predecessor successor death_date religion birth_date issue image article_title name reign
shapur ii shapur iii 383 zoroastrianism unknown princess aspas ardashiriicoinhistoryofiran.jpg ardashir ii
 ardashir ii 379 -- 383
ardashir ii

ardashir ii -lrb- middle persian : , -rrb- , was the eleventh sassanid king of persia from 379 to 383 .
he was the brother of his predecessor , shapur ii -lrb- 309 -- 379 -rrb- .
during the reign of shapur ii , ardashir had served as governor-king of adiabene , where he had reportedly persecuted christians .
however , the acts of brutality against christians attributed to him severely contradict the unanimous view that he was the most kind and virtuous of the sassanian rulers .
ardashir ii was given the epithet `` nihoukar '' or `` beneficent '' by the persians .
the arabs called him `` al djemil '' or `` the virtuous '' .
according to the `` modjmel-al-tewarikh , '' he took no taxes from his subjects during the four years of his reign , and thereby secured to himself their affection and gratitude .
