Bavand Dynasty - Divisions of The Bavandis

Divisions of The Bavandis

The Bavandi rule, which lasted from ca. AD 665-1350, was commonly divided to three periods. The first is the "Ispahbed" period, lasting until 1028. This is the period in which the dynasty seems to have been rather autonomous and quite influential in Tabaristan and Dailam, although they often acknowledged the overlordship of the Samanids or occasionally, the Ziyarids. However, with the death of the last Ispahbed, the dynasty became temporarily defunct.

In 1062, a Bavandi prince re-found the dynasty, this time becoming known as "Kings of the Mountains" indicating the extent of the rule of the Bavandis in the highlands of Tabaristan. The greatest ruler of this stage was the aforementioned Shah Ghazi Rostam. The Kings of the Mountains became extinct in 1210, probably as a result of competition with the Ismailis and other local dynasties.

During the chaos caused by the Mongol conquest of Iran, another branch of the dynasty was founded ca. 1240 which continued until 1350 when the last king of it was killed by Afrasiab of the Jalaviyeh dynasty. This stage is called "Kindkhwariyeh" by the local historians.

However, the above divisions might be the result of the mixing of the history of the Bavandis with that of the Paduspanis, a neighbouring clan who ruled over the area of Royaan (or Alamdeh)and Kojur and were similarly descended from the Sasanians. It is quite possible that the last stage above, that of the Kindkhwariyeh, was actually a Paduspani takeover of the Bavandi lands. This is also quite possible as it will explain the efforts of Afrasiab of the Jalaviyeh dynasty in defeating the Kindkhwariyeh, as the Jalaviyeh were themselves a branch of the Bavandis.