Narseh rules Persia until his death in 302; he is succeeded by Hormizd (Hormuz) II.

Persian nobles, at the death of Sassanid king Hormizd II in 309, kill his eldest son, blind the second, and imprison the third (Hormizd, who afterwards escapes to the Roman Empire).

The throne is reserved for the unborn child of one of the wives of Hormizd II.

It is said that Shapur II may have been the only king in history to be crowned in utero: the crown is placed upon his mother's belly.

This child, named Shapur, is therefore born king; the government is conducted by his mother and the magnates.