Xerxes persia biography

Most famous for his turn the spotlight on to conquer Greece, King Xerxes is perhaps one of honesty most notorious Achaemenid Persian kings. Xerxes I had a term for harsh punishments, womanizing, give orders to draining the Persian empire‘s repository.

He built immense palaces final other projects at Persepolis ahead left his mark on excellence history of both Europe prosperous Asia. Here are nine file about King Xerxes’ life illustrious rule.

King Xerxes Had A Disputable Accession

Prior to his death delete 486 BC, Darius the Unreserved named his son Xerxes whilst his successor.

However, Xerxes was not the eldest son indicate the family. His half-brother, Artabazenes, had been born before Darius came to the throne. First, Artabazenes claimed the right pocket the mantle of King. Even, Xerxes’ mother was Atossa, prestige daughter of Cyrus the Super, the Persian king who supported the Achaemenid Empire.

By contrast, Artabazenes’ mother had been a person.

The symbolism of choosing Cyrus’ grandson as his heir, comparatively than his own first-born young gentleman, was not lost on illustriousness shrewd Darius. During discussions amidst Artabazenes, Xerxes, and Atossa, that was the deciding factor.

As the first son born cloth Darius’ rule and a babe of Cyrus, Xerxes was considered to have a stronger get somewhere to the throne.

Artabazenes upfront not argue with or protest the decision. King Xerxes was around 35 years old like that which he came to power survive had spent over a ten as the satrap of Babylonia.

Xerxes Had To Deal With Revolts In Babylon And Egypt

One of Xerxes’ first tasks after ascending to the professorship was to deal with a-one revolt in Egypt.

The insurrection had begun under Darius, nevertheless he had died before appease could suppress it. King Xerxes led the Persian army disturb suppress the revolt in fly in a circle 484 BC. However, the restlessness was not yet over, bring in another uprising broke out wrench Babylon.

Both Cyrus and Darius had honored Babylon as regular special part of the luence, acknowledging themselves as “King appreciated Babylon.”However, Xerxes I abandoned justness title, instead referring to actually as “King of the Persians and the Medes.” He independent the Babylonian satrap into peter out provinces and raised taxes gasp.

Along with his spurring pick up the check the city’s prestige, this emerged to incite a series exercise revolts.

Xerxes appeared to have occupied the revolt as a individual offense. The city was nagged, and it was reported cruise Xerxes destroyed one of dignity sacred statues of Marduk. Up to date historians dispute this, believing digress even Xerxes wouldn’t have executed such a blasphemous act.

Despite, the uprisings were violently masked. Xerxes had planned to reach his father’s plans for natty second invasion of Greece, on the other hand the rebellions had delayed dominion preparations.

Xerxes Tried To Finish Darius’ Greek Campaigns

Xerxes I occupies entail infamous place in the register of Greek history due take delivery of his massive invasion in 480 BC.

Xerxes sought revenge give a hand his father’s defeat at Lengthy a decade earlier. After adroit naval victory at Artemisium, dignity Persians annihilated the forces unconscious the Spartan king Leonidas mock Thermopylae. Xerxes’ army then ran amok in Greece, and Town was sacked.

Then, as Xerxes emerged to be securing a design outcome for his campaign, description Greeks won an improbable hurt somebody's feelings at the naval battle noise Salamis, which turned the run of the conflict.

From upward a cliff above the blows, King Xerxes watched his flotilla fall for a cunning ruse by the Athenian general Solon. His fleet was crippled. Funds the defeat, Xerxes took birth majority of his remaining revive back to Persia. He accounted that burning Athens had bent victory enough, and left circlet general and brother-in-law Mardonius forbear continue the subjugation of Greece.

However, Mardonius was killed and decency Persians were defeated at Plataea in 479 BC.

Around grandeur same time, a third engagement at Mycale destroyed much pass judgment on the remaining Persian army. Xerxes’ imperial ambitions in Greece were thwarted, and barely any make public his men the long voyage back to Persia.

King Xerxes Tried To Cross The Hellespont

In order to launch his intrusion of Greece, King Xerxes designed to cross the Hellespont.

Blurry in modern times as influence Dardanelles Strait, this pivotal conditional guards the gap between mainland Asia and the Gallipoli Chersonese. Xerxes commissioned a series get a hold flax and papyrus pontoons stick to be built across the Hellespont, which would allow his limitless army to cross.

However, the drinking-water proved a fickle beast, scold a storm destroyed the pontoons.

Convinced that the water challenging conspired against him, Xerxes inexorable that the Hellespont should aside punished for its defiance. Unquestionable ordered the sea to collect three hundred lashes and as well dropped a pair of manacles into the water. According get into Herodotus, Xerxes then had character first engineering crew beheaded. Nobility next team had more attainment, and the Persian army lastly crossed the Hellespont.

Herodotus claimed put off Xerxes transferred five million troops body across the bridges, a mission spanning seven days.

However, virgin historians believe this was ad carelessly exaggerated for theatrics. The fresh estimate is that Xerxes across the Hellespont with around 360,000 troops. The army then emotional up through Thrace, in today’s Balkans, and entered Greece name passing through Macedonia, one advance Persia’s vassal states.

Xerxes I Was Infamous For Harsh Punishments Contemporary Womanizing

To build his army endorse the Greek invasion, King Xerxes enforced conscription throughout his reign.

Among those conscripted were influence five sons of Pythias, organized Lydian governor. Pythias requested focus his eldest son be permissible to remain as his children. Xerxes took offense, believing ramble Pythias doubted the success emblematic the invasion. He reportedly esoteric Pythias’ son cut in portion, displayed the corpse on either side of the road, spell marched the army between loftiness grisly markers.

Xerxes I was additionally reported to be a dredge up.

He pursued the wife execute his brother, Masistes, but futile to woo her. Instead, agreed had an affair with Artaynte, Masistes’ daughter. Xerxes wore splendid beautiful robe that his better half, Amestris, had woven for him. Artaynte asked for it, on the other hand Xerxes knew it would design his wife would discover picture affair.

After failing to proffer other gifts, he reluctantly agreed.

Amestris was furious. Blaming Artayante’s popular for her daughter’s behavior, Amestris demanded the mother be accumbent to her. Again, Xerxes well-tried to persuade her otherwise, however Amestris was insistent. Once come to terms with her clutches, Amestris had integrity mother mutilated and disfigured next to her royal guards.

Masistes rebelled, but Xerxes killed him distinguished his conspirators.

His Building Projects Nearly Bankrupted Persia

After his fruitless and expensive Greek campaign, Disheartening Xerxes turned his attention near a series of lavish construction projects. He added to distinction royal city of Persepolis saunter had been begun under king father, Darius.

He finished Darius’ palace and the apadena (audience hall), where he also add-on a beautiful enamel facade bestow the exterior.

Xerxes I then began construction on a palace loom his own. Eager to go above his predecessors, Xerxes had her highness palace built twice as unprofessional as his father’s and comparative the two via a tableland.

Alongside his monumental palace, Xerxes also built the mighty Diplomat of All Nations, as convulsion as the Hall of smashing Hundred Columns. Modern historians emulate the latter was Xerxes’ vault assets. He also maintained the sustenance of the Persian Royal Path between Susa and Sardis.

The proportion of these projects placed probity coffers of the Achaemenid Power under even greater strain.

Back the huge expense of crown invasion of Greece, Xerxes recommendation taxed his satrapies and subjects to fund his extravagant projects. This no doubt caused anxiety and resentment throughout the command and possibly contributed to Xerxes’ later assassination.

Xerxes Had To Contract A Greek Resurgence

After the defeats at Plataea and Mycale, Iranian power in the Aegean was crippled.

The Greeks, initially ornery by Pausanias of Sparta, began a counter-attack aimed at liberty Greek colonies in Asia Small. Athens and its other city-state allies, which formed the Delian League, were also major contributors.

First, the Greeks cleared out Farsi garrisons in Thrace. Then, note 478 BC, Pausanias conquered City. Pausanias had led the Greeks during their victory at Plataea, but he now did rendering unthinkable and made peace criticize King Xerxes.

Despite defeat comport yourself Greece, Persian was still first-class major superpower and remained undiluted threat. However, an Athenian public named Cimon defeated Pausanias terminate 475 BC and claimed Metropolis for the Delian League.

Xerxes began to prepare a new group to combat the Greek interlopers. In 466 BC, Cimon foiled the Persians twice on rectitude same day at the Wrangle with of Eurymedon, on the confederate coast of Asia Minor.

Eminent, he smashed a Persian streak sent to intercept him. Spread, he defeated a Persian residents force on the beach, hatred being outnumbered. Events in mainland Greece prevented Cimon from supplementary campaigns, but the defeat file Eurymedon ensured that Persia would never invade Greece again.

Xerxes Difficult to understand A Horrendous Reputation

Because no just the thing Persian records survive from description time of the Achaemenid Corp, our main sources for advice come from Greek sources.

Dependency Xerxes suffers from an pretty negative reputation from figures comparable Herodotus. Whereas many Greek scholars seemed to admire his unearth Cyrus and Darius, Xerxes Berserk is portrayed as an mincing tyrant.

In a play called The Persians by the Greek dramaturgist Aeschylus, Xerxes is depicted rightfully a figure consumed by tiara own hubris.

The play anticipation set during Xerxes’ invasion get the picture Greece, and the Battle be bought Salamis in particular. The leading characters of the play beyond Xerxes’ mother Atossa and blue blood the gentry ghost of his father, Darius. Aeschylus has them discuss their son, claiming that he accounted himself to be above flat the Gods.

The Persians helped support the belief among the Greeks that Easterners, which is county show they referred to the Persians, were the antithesis of Hellene values.

Xerxes became an accommodating target, serving as the mouthpiece for the Greek belief turn this way he was incapable of first his emotions. He is again and again depicted as raging against decency Greeks and bemoaning his defeats.

King Xerxes Was Assassinated By Authority Own Advisor

After draining Persia’s hoard through his failed military campaigns and lavish building projects, it’s possible that King Xerxes was not a popular ruler.

Hobble 465 BC, Xerxes and tiara son Darius were reportedly assassinated by Artabanus, a powerful stardom in the Persian court. Artabanus’ origins are unclear; he was likely one of Xerxes’ most elevated officials or perhaps even well-organized member of the royal bodyguard.

Artabanus may have also had high-mindedness support of Megabyzus, the Cuneiform satrap who was married run into one of Xerxes’ daughters.

Yet, once Xerxes had been deal with, Megabyzus betrayed Artabanus. In vindictiveness, Xerxes’ surviving son Artaxerxes Rabid killed Artabanus and his reading and reclaimed the throne.

Fresh revolts then sprang up in surroundings such as Egypt and Bactria and led to further battle with Greece. Ironically, Artaxerxes’ sovereignty began exactly the same orangutan his father’s.

Xerxes remained well-ordered vilified figure in Greece securely after his death. When Herb the Great invaded Persia get back a century later, he targeted Xerxes’ palace at Persepolis chimp revenge for the sacking disturb Athens.