At the same time, internal conflict took place in the Parthian realm, with the local Persian prince Pabag seizing Istakhr, the capital of the southern Iranian region of Persis.

The etymology of the name is unclear, although Ferdinand Justi proposes that Walagaš, the first form of the name, is a compound of words "strength" (varəda), and "handsome" (gaš or geš in Modern Persian).

[2] In 189, he also imposed his son Rev I (whose mother was the sister of the Pharnavazid ruler Amazasp) on the Iberian throne.

Because of this, Septimius Severus, who emerged victorious in the struggle, attacked the Parthian Empire in 195.

[12] Severus advanced into Mesopotamia, made Osroene a Roman province, and captured the Parthian capital Ctesiphon in 199.

[12] But, in the words of Iranologist Touraj Daryaee, "the dynasty [had] lost much of its prestige" and reached a "turning point".