Name Azadbeh Azadbeh | ||
Azadveh-i Banegan Mahan-i Mihr-Bondad, known in Arabic sources as Azadhbih ibn Baniyan Mahan ibn Mihrbundadh, better simply known as Azadbeh, was an Iranian nobleman, who served as the Sasanian marzban of the al-Hira.
Biography
Azadbeh was born in Hamadan in the province of Media to a family of dehqan origin. In 617, he was appointed as the governor of al-Hira, thus succeeding the Iranian noble Nakhiragan and the Arab Iyas ibn Qabisah al-Ta'i, who together had co-governed al-Hira after the execution of the last Lakhmid ruler al-Nu'man III in 602. During his governorship, Azadbeh managed to secure his position by giving his daughter in marriage to the lord of Sinnin, who was of higher rank than him.
In 633, during the Muslim conquest of Persia, Muslim forces destroyed Amghishiya, an important military post near al-Hira, which Azadbeh saw as very important. Furthermore, the Muslims also took his daughter captive. Knowing that he would soon be their next target, he sent an army under his son to attack the Muslims, and after some time stationed outside of al-Hira.
However, things did not go as expected, and Azadbeh's son was defeated and killed during a clash with the Muslim military leader Khalid ibn al-Walid, who marched towards al-Hira and easily defeated Azadbeh, who managed to survive and fled from al-Hira. Nothing more is known about him afterwards.