A truce is made in September 531 on the death of Kavadh after campaigns in which Justinian's generals, among whom Belisarius is the most distinguished, have obtained considerable successes.

Bawi is a Sasanian military officer from the Ispahbudhan family who has been involved in both the Anastasian War and the Iberian War between the Sasanian and Eastern Roman Empire.

Khosrau I is the son of Kavadh I and Bawi's sister, making Khosrau I related to the House of Ispahbudhan.

Many lower class peasants support the Mazdakite movement, which Kavadh had supported also, wanting to centralize power by taking power away from the great noble families.

The Mazdakites give their loyalty to Kavadh's eldest son, Kawus, while the noble families and the Zoroastrian Magi give their support to Khosrau I.

Khosrau presents himself as an anti-Mazdakite supporter.

He, much like his father, believes in a strong centralized government.

Khosrau meets his brother Kawus in battle and defeats him as well as his Mazdakite followers.

Subsequently Mazdak, as well as a majority of his followers, are executed for his heretical beliefs and Khosrau takes the Sassanian throne.

At Khosrau's succession, Constantinople and Sassanian Persia are in open conflict with each other.

Neither empire was able to get an advantage of the other, causing Emperor Justinian and King Khosrau to agree in 531 on a peace treaty.

However, Bawi, along with other members of the Persian aristocracy, becomes involved in a conspiracy in which they try to overthrow Khosrau I and make Kavadh, the son of Kavadh I’s second eldest son Djamasp (Zames), the king of the Sasanian Empire.

Upon learning the plot, Khosrau I executes all his brothers and their offspring, along with Bawi and the other "Persian notables" who are involved.

Khosrau I also orders the execution of Kavadh, who is still a child, and is away from the court, being raised by Adergoudounbades.

Khosrau sends orders to kill Kavadh, but Adergoudounbades disobeys and will bring him up in secret, until he is betrayed to the shah in 541 by his own son, Bahram (Varranes).

Khosrau will have him executed, but Kavadh, or someone claiming to be him, will manage to flee to Constantiople.

Khosrau I represents the epitome of the philosopher king in the Sasanian Empire.

Upon his ascension to the throne, Khosrau does not restore power to the feudal nobility or the magi, but centralizes his government.

Khosrau's reign is considered to be one of the most successful within the Sassanian Empire.

The peace agreement between Rome and Persia gives Khosrau the chance to consolidate power and focus his attention on internal improvement.

His reforms and military campaigns will mark a renaissance of the Sassanian Empire, which will spread philosophic beliefs as well as trade goods from the far east to the far west.

The Middle East: 556–567 CE

Cultural Flourishing and Religious Influence

The Lakhmid Court and the Golden Age of al-Hirah

In the period 556 to 567 CE, the Lakhmid kingdom, a vassal state of the Sassanid Persian Empire, experiences a significant cultural and literary renaissance under the reign of 'Amr ibn Hind, son of Al-Mundhir III. A noted patron of Arabic poetry, 'Amr ibn Hind provides support and encouragement to celebrated poets such as Tarafa, whose works are associated with the esteemed poetic collection known as Al-Mu'allaqat ("The Suspended Odes").

Al-Hirah as a Center of Culture and Religion

Situated strategically on the caravan routes connecting Persia and the Arabian Peninsula, the city of al-Hirah thrives as an essential commercial and cultural hub during this era. The Lakhmids, renowned for their architectural endeavors, enrich the city with opulent palaces and fortifications. Tradition credits al-Hirah with playing a pivotal role in developing the Arabic script and influencing Arabic poetry profoundly.

Moreover, al-Hirah emerges as an influential religious center, notably housing a bishopric for Nestorian Christianity. This religious presence significantly impacts religious practices and spreads Christian monotheism into the heart of the Arabian Peninsula, fostering deeper religious and cultural integration.

Literary Influence and Poetic Rivalries

The Lakhmid court attracts some of the greatest poets of pre-Islamic Arabia, including luminaries like Tarafa and Al-Nabigha. Tarafa, after a tumultuous youth in Bahrain, arrives at 'Amr ibn Hind's court with his uncle Al-Mutalammis, also a poet. Although initially favored by the king's brother, Tarafa’s sharp wit eventually leads him into trouble. After ridiculing the king in his verses, Tarafa narrowly escapes execution during a journey orchestrated by 'Amr ibn Hind, marking an infamous incident in pre-Islamic Arabic literary history.

Thus, the years from 556 to 567 CE stand out as a vibrant period of cultural advancement, marked by artistic patronage, poetic genius, and religious influence, significantly enriching the historical tapestry of the Middle East.

'Amr ibn Hind, the son of Lahkmid king Al-Mundhir III, is a patron of the Arabic poetry of Tarafa and others associated with Al-Mu'allaqat (”The Suspended Odes”).

The Lakhmids protect the Sassanians from the attacks of Arabian nomads; al-Hirah serves as an important station on the caravan route between Persia and the Arabian Peninsula.

The Lakhmids adorn the town with palaces and castles in its heyday during the sixth century.

Tradition holds that the Arabic script was developed here, and al-Hirah's role in the development of Arabic poetry and Arab Christianity is especially significant.

As the seat of a bishopric for Nestorian Christians, al-Hirah exercises a strong influence over the religious life of the East, helping Christian monotheism to penetrate the Arabian Peninsula.

Some of the best-known poets in pre-Islamic Arabia (e.g., Tarafa and Al-Nabigha) gravitate toward the Lakhmid court.

Tarafa, after a wild and dissipated youth spent in Bahrain, had left his native land after peace had been established between the tribes of Bakr and Taghlib and had gone with his uncle Al-Mutalammis (also a poet) to the court of the king of Hira, 'Amr ibn-Hind, and here had become companion to the king's brother.

Al-Hirah is at this time a vassal of the Persian Sasanian Empire.

Having ridiculed the king in some verses, Tarafa is sent with a letter to Dadafruz Gushnasban, the Persian Governor of the Southern Shores of the Persian Gulf, but the two poets manage to escape during the journey.

The Lakhmid kingdom is a major center of the Nestorian sect of Christianity, which is nurtured by the Sassanids, as it opposes the Orthodox sect of Constantinople.

The Lakhmid kingdom’s main rival is Ghassan, a kingdom of Arab Christians who are vassals of the Sassanids’ arch enemy, the Eastern Roman Empire.

Tarafah, the author of the longest of the seven odes in the celebrated collection of pre-Islamic poetry al-Mu'allaqat, is judged by some critics to be the greatest of the pre-Islamic poets, if not the greatest Arab poet.

After a wild youth spent in Bahrain, and after fighting in the war between his tribe of Bakr and the Taghlib, he had gone with his uncle Mutalammis, who was also a poet, to the court of 'Amr ibn Hind, the Lakhmid king of al-Hirah, and there became companion to the king's brother; Tarafah's association with the court of al-Hirah is the only certainly known fact of his life.

Arab poet 'Amr ibn Kulthum, whose qasidah (“ode”) is another of the seven that comprise al-Mu'allaqat, had become chief of the tribe of Taghlib in Mesopotamia at an early age and, according to tradition, kills 'Amr ibn Hind, the Arab king of al-Hirah, around 568.

('Amr ibn Kulthum will live to a very advanced age, highly respected for his noble character, for a poem, allegedly his, praising a Taghlib victory over the Bakr tribe, and for his successfully independent stance against the Lakhmid kings of al-Hirah. 'Amr's qasidah, as it appears in al-Mu'allaqat, is probably altered by a later poet. It violently attacks 'Amr ibn Hind for an insult addressed to the poet's mother.)