Little is known of Hormizd's reign. He reportedly gave the Zoroastrian priest
Kartir clothes that were worn by the upper class, the cap and belt (
kulāf ud kamarband) and appointed him as the chief priest (
mowbed). Like his father, Hormizd also granted the
Manichaean prophet
Mani permission to continue his preaching. It is unclear why Hormizd supported Kartir and Mani, both of whom represented a different religion. The
Iranologist Touraj Daryaee has suggested that it was possibly part of his attempt to control both religions, which were both seeking to become the main religion in the empire. According to the Iranologist
Prods Oktor Skjaervo, Hormizd was like his two predecessors, a "lukewarm Zoroastrian". Hormizd is usually given the epithet of
nēw or
yaxī/yaxē (both meaning "brave") in Manichean
Middle Iranian sources, possibly indicating his accomplishments in warfare. It was seemingly under Hormizd that the two New Year festivals (
Nowruz) in the month of
Farwardin were linked together to design a festival that lasted six days. In primary sources, Hormizd is credited as the founder of the city of Hormizd-Ardashir (present-day
Ahvaz), however, in some instances Ardashir I is also attributed as its founder. Modern historians (citing
Šahrestānīhā ī Ērānšahr) usually consider Hormizd to be its actual founder. He also founded the city of Ram-Hormizd-Ardashir (meaning "Ardashir's peace of Hormizd"), abbreviated as
Ram-Hormizd. He refounded the city of
Artemita as
Dastagird, whose royal residence would later serve as an important place for the
shahanshahs Khosrow I () and
Khosrow II (). Hormizd was not succeeded by his son Hormozdak, but by his brother Bahram (who became known as
Bahram I), who ascended the throne with the aid of Kartir. According to local folklore, Hormizd was buried in Ram-Hormizd. == Coinage and imperial ideology ==