![]() Around the same time, a third battle at Mycale destroyed much of the remaining Persian army. However, Mardonius was killed and the Persians were defeated at Plataea in 479 BC. He believed that burning Athens had been victory enough, and left his general and brother-in-law Mardonius to continue the subjugation of Greece. ![]() After the defeat, Xerxes took the majority of his remaining forces back to Persia. From atop a cliff above the battle, King Xerxes watched his armada fall for a cunning ploy by the Athenian general Themistocles. Then, as Xerxes appeared to be securing a successful outcome for his campaign, the Greeks won an improbable victory at the naval battle of Salamis, which turned the tide of the conflict. Xerxes’ army then ran amok in Greece, and Athens was sacked. After a naval victory at Artemisium, the Persians annihilated the forces of the Spartan king Leonidas at Thermopylae. Xerxes sought revenge for his father’s defeat at Marathon a decade earlier. Xerxes I occupies an infamous place in the annals of Greek history due to his massive invasion in 480 BC. Xerxes Tried To Finish Darius’ Greek Campaigns Hoplite slaying a fallen Persian, Triptolemos painter, Painter 5 th Century BC, via National Museums Scotland Xerxes had planned to continue his father’s plans for a second invasion of Greece, but the rebellions had delayed his preparations. ![]() Regardless, the uprisings were violently suppressed. Modern historians dispute this, believing that even Xerxes wouldn’t have performed such a blasphemous act. The city was besieged, and it was reported that Xerxes destroyed one of the sacred statues of Marduk. Xerxes appeared to have taken the revolt as a personal offense. Along with his spurring of the city’s prestige, this appeared to incite a series of revolts. However, the unrest was not yet over, as another uprising broke out in Babylon.īoth Cyrus and Darius had honored Babylon as a special part of the empire, acknowledging themselves as “King of Babylon.”However, Xerxes I abandoned the title, instead referring to himself as “King of the Persians and the Medes.” He divided the Babylonian satrap into smaller provinces and raised taxes heavily. King Xerxes led the Persian army to suppress the revolt in around 484 BC. The uprising had begun under Darius, but he had died before he could suppress it. One of Xerxes’ first tasks after ascending to the throne was to deal with a revolt in Egypt. 6 th Century BC, via Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin Xerxes Had To Deal With Revolts In Babylon And Egypt Babylonian Lion mosaic, c. King Xerxes was around 35 years old when he came to power and had spent over a decade as the satrap of Babylonia. Artabazenes did not argue with or challenge the decision. During discussions between Artabazenes, Xerxes, and Atossa, this was the deciding factor.Īs the first son born during Darius’ rule and a descendant of Cyrus, Xerxes was deemed to have a stronger claim to the throne. The symbolism of choosing Cyrus’ grandson as his heir, rather than his own first-born son, was not lost on the shrewd Darius. However, Xerxes’ mother was Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus the Great, the Persian king who founded the Achaemenid Empire.īy contrast, Artabazenes’ mother had been a commoner. Initially, Artabazenes claimed the right to the mantle of King. His half-brother, Artabazenes, had been born before Darius came to the throne. ![]() However, Xerxes was not the eldest son of the family. Prior to his death in 486 BC, Darius the Great named his son Xerxes as his successor. 479 BC, Persepolis, via Ozbalci/Getty Images King Xerxes Had A Controversial Accession Relief of King Xerxes, c. ![]()
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