Surenid succession dispute of 1731

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Background: the death of Surenšāhbanu Mitradokht

On the 12th day of the 1st month of 1731 AN, the reigning monarch Surenšāhbanu Mitradokht of the Suren Confederacy passed away at the age of 86. Her death marked the end of a tumultuous 35-year reign that saw the Confederacy embroiled in multiple conflicts, including the Third Euran War and the brutal suppression of the Bitter Spring revolt.

Circumstances

Few official details were released about the cause of Mitradokht's demise. According to court chroniclers, the Shahbanu had been in visibly declining health for several months prior. She was reportedly bedridden since late 1730 after suffering a severe coughing fit and respiratory distress.

Rumours swirled that Mitradokht may have been a victim of the lingering radiation sickness that plagued the region from the Babkhan Holocaust over a century prior. Skeptics questioned if her death was simply due to complications from old age and the stress of ruling through the chaotic events of 1730 AN. Accusations also surfaced that she had been in fact poisoned by a faction within the court.

In traditional Zurvanite fashion, all of the Shahbanu's personal effects, clothing and items she came into contact with were burned as per funerary rites. Her body was prepared for an elaborate ceremony combining ancient Babkhan rituals and Mazdian burial rites overseen by the Zurvanite high priesthood.

The preparations took place under a veil of secrecy enforced by the loyalist 7th Cavalry Division. A period of strict mourning protocols commenced across the Confederacy during which normal administration ground to a halt.

Succession

With no appointed heir named during her lifetime, Mitradokht's death triggered a succession crisis. As per the customs and tradition of Imperial Babkhan monarchy, the throne would pass to the eldest surviving member of the House of Suren. However, internal feuding between the various branches of the dynastic clan had left the direct line of descent unclear and rife with internal conflicts.

The complex web of marriages between members of different clan factions, as well as the systematic disinheritance of rivals, had muddled what should have been a straightforward hereditary succession. Multiple pretenders to the Shahdom emerged in the ensuing power struggle.

In the interim, a regency council comprised of powerful satraps and the highest ranks of the military and clergy took charge. Their first priority was maintaining order and stability in the aftermath of the Bitter Spring crackdown. However, internal divisions quickly became apparent on the crucial question of determining the new Surenshah.

With the situation growing increasingly unstable, Constancian observers predicted a high likelihood of civil war breaking out if a generally accepted Surenshah was not enthroned soon. Having depended on Mitradokht's ability to hold the fractious Confederacy together through her personal prestige, the foreign allies with interests in the Confederacy found themselves in a precarious position.