Year 226 (CCXXVI)

Overview

226 falls into a period of transition across Eurasia. In the Iranian plateau the Parthian realm had been displaced by a new Persian house that would reshape Roman–Persian relations for centuries. In East Asia the Three Kingdoms era in China remained a principal arena of warfare and court politics. Meanwhile, the Roman Empire maintained stability under a youthful emperor even as pressures along its frontiers persisted.

Events by region

• Persia: The Sassanid dynasty, founded by Ardashir I after the collapse of Parthian authority a few years earlier, was consolidating control over former Parthian territories. This consolidation marked the emergence of a new Persian imperial power whose rulers would adopt the title "king of kings" and later contest Rome for influence in the Near East.
• China: In the state of Cao Wei, the ruling emperor Cao Pi died and was succeeded by his son, Cao Rui. This succession continued the Cao family's rule during the Three Kingdoms period, a time defined by fragmented authority among Cao Wei, Shu Han and Eastern Wu.
• Roman world: Emperor Alexander Severus (reigned 222–235) occupied the imperial throne. The Roman polity in 226 experienced relative internal stability, though diplomatic and military concerns with eastern neighbors were becoming more pronounced as Persian power reorganized.

Culture, religion and society

Religious life in this era remained diverse: traditional polytheistic cults operated throughout the Roman and Persian realms, while Christianity continued to expand in certain urban centers of the Mediterranean and Near East. In local societies, court patronage, military obligations and regional elites shaped governance and cultural patronage.

Notable deaths and succession

• Cao Pi – founder of the state of Cao Wei and first emperor of Cao Wei; succeeded by Cao Rui.
• Other regional leaders and nobles whose passing influenced local power balances are recorded in contemporary chronicles, reflecting the ongoing turnover among ruling families.

For general chronological context and calendar details the year is often referenced using regnal lists and later medieval annalists; see calendar notation and imperial lists for methods of dating early third-century events. Additional summaries and primary-source translations can be consulted through historical compendia and specialized studies on the Sassanid rise and the Three Kingdoms period. A brief chronological entry for this year is available via a standard year-list reference: chronology entry.