The Historical Account of Persia

Persia is the name used by the Greeks during the Antiquity in order to designate the province of Pars, historic cradle of what is current Iran, called Parsa in old-Persian and Pars in middle-Persian.
In the 3rd century, under the Sassanide Dynasty, the word Iran, or Iranshahr, appeared. This word means “country of the Aryans,” that is, “country of the Iranians.” In the 7th century, after the fall of the Sassanides, the country retook the name of “Persia,” which was used up until 1934, the date in which Reza Pahlavi demanded to the diplomatic representations that the country be called Iran.
The Persians brought several battles upon the Greeks during the Antiquity.
Later on, the Arabs conquered the region and there introduced Islam.
The Iranians continued to speak Persian, but differentiate from the Orthodox Muslims (Sunnites,) because they were Shiites (a divergence resulting from a succession problem at the death of the prophet, Mahomet.)

Some dates:

-552: Persia becomes an independent kingdom under King Cyrus

-550: Cyrus II destroys the Empire and forms the Persian Empire, which extends throughout the Near-East. Birth of Darius the First, King of Persia -> 486 BC

-522: Beginning of the reign of Darius the First, King of Persia. -> 486 BC

-518: A royal highway spanning 2,863 kilometers is built throughout the Persian Empire.

-486: Darius the First, King of Persia, dies. Beginning of the reign of Xerxès, King of Persia. ->465 BC

-482: In order to bring under control a Babylonian revolt against the Persian domination, Xerxès destroys the temples of the city.

-480: The Greeks defeat the Persian navy in Salamine (Salamis.) More than 1,000 trireme ships participate in the battle.

-479: Athens refuses the advantageous offer of the passing of the Persian side.

-472: In his play The Persians, Eschyle presents to the Athenian public the battle of Salamine from the view point of the side of the Persians.

-465: Xerxès is assassinated. His son, Artaxerxès the First succeeds him as the King of Persia.

-459: After having aided the Egyptian rebels against the Persian power, the Greeks flee and seek refuge on an island in a delta of the Nile.

-404: Egypt becomes independent.

-401: The King of Persia, Artaxerxès the Second defeats and kills his brother, Cyrus the Young, in Cunaxa.

-396: The King of Sparta, Agésilas II, defeats the Persian satrap Tissapherne.

-386: Sparta and Greece sign a treaty, the peace of Antalcidas or peace of the King, recognizing the rights of Antaxerxès’ Persia over Asia and Cyprus and the rights of Athens over the Skyros, Imbros, and Lemnos Islands.

-370: The satraps of the Persian Empire begin to revolt against central power following the independence of Egypt in 404.

-388: The decease of Antaxerxès, King of Persia, assassinated by his favorite eunuch.

-333: Alexander the Great defeats the Persian King Darius III Codoman in the Battle of Issos.

-331: Alexander the Great defeats the Persian King Darius III in the Battle of Gaugamèles.

-312: Beginning of the reign of Séleucos the First, founder of the Seleucide Empire of Persia. -> 280 BC

-115: The Parthes, whose ancestors originated from tribes to the east of the Caspian Sea, established themselves as the masters of the Bactriane (the north of Afghanistan,) Persia, and Mesopotamia.

-211: Ardachir becomes the king of a part of Persia.

-224: Persia is united by Ardachir.

-226: Ardachir overthrows Artaban the Fifth, last king of the Parthes, and founds a new Persian dynasty, the Sassanides.

-227: Persia annexes all of the Parthe Empire.

-241: Beginning of the reign of Sapor the First, or Chahpuhr I, King of Persia. -> 272

-242: Mani begins to preach his religious doctrine in Persia.

-259: The Persian King Sapor I captures the Emperor Valerian.

-297: Narses, the Sassanide King of Persia, evicts the King Tiridates of Armenia.

-298: The Persian King Narses is forced to sign a treaty with Rome.

-310: Beginning of the reign of Sapor II, or Chahpuhr II, King of Persia. -> 272

-332: New collection of Zarathoustra’s (Zoroaster) doctrines in Persia (“Avesta.”)

-340: Beginning of the Persian war against Rome. -> 350

-348: Women are enrolled in the auxiliary services of the army in Persia.

-350: The Huns invade Persia and India.

-359: Sapor II, the Sassanide King of Persia, invades Syria and takes the Roman city of Amida after a tough battle.

-363: The Emperor Julien invades Persia and defeats the Persians before the walls of their capital, Ctesiphon.

-390: Théodose and the King Shapor III of Persia sign a treaty for the sharing of Armenia.

-399: Yezdgerd rises to the throne of Persia. He is tolerant towards Christianity and withholds a good relationship with the Romans.

-422: Théodose II, the Roman Emperor of the Orient, and King Varahran of Persia sign a peace treaty.

-430: The hephtalite Huns, established in central Asia, attack Persia.

-506: After a Roman counter-offensive in Mesopotamia, peace is reestablished between the Oriental Empire and Persia.

-516: The Persian prophet Mazdak defines communism as a religion to be put into practice.

-529: The last philosophy school in Europe, located in Athens, closes and its last philosophy masters immigrate to Persia.

-531: The collectivist movement of Mazdak is crushed in Persia. Beginning of the reign of Khosro the First, King of Persia. ->579

-532: Byzance pays 3,548 kilograms of gold in order to fortify the Caucasus.

-532: The Byzantine Emperor Justinian signs a new treaty with Khosro I, and the King of the Persians reestablishes the frontier between Persia and the Oriental Empire. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian accepts to pay an annual tribute to Persia. Persia guarantees Byzance 50 years of peace.

-589: The King of Persia, Khorso II, is dethroned through a military revolt and flees to Constantinople in order to beg for aid.

-590: Beginning of the reign of Khorso II, King of Persia. ->628

-591: The Byzantine Emperor Maurice reestablished upon his throne the King of Persia Khorso II. In return, he receives important territorial concessions. Peace is reestablished once again between the two empires.

-600: The windmills are used for irrigation in Persia.

-627: Héraclius, ally to the people of the Khazars, arrives before Ninive and annihilates the Persian army.

-632: Beginning of the reign of Yazdgard III, last Sassanide King of Persia. ->651

-632: The caliph Abou Bekr subdues the revoluting Arab tribes. He progresses towards Syria and Persia. -> 634

-639: The Arabs annihilate the Persian army in the Battle of Kadisiyya.

-900: The windmills arrive from Persia to Muslim Spain.

-975: The Persian writer Muwaffat writes a treaty of remedies.

-1094: The sect of religious Shiite assassins is founded in Persia (Ismaïlian.)

-1251: Beginning of the conquest of Persia by Hulagu, grandson of Gengis Khan (Mongol.) ->1265

-1447: Bursting of the Tamerlan Empire (Timour Lenk); India, Persia, and Afghanistan gain their independence.

-1502: Ismail I establishes the Safavide Empire in Persia. The religion of the Shiites becomes the religion of Persia.

-1571: Birth of Abbas I the Great, Shah of Persia. ->1622

-1585: Beginning of the reign of Abbas I the Great, Shah of Persia. ->1622

-1590: The Shah Abbas of Persia signs a peace treaty with the Turks.

-1598: The Shah Abbas of Persia defeats the Uzbeks in Herat. He makes Ispahan into his capital.

-1623: The Shah of Persia, Abbas I, takes Bagdad from the Turks.

-1629: Decease of Abbas I the Great, Shah of Persia.

-1709: The Afghans (a region of the Persian Empire) overthrow the central power of Persia and form a state.

-1722: Beginning of Afghan control of Persia. -> 1730

-1730: The Afghans are overthrown by Nadir.

-1736: Beginning of the reign of Nadir Khan, Shah of Persia and founder of the Afshar Dynasty, of which Persian influence extends into India. -> 1747

-1737: Nadir retakes the Afghan regions. -> 1747

-1794: Aga Muhammed founds the Qajar Dynasty which reigns over Persia until the year 1925.

-1811: War between Persia and Russia which brings some victories to the Caucasus.

-1826: Beginning of the Persian-Russian war, Russia seizes Armenian provinces. -> 1828.

-1901: A British company receives a concession of petroleum drilling for 60 years in Persia.

-1935: Persia takes the name Iran.