In 428, Bahram V ( r . 420 438 ) abolished the Kingdom of Armenia, and appointed Veh Mihr Shapur as " marzban " ( governor of a frontier province, " margrave " ) of the country, which was the start of a new era in Armenia, known in Armenian historiography as the "'Marzpanate period "'( " Marzpanakan Hayastan " ), a period when " marzbans ", nominated by the Sasanian King, governed the eastern part of Armenia, as opposed to the Byzantine Armenia which was ruled by several princes, and later governors, under Byzantine suzerainty.
