own men and disgruntled nobles, marched to Shiraz, defeated Sukhra's forces, and imprisoned him in the Sasanian capital of [[Ctesiphon]].{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=81}} Even in prison, Sukhra was considered too powerful and was executed.{{sfn|Pourshariati|2008|p=81}} This caused displeasure among some prominent members of the nobility, weakening Kavad's status as shah.{{sfn|Frye|1983|p=150}} It also marked the temporary loss of authority of the House of Karen, whose members were exiled to the regions of [[Tabaristan]] and [[Zabulistan]], which were away from the Sasanian court in Ctesiphon.{{sfn|Pourshariati|2017}}{{efn|Although some of Sukhra's sons would later serve Kavad, the power of the Karens was first restored during the reign of Kavad's son and successor, [[Khosrow I|Khosrow I Anushirvan]] ({{reign|531|579}}), who reportedly regretted Kavad's approach to the family, and gave them the post of military commander (''[[spahbed]]'') of [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]].{{sfn|Pourshariati|2017}}}}

=== The Mazdakite movement and Kavad I's deposition ===
{{main|Mazdakism}}
According to classical sources, not long after Sukhra's execution, a [[mobad]] (priest) named Mazdak caught Kavad's attention. Mazdak was the chief representative of a religious and philosophical movement called [[Mazdakism]]. Not only did it consist of theological teachings, but it also advocated for political and social reforms that would impact the nobility and clergy.{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|pp=26-27}}{{sfn|Daryaee|Canepa|2018}}

The Mazdak movement was [[nonviolence|nonviolent]] and called for the sharing of wealth, women and property,{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|p=26}} an archaic form of [[communism]].{{sfn|Frye|1983|p=150}} According to modern historians [[Touraj Daryaee]] and [[Matthew Canepa]], 'sharing women' was most likely an overstatement and defamation deriving from Mazdak's decree that loosened marriage laws to help the lower classes.{{sfn|Daryaee|Canepa|2018}} Powerful families saw this as a tactic to weaken their lineage and advantages, which was most likely the case.{{sfn|Daryaee|Canepa|2018}} Kavad used the movement as a political tool to curb the power of the nobility and clergy.{{sfn|Frye|1983|p=150}}{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|p=26}} Royal [[granary|granaries]] were distributed, and land was shared among the lower classes.{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|pp=26-27}}

The [[historicity]] of the persona of Mazdak has been questioned.{{sfn|Shahbazi|2005}} He may have been a fabrication to take the blame away from Kavad.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=809}} Contemporary historians, including [[Procopius]] and [[Joshua the Stylite]] make no mention of Mazdak, naming Kavad as the figure behind the movement.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=809}} Mention of Mazdak only emerges in later Middle Persian Zoroastrian documents, namely the ''[[Bundahishn]]'', the ''[[Denkard]]'', and the ''[[Zand-i Wahman yasn]]''.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=809}} Later Islamic-era sources, particularly [[al-Tabari]], also mention Mazdak.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=809}} These later writings were perhaps corrupted by Iranian oral folklore, given that blame put on Mazdak for the redistribution of aristocratic properties to the people, is a topic repeated in Iranian oral history.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=809}} Other 'villains' in pre-Islamic Iranian history, namely [[Gaumata]] in the [[Behistun Inscription]] of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] king [[Darius the Great]] ({{reign|522|486 BC}}) and [[Wahnam]] in the [[Paikuli inscription]] of the Sasanian king [[Narseh]] ({{reign|293|302|show=none}}), are frequently accused of similar misdeeds.{{sfn|Shayegan|2017|p=809}}

The nobility deposed Kavad in 496 for his support of the Mazdakites and his execution of Sukhra.{{sfn|Schindel|2013a|pp=136–141}} They installed his more impressionable brother [[Jamasp]] on the throne.{{sfn|Daryaee|2014|p=27}}{{sfn|Axworthy|2008|p=59}}