Mani's death was followed by the persecution of his followers by Kartir and the Zoroastrian clergy, who moved against the kingdom's religious minorities as a way to increase and spread their influence. To the Zoroastrian clergy, Mani had been seen as a heterogeneous philosopher and a threatening pagan, who presented an obscure perception of Zoroastrianism that was tainted by Jewish, Buddhist, and Christian ideas. With the backing of Bahram I, Kartir laid the foundations for a Zoroastrian state church, which led to Bahram becoming applauded in Sasanian-based sources as a "benevolent and worthy king". Bahram I was nevertheless, like his predecessors, a "lukewarm Zoroastrian".