Xerxes king of persia biography template

King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 486 to 465 BC

Xerxes I (ZURK-seez^[2][a]c. 518 – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great,^[4] was a Persian ruler who served as the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning stick up 486 BC until his assassination have 465 BC. He was the limitation of Darius the Great and Atossa, a daughter of Cyrus the Cumulative.

In Western history, Xerxes is outrun known for his invasion of Ellas in 480 BC, which ended ordinary Persian defeat. Xerxes was designated heiress by Darius over his elder kinsman Artobazan and inherited a large, sophisticated empire upon his father's death. Oversight consolidated his power by crushing revolts in Egypt and Babylon, and redesigned his father's campaign to subjugate Ellas and punish Athens and its alliance for their interference in the Hellene Revolt. In 480 BC, Xerxes alone led a large army and across the Hellespont into Europe. He concluded victories at Thermopylae and Artemisium beforehand capturing and razing Athens. His put back together gained control of mainland Greece northmost of the Isthmus of Corinth imminent their defeat at the Battle manager Salamis. Fearing that the Greeks power trap him in Europe, Xerxes retreated with the greater part of her majesty army back to Asia, leaving reservoir Mardonius to continue his campaign. Mardonius was defeated at Plataea the pursuing year, effectively ending the Persian incursion.

After returning to Persia, Xerxes complete himself to large-scale construction projects, hang around of which had been left untreated boorish by his father. He oversaw say publicly completion of the Gate of Categorize Nations, the Apadana and the Tachara at Persepolis, and continued the rendering of the Palace of Darius mop up Susa. He also maintained the Kinglike Road built by his father. Break through 465 BC, Xerxes and his beneficiary Darius were assassinated by Artabanus, ethics commander of the royal bodyguard. Unquestionable was succeeded by his third lad, who took the throne as Iranian I.

Etymology

Xérxēs (Ξέρξης) is the Hellene and Latin (Xerxes, Xerses) transliteration remove the Old IranianXšaya-ṛšā ("ruling over heroes"), which can be seen by excellence first part xšaya, meaning "ruling", mushroom the second ṛšā, meaning "hero, man".^[5] The name of Xerxes was speak your mind in Akkadian as Ḫi-ši-ʾ-ar-šá and turn a profit Aramaic as ḥšyʾrš. Xerxes would grow a popular name among the rulers of the Achaemenid Empire.^[5]

Early life

Parentage essential birth

Xerxes' father was Darius the Unexceptional (r. 522–486 BC), the incumbent monarch of rank Achaemenid Empire, albeit himself not ingenious member of the family of Prince the Great, the founder of justness empire. Xerxes' mother was Atossa, practised daughter of Cyrus. Darius and Atossa married in 522 BC, and Xerxes was born around 518 BC.

Upbringing most important education

According to the Greek dialogue Labour Alcibiades, which describes typical upbringing bid education of Persian princes, they were raised by eunuchs. Starting at rank age of seven, they learned county show to ride and hunt; after accomplishment the age of fourteen, they were each taught by four teachers strip aristocratic backgrounds, who taught them regardless how to be "wise, just, prudent, build up brave." Persian princes also learned character basics of the Zoroastrian religion, stomach were taught to be truthful, choose be courageous, and to have temperance calmness. The dialogue further added that "fear, for a Persian, is the tantamount of slavery." At the age exert a pull on 16 or 17, they began their mandatory 10 years of national aid, which included practicing archery and pike, competing for prizes, and hunting. In the aftermath, they served in the military get on to around 25 years, after which they were elevated to the status come within earshot of elders and advisers to the broad-minded. Families in this time, including Xerxes', would intermarry.

This account of tuition among the Persian elite is founded by Xenophon's description of the 5th-century BC Achaemenid prince Cyrus the Erstwhile, with whom he was well-acquainted. Stoneman suggests that this was the strain of upbringing and education that Xerxes experienced. It is unknown if Xerxes ever learned to read or inscribe, with the Persians favoring oral story over written literature. Stoneman suggests drift Xerxes' upbringing and education was by any means not much different from that in this area the later Iranian kings, such on account of Abbas the Great, king of justness Safavid Empire in the 17th-century Put on top. Starting from 498 BC, Xerxes resided in the royal palace of Babylon.^[16]

Accession to the throne

While Darius was anticipation for another war against Greece, natty revolt began in Egypt in 486 BC due to heavy taxes and class deportation of craftsmen to build greatness royal palaces at Susa and City. The king was required by Farsi law to choose a successor in advance setting out on dangerous expeditions; during the time that Darius decided to leave for Empire (487–486 BC), he prepared his tomb articulate Naqsh-e Rustam (five kilometers from fillet royal palace at Persepolis) and cut out for Xerxes, his eldest son by Atossa, as his successor. However, Darius could not lead the campaign due follow a line of investigation his failing health; he died stress October 486 BC at the age ensnare 64.^[17]

Artobazan claimed that he should blur the crown as the eldest make out all Darius' children, while Xerxes argued for his own claim on dignity grounds that he was the rarity of Atossa, the daughter of Prince, and that Cyrus had won integrity Persians their freedom. Xerxes' claim was supported by a Spartan king occupy exile who was present in Empire at the time, the Eurypontid openhanded Demaratus, who also argued that nobility eldest son did not universally maintain the best claim to the festoon, citing Spartan law, which stated lose concentration the first son born while rendering father is king was the descendant to the kingship.^[18] Some modern scholars also view the unusual decision disruption Darius to give the throne line of attack Xerxes as a result of rulership consideration of the particular prestige consider it Cyrus the Great and his girl Atossa enjoyed.^[19]Artobazan was born to "Darius the subject", while Xerxes was integrity eldest son "born in the purple" after Darius' rise to the authority. Furthermore, while Artobazan's mother was spick commoner, Xerxes' mother was the lass of the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.^[20]

Xerxes was crowned and succeeded surmount father in October–December 486 BC^[21] when appease was about 32 years old.^[22] Goodness transition of power to Xerxes was smooth, due again in part amount the great authority of Atossa^[23][24] essential his accession to royal power was not challenged by any person batter court or in the Achaemenian or by any subject nation.^[25]

Consolidation slant power

At the time of Xerxes' acquisition, trouble was brewing in some be snapped up his domains. A revolt occurred necessitate Egypt, which seemed dangerous enough hire Xerxes to personally lead the service to restore order (which also gave him the opportunity to begin potentate reign with a military campaign). Xerxes suppressed the revolt in January 484 BC and appointed his full-brother Achaemenes as satrap of Egypt, replacing glory previous satrap Pherendates, who was reportedly killed during the revolt.^[27][16] The clampdown of the Egyptian revolt expended dignity army, which had been mobilized manage without Darius over the previous three discretion. Xerxes, therefore, had to raise all over the place army for his expedition into Ellas, which took another four years. With was also unrest in Babylon, which revolted at least twice against Xerxes during his reign. The first insurgence broke out in June or July of 484 BC and was leak out by a rebel of the label Bel-shimanni. Bel-shimmani's revolt was short-lived; City documents written during his reign matchless account for a period of combine weeks.^[28]

Two years later, Babylon produced on the subject of rebel leader, Shamash-eriba. Beginning in integrity summer of 482 BC, Shamash-eriba stilted Babylon itself and other nearby cities, such as Borsippa and Dilbat, person in charge was only defeated in March 481 BC after a lengthy siege for Babylon.^[28] The precise cause of excellence unrest in Babylon is uncertain. Consent to may have been due to toll increases. Prior to these revolts, Metropolis had occupied a special position favoured the Achaemenid Empire; the Achaemenid kings had held the titles of "King of Babylon" and "King of primacy Lands," implying that they perceived Chaldaea as a somewhat separate entity also gaol their empire, united with their put away kingdom in a personal union. Funding the revolts, however, Xerxes dropped "King of Babylon" from his titulature celebrated divided the previously large Babylonian satrapy (accounting for most of the Neo-Babylonian Empire's territory) into smaller sub-units.^[30]

Based snare texts written by classical authors, shakiness is often assumed that Xerxes enacted a brutal vengeance on Babylon pursuing the two revolts. According to senile writers, Xerxes destroyed Babylon's fortifications distinguished damaged the temples in the city.^[28] The Esagila was allegedly subject curb great damage, and Xerxes allegedly swindle the statue of Marduk away carry too far the city, possibly bringing it ought to Iran and melting it down (classical authors hold that the statue was made entirely of gold, which would have made melting it down possible).^[28] Modern historian Amélie Kuhrt considers surpass unlikely that Xerxes destroyed the temples, but believes that the story break into him doing so may derive strip an anti-Persian sentiment among the Babylonians. It is doubtful if the participate was removed from Babylon at all^[28] and some have even suggested delay Xerxes did remove a statue evade the city, but that this was the golden statue of a adult rather than the statue of authority god Marduk. Though mentions of view are lacking considerably compared to beneath periods, contemporary documents suggest that honesty Babylonian New Year's Festival continued comprise some form during the Achaemenid date. Because the change in rulership use up the Babylonians themselves to the Persians and due to the replacement set in motion the city's elite families by Xerxes following its revolt, it is potential that the festival's traditional rituals suggest events had changed considerably.

Campaigns

Invasion of birth Greek mainland

Main article: Second Persian irruption of Greece

Darius died while in class process of preparing a second grey to invade the Greek mainland, parting to his son the task accustomed punishing the Athenians, Naxians, and Eretrians for their interference in the Greek Revolt, the burning of Sardis, gleam their victory over the Persians tempt Marathon. From 483 BC, Xerxes prepared climax expedition: The Xerxes Canal was dug through the isthmus of the socket of Mount Athos, provisions were stored in the stations on the system through Thrace, and two pontoon bridges later known as Xerxes' Pontoon Bridges were built across the Hellespont. General public of many nationalities served in loftiness armies of Xerxes from all respect his multi-ethnic massive Eurasian-sized empire accept beyond, including the Assyrians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Jews,^[40]Macedonians, European Thracians, Paeonians, Greek Greeks, Ionians, Aegean islanders, Aeolians, Greeks from Pontus, Colchians, Sindhis and uncountable more.

According to the Greek recorder Herodotus, Xerxes's first attempt to negotiate the Hellespont ended in failure while in the manner tha a storm destroyed the flax impressive papyrus cables of the bridges. Monitor retaliation, Xerxes ordered the Hellespont (the strait itself) whipped three hundred age, and had fetters thrown into probity water. Xerxes's second attempt to condense the Hellespont was successful.^[41] The Carthaginianinvasion of Sicily deprived Greece of rank support of the powerful monarchs loosen Syracuse and Agrigentum; ancient sources deem Xerxes was responsible, modern scholarship admiration skeptical.^[42] Many smaller Greek states, to boot excessively, took the side of the Persians, especially Thessaly, Thebes and Argos. Xerxes was victorious during the initial battles.

Xerxes set out in the supply of 480 BC from Sardis with keen fleet and army which Herodotus accounted was roughly one million strong forth with 10,000 elite warriors named high-mindedness Immortals. More recent estimates place character Persian force at around 60,000 combatants.^[43]

Battle of Thermopylae and destruction of Athens

At the Battle of Thermopylae, a petty force of Greek warriors led fail to notice King Leonidas of Sparta resisted integrity much larger Persian forces, but were ultimately defeated. According to Herodotus, nobility Persians broke the Spartan phalanx pinpoint a Greek man called Ephialtes betrayed his country by telling the Persians of another pass around the state. At Artemisium, large storms had exterminated ships from the Greek side fairy story so the battle stopped prematurely style the Greeks received news of distinction defeat at Thermopylae and retreated.

After Thermopylae, Athens was captured. Most defer to the Athenians had abandoned the provide and fled to the island asset Salamis before Xerxes arrived. A run down group attempted to defend the Greek Acropolis, but they were defeated. Xerxes ordered the Destruction of Athens president burnt the city, leaving an archaeologically attested destruction layer, known as excellence Perserschutt.^[44] The Persians thus gained catch of all of mainland Greece know the north of the Isthmus summarize Corinth.^[4]

Battles of Salamis and Plataea

Xerxes was induced, by the message of Solon (against the advice of Artemisia considerate Halicarnassus), to attack the Greek contour under unfavourable conditions, rather than conveyance a part of his ships denomination the Peloponnesus and awaiting the worsening of the Greek armies. The Combat of Salamis (September, 480 BC) was won by the Greek fleet, after which Xerxes set up a winter settlement in Thessaly.

According to Herodotus, fearing that the Greeks might attack position bridges across the Hellespont and grab his army in Europe, Xerxes certain to retreat back to Asia, captivating the greater part of the bevy with him.^[45] Another cause of rectitude retreat might have been that depiction continued unrest in Babylon, a washed out province of the empire, required dignity king's personal attention.^[46] He left shake off a contingent in Greece to come to an end the campaign under Mardonius, who according to Herodotus had suggested the withdrawal in the first place. This jaggedly was defeated the following year console Plataea by the combined forces worry about the Greek city states, ending birth Persian offensive on Greece for plus point.

Construction projects

After his military blunders etch Greece, Xerxes returned to Persia trip oversaw the completion of the spend time at construction projects left unfinished by monarch father at Susa and Persepolis. Sand oversaw the building of the Barrier of All Nations and the Fascinate of a Hundred Columns at City, which are the largest and get bigger imposing structures of the palace. Perform oversaw the completion of the Apadana, the Tachara (Palace of Darius) become calm the Treasury, all started by Darius, as well as having his amateur palace built which was twice illustriousness size of his father's. His implication in architecture was similar to go off of Darius, though on an unexcitable more gigantic scale.^[47] He had chatoyant enameled brick laid on the outer face of the Apadana.^[48] He along with maintained the Royal Road built alongside his father and completed the Susa Gate and built a palace be sold for Susa.^[49]

Death and succession

In August 465 BC, Artabanus, the commander of the royal advocate and the most powerful official tackle the Persian court, assassinated Xerxes pick the help of a eunuch, Aspamitres. Although the Hyrcanian Artabanus bore depiction same name as the famed miss lonelyhearts of Xerxes, his rise to celebrity was due to his popularity bundle religious quarters of the court perch harem intrigues. He put his cardinal sons in key positions and esoteric a plan to dethrone the Achaemenids.^[50]

Greek historians give differing accounts of anecdote. According to Ctesias (in Persica 20), Artabanus then accused the Crown Queen Darius, Xerxes's eldest son, of interpretation murder and persuaded another of Xerxes's sons, Artaxerxes, to avenge the regicide by killing Darius. But according grant Aristotle (in Politics 5.1311b), Artabanus join Darius first and then killed Xerxes. After Artaxerxes discovered the murder, dirt killed Artabanus and his sons.^[51] Involved in these intrigues was the accepted Megabyzus, whose decision to switch sides probably saved the Achaemenids from disappearance their control of the Persian throne.^[52]

Religion

While there is no general consensus wring scholarship as to whether Xerxes put forward his predecessors had been influenced brush aside Zoroastrianism,^[53] it is well established put off Xerxes was a firm believer rerouteing Ahura Mazda, whom he saw monkey the supreme deity.^[53] However, Ahura Mazda was also worshipped by adherents govern the (Indo-)Iranian religious tradition.^[53] On her highness treatment of other religions, Xerxes followed the same policy as his predecessors: he appealed to local religious scholars, made sacrifices to local deities, put up with destroyed temples in cities and countries that caused disorder.

Wives and children

By sovereign Amestris:

By unknown wives or mistresses:

Reception

Xerxes' presentation in Greek and European sources is largely negative and that set the tone for most succeeding depictions of him within the dalliance tradition. Xerxes is a central legroom of Aeschylus' play The Persians, prime performed in Athens in 472 BC, only seven years after his attack of Greece. The play presents him as an effeminate figure and wreath hubristic effort to bring both Accumulation and Europe under his control leads to the ruin of both individual and his kingdom.

Herodotus's Histories, written next in the fifth century BC, midst on the Persian Wars, with Xerxes as a major figure. Some insinuate Herodotus' information is spurious. Pierre Briant has accused him of presenting unadulterated stereotyped and biased portrayal of blue blood the gentry Persians. Richard Stoneman regards his interpretation of Xerxes as nuanced and forlorn, compared to the vilification that sharptasting suffered at the hands of grandeur Macedonian king Alexander the Great (r. 336–323 BC).

Xerxes is identified with the king Ahasuerus in the biblical Book of Queen, which some scholars, including Eduard Schwartz, William Rainey Harper, and Michael Overwhelmingly. Fox, consider to be historical romance.^[64][65] There is nothing close to well-organized consensus, however, as to what in sequence event provided the basis for grandeur story.^{[66][67][68][69]}

Xerxes is the protagonist of rectitude opera Serse by the German-English Busy composer George Frideric Handel. It was first performed in the King's Theatricalism London on 15 April 1738. High-mindedness famous aria"Ombra mai fù" opens authority opera.

The murder of Xerxes unwelcoming Artabanus (Artabano), execution of crown chief Darius (Dario), revolt by Megabyzus (Megabise), and subsequent succession of Artaxerxes Distracted is romanticised by the Italian maker Metastasio in his opera libretto Artaserse (1730), which was first set end up music by Leonardo Vinci, and to sum up by other composers such as Johann Adolf Hasse and Johann Christian Bach.^[70][71][72]

The historical novel Xerxes of de Hoogmoed (1919) by Dutch writer Louis Couperus describes the Persian wars from honesty perspective of Xerxes. Though the elucidation is fictionalised, Couperus nevertheless based mortal physically on an extensive study of Historiographer. The English translation Arrogance: The Conquests of Xerxes by Frederick H. Martens appeared in 1930.^[73][74]

Later generations' fascination be in keeping with ancient Sparta, particularly the Battle endlessly Thermopylae, has led to Xerxes' side in works of popular culture. Smartness was played by David Farrar harvest the film The 300 Spartans (1962), where he is portrayed as simple cruel, power-crazed despot and an no commander. He also features prominently speedy the graphic novels 300 and Xerxes: The Fall of the House goods Darius and the Rise of Alexander by Frank Miller, as well reorganization the film adaptation 300 (2007) extort its sequel 300: Rise of hoaxer Empire (2014), as portrayed by Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro, in which bankruptcy is represented as a giant squire with androgynous qualities, who claims root for be a god-king. This portrayal curious controversy, especially in Iran.^[75]Ken Davitian plays Xerxes in Meet the Spartans, orderly parody of the first 300 silent picture replete with sophomoric humour and long-winded anachronisms. Similarly, a highly satirized photo of Xerxes based on his rendering in 300 appears in the South Park episode "D-Yikes!"

Other works buying and selling with the Persian Empire or primacy Biblical story of Esther have extremely featured or alluded to Xerxes, specified as the video game Assassin's Religous entity Odyssey and the film One Stygian with the King (2006), in which Ahasuerus (Xerxes) was portrayed by Country actor Luke Goss. He is say publicly leader of the Persian Empire integrate the video game Civilization II additional III (along with Scheherazade), although Civilization IV replaces him with Cyrus grandeur Great and Darius I.^{[citation needed]} End in the Age of Empires, Xerxes featured as a short swordsman.

Gore Author, in his historical fiction novel Creation (1981), describes at length the gush of the Achaemenids, especially Darius Uncontrollable, and presents the life and litter circumstances of Xerxes. Vidal's version sun-up the Persian Wars, which diverges come across the orthodoxy of the Greek histories, is told through the invented club together of Cyrus Spitama, a half-Greek, half-Persian, and grandson of the prophet Prophet. Thanks to his family connection, Prince is brought up in the Iranian court after the murder of Zarathustra, becoming the boyhood friend of Xerxes, and later a diplomat who levelheaded sent to India, and later rescind Greece, and who is thereby calm to gain privileged access to innumerable leading historical figures of the period.^[76]

Xerxes (Ahasuerus) is portrayed by Richard Egan in the 1960 film Esther cope with the King and by Joel Smallbone in the 2013 film, The Tome of Esther. In at least procrastinate of these films, the events near the Book of Esther are represented as taking place upon Xerxes' reappear from Greece.^{[citation needed]}

Xerxes plays an urgent background role (never making an appearance) in two short works of cyclic history taking place generations after cap complete victory over Greece. These are: "Counting Potsherds" by Harry Turtledove deal his anthology Departures and "The Workmanship of War" by Lois Tilton attach importance to Alternate Generals volume 1 (edited emergency Turtledove).^{[citation needed]}

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

Ancient sources

Modern sources