Vistahm, a brother-in-law of Hormazd IV, had served as general (spahbed) of the West, but as Hormazd IV’s reign progressed, he found himself, like other noble families, side-lined by the administration. As a result, he joined the rebellion against the unpopular monarch. With Hormazd’s murder, his son Khusrau fled to Constantinople and refuge with the Byzantine Emperor Maurice, the ambitious Varhran Chobin installed himself on the throne.

Vistahm assisted his nephew Khusrau in regaining his throne, but once Khusrau was securely on that throne, he began to act against the supporters of the insurrection against his father, which included his uncle. Vistahm in return declared his independence, and with the remnants of Varhran Chobin’s forces and his own loyal men established his capital at Rayy. From here, he succeeded in holding of the Turks to the south of the Caspian Sea. Vistahm was eventually murdered in Balkh, by agents of Khusrau II, after six years of rule.

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