Artabanus IV of Parthia

Artabanus IV, also known as Ardavan IV (Parthian: 𐭓𐭕𐭐𐭍), incorrectly known in older scholarship as Artabanus V, was the last ruler of the Parthian Empire from c. 213 to 224. He was the younger son of Vologases V, who died in 208.

Artabanus IV rebelled against his brother, Vologases VI, a few years after the latter succeeded their father as king. He was able to take control of most of the Parthian territories, although his brother continued to rule over a reduced principality. He fought off an invasion by the Roman emperor Caracalla in 217, preserving Parthian control over most of Mesopotamia. He then faced a rebellion in Pars by Ardashir, a local dynast. Artabanus's and Ardashir's armies met in April 224 at the Battle of Hormozdgan, where Artabanus was killed and his army was defeated. Ardashir then went on to conquer the rest of the Parthian Empire, inaugurating the rule of the Sasanian dynasty over Iran.