Persian king Xerxes I (born around 519 BC - death in 465 BC) King of the Achaemenid state (486 BC). He led the Persian campaign in Greece (480-479 BC), which ended in defeat and marked the end of the first stage.

After the death of Darius I Hystaspes, his son, Xerxes I, ascended the Achaemenid throne. The new king of kings immediately ran into military problems. The vast state was restless. Some of the provinces were falling out of obedience. 484 BC e. Persian king Xerxes was forced to go to pacify the rebellious Egypt. Then came the news of the uprising in Babylon. The Persian army invaded Mesopotamia, destroyed the fortifications, plundered the temples and destroyed the main shrine of the Babylonians - the statue of the god Marduk.

The successful pacification of the rebellious may have turned Xerxes' head, and he began to think about capturing new territories. Xerxes fully inherited his father's hatred of the Greeks. But, remembering the failures of Darius and being very circumspect, he did not rush. The king of kings thought for a long time, and his associates were perplexed: they were convinced that little Hellas, on the territory of which there were many city-states, would not be able to withstand the power of the huge Persian army.

In the end, the king called those close to him for advice. He outlined to them his plans for the construction of a huge pontoon bridge across the Hellespont (modern Dardanelles). The Persian king Xerxes intended not only to fulfill his father's covenant and seize Greece. He intended to turn all states into one, that is, to come to world domination. The military leaders could not but support the idea of ​​Xerxes. In the eastern despotism, which was the state of the Achaemenids, it was not customary to contradict the ruler. Those who had their own opinion could easily say goodbye not only to the position, but also to the head.

For four years, preparations for the campaign continued. Finally, the titanic work of building the bridge was completed. Persian troops were already ready to cross over to Europe. However, a terrible storm destroyed the gigantic structure. Then the king ordered to cut off the heads of the builders, among whom the vast majority were Phoenicians and Egyptians subject to the Persians. In addition, by order of the formidable ruler, the strait was carved with a whip, and shackles were thrown into the sea. At that distant time, people still inspired natural objects, and the king sincerely believed that the recalcitrant strait after punishment would feel the full force of the wrath of the great Xerxes.

The bridge was rebuilt. In addition, the ships could now safely bypass dangerous place in the strait, a channel was dug. To do this, they dug up a whole mountain. The Persian king Xerxes had as many human resources as he wanted: 20 satrapies-provinces regularly supplied labor.

480 BC e., August - the troops safely crossed to Europe. For 7 days and nights, troops marched along the bridge without stopping. Persians, Assyrians, Parthians, Khorezmians, Sogdians, Bactrians, Indians, Arabs, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Thracians, Libyans, Phrygians, Cappadocians, inhabitants of the Caucasus - this is an incomplete list of the peoples who were part of the army of Xerxes.

According to Herodotus, in the army of Xerxes there were 1,700,000 infantrymen, 80,000 horsemen and 20,000 camel auxiliaries. The total number of warriors, in his opinion, reached more than five million people. In fact, according to scientists, the number of troops did not exceed 100,000, but even this figure at that time can be considered huge. In addition, the ground forces were supported by a fleet of 700-800 ships.

Xerxes did not doubt victory. Well, what could the Greeks oppose to his military power? Smiling smugly, he declared: “In my army, everyone is subject to one person. The whip will drive them into battle, the fear of me will make them brave. If I order, everyone will do the impossible. Are the Greeks capable of this, talking about freedom? However, it was precisely this desire for freedom that helped the Hellenes to survive in a fierce struggle with the most powerful empire of that time.

Entering the land of Hellas, the king first of all tried to inform about his advance as quickly as possible reached the Greek cities. For this, the first captured Greek scouts were not executed, but released, showing the army and fleet. Ambassadors were sent to the policies demanding "land and water." But the Persian king did not send anyone to the hated Athens and Sparta, making it clear to their inhabitants that there would be no mercy for them. But Xerxes' expectations were not justified: only Thessaly and Boeotia agreed to recognize his authority. The rest began to prepare to fight back.

Athenian strategist Themistocles, elected in 482 BC. e., in a short time he was able to create a powerful fleet. He, as Plutarch wrote, “put an end to the internecine wars in Hellas and reconciled individual states among themselves, persuading them to put aside their enmity in view of the war with Persia.

According to the plan of the allies, they decided to give battle to the enemy on land and at sea. 300 trireme ships were sent to Cape Artemisia on the coast of Euboea, and the army headed to Thessaly. Here in the gorge of Thermopylae, the Greeks expected a formidable enemy.

Xerxes waited 4 days for news of naval battle. When it became known that half of his fleet was swept away by a storm, and the rest suffered heavy losses and could not break through to the coast, the king sent scouts to find out what the Greeks were doing. He hoped that those, seeing the superiority of the enemy, would retreat. However, the Greeks stubbornly remained in place. Then Xerxes moved the army. Sitting in a chair, he watched the progress from the top of the mountain. The Greeks continued to stand. The "immortals" were thrown into the battle, but they could not achieve success either.

It became clear that the position of the Greeks is extremely advantageous, and their courage has no limits. Perhaps the king of the Persians, Xerxes, would have had to look for another way, but among the locals there was a traitor who, for a reward, showed the Persians a bypass path. The defenders of the gorge noticed that they were surrounded. The commander of the Greeks, King Leonid released the allies. 300 Spartans, 400 Thebans and 700 Thespians remained with him. After a fierce fight, they all died. Enraged, Xerxes ordered to find the body of Leonidas. He was beheaded and his head was put on a spear.

The Persian army advanced towards Athens. Themistocles persuaded the citizens to leave the city. He was sure that the Athenians would take revenge not on land, but at sea. But not all allies agreed with the opinion of their commander. Endless bickering began. Then the strategist sent his slave to Xerxes, who again waited, hoping for disagreements in the enemy camp. The slave told Xerxes that the Hellenes were going to retreat at night, and Themistocles wants to go over to the side of the Persians and advises to start the offensive at once at night.

Xerxes showed unforgivable gullibility. Apparently, he was so confident in his own strength that he did not even think about a possible trap. The Persian king ordered the fleet to close all exits from the Salamis Strait so that not a single enemy ship could escape him. Themistocles wanted to achieve this: now the ships of the Spartans and Corinthians could not leave the Athenians. It was decided to give battle.

(480 BC) 1000 Persian ships and 180 Greek ships took part. On the shore, under a gilded canopy, the Persian king Xerxes sat on a throne, watching the battle. Nearby were courtiers and scribes who were supposed to describe the great victory of the Persians. But the clumsy Persian ships, forced to operate in a narrow strait, were much inferior to the fast Greek triremes. The latter went to ram and easily dodged the enemy.

As a result, most of Xerxes' fleet was sunk. The bulk of the Persians, who could not swim, drowned. Those who reached the coast were exterminated by the Greek infantry. In the end, the Persians turned to flight. The surviving ships were destroyed by the inhabitants of Aegina, who set up an ambush.

The remnants of the Persian army moved to the bridge over the Hellespont. Themistocles wanted to destroy it, but heeded the advice of the former strategist of Athens, Aristides. He believed that the trapped Persian warriors would fight desperately and many Greeks would die.

They say that the king of kings returned home on a ship that was utterly overcrowded. During a strong storm, the helmsman turned to him: “Sir! We need to lighten the ship!” - and the king ordered his subjects to leave the ship. Those themselves began to rush overboard, where they, who could not swim, were waiting for inevitable death. Safely reaching the shore, Xerxes granted the helmsman a golden ring for saving his life and immediately ... ordered to cut off the head of the savior because he had killed so many Persians.

But not the entire Persian army left Hellas. By order of Xerxes, troops were left in Thessaly, which were supposed to spend the winter and continue the war in the spring. 479 BC e. - a major battle took place near the city of Plataea in Boeotia. The famous Persian commander Mardonius fell in it, with whose death the Persians were finally broken and left the Peloponnesian Peninsula. The first stage of the Greco-Persian wars was finally completed.

With dreams of world domination, Xerxes had to part forever. His destiny was the exaltation of the capital of Persepolis. The construction of the palace, begun under Darius, was completed, and a new one was built, the construction of the throne room of one hundred columns began.

In the meantime, there was a relentless struggle for influence at court. The courtiers and even members of the Xerxes family intrigued incessantly. Xerxes became more and more suspicious. Once, when the queen reported that his brother was preparing an assassination attempt, the king ordered the destruction of his entire family.

The courtiers, all the more, could not count on the pity of the king. As you can see, because in the summer of 465 BC. e. Xerxes and his eldest son were killed by conspirators led by the minister Artabanus. Another son of the king, Artaxerxes I, ascended the throne, but the golden age of the Achaemenid dynasty was a thing of the past along with the warlike Persian king Xerxes I.

The Persian king Xerxes I is one of the most famous characters ancient history humanity. Actually, it was this ruler who led his troops to Greece in the first half of the 5th century. It was he who fought with the Athenian hoplites in the Battle of Marathon and with the Spartans in the very one widely promoted today in popular literature and cinema.

Beginning of the Greco-Persian Wars

Persia at the very beginning of the 5th century was a young, but aggressive and already powerful empire that managed to conquer whole line Eastern peoples. In addition to other territories, the Persian king Darius also took possession of some Greek colonies-policies in (the territory of modern Turkey). During the years of Persian rule, among the Greek population of the Persian satrapies - the so-called administrative territorial units of the Persian state - often raised uprisings, protesting against the new orders of the eastern conquerors. It was Athens' help to these colonies in one of these uprisings that led to the beginning of the Greco-Persian conflict.

Marathon battle

The first general battle of the Persian landing and the Greek troops (Athenians and Plataeans) was what happened in 490 BC. Thanks to the talent of the Greek commander Miltiades, who skillfully used the hoplite system, their long spears, as well as the sloping terrain (the Greeks pushed the Persians down the slope), the Athenians won, stopping the first Persian invasion of their country. Interestingly, the modern sports discipline "marathon running" is associated with this battle, which is a distance of 42 km. That is how much the ancient messenger ran from the battlefield to Athens to announce the victory of his compatriots and fall dead. Preparations for a more massive invasion were thwarted by the death of Darius. The new Persian king Xerxes I ascended the throne, continuing the work of his father.

The Battle of Thermopylae and the Three Hundred Spartans

The second invasion began in 480 BC. King Xerxes led a large army of 200 thousand people (according to modern historians). Macedonia and Thrace were quickly conquered, after which an invasion began from the north into Boeotia, Attica and the Peloponnese. Even the coalition forces of the Greek policies could not resist such numerous forces, gathered from the many peoples of the Persian Empire. The weak hope of the Greeks was the opportunity to accept the battle in a narrow place through which the Persian army passed on its way to the south - the Thermopylae Gorge. The numerical advantage of the enemy here would not be so noticeable at all, which left hopes for victory. The legend that the Persian king Xerxes was almost beaten here by three hundred Spartan warriors is some exaggeration. In fact, from 5 to 7 thousand Greek soldiers from different policies, not only Spartan, took part in this battle. And for the width of the gorge, this amount was more than enough to successfully hold back the enemy for two days. The disciplined Greek phalanx kept the line evenly, really stopping the hordes of the Persians. No one knows how the battle would have ended, but the Greeks were betrayed by one of the inhabitants of the local village - Ephialtes. The man who showed the Persians a detour. When King Leonidas found out about the betrayal, he sent troops to the policies to regroup forces, remaining on the defensive and delaying the Persians with a small detachment. Now there really were very few of them - about 500 souls. However, no miracle happened, almost all the defenders were killed on the same day.

What happened next

The battle of Thermopylae never fulfilled the task that the Greek men assigned to it, but it became an inspired example of heroism for other defenders of the country. The Persian king Xerxes I still managed to win here, but later suffered crushing defeats: at sea - a month later at Salamis, and on land - in the battle of Plataea. The Greco-Persian War continued for the next thirty years as protracted, sluggish conflicts, in which the odds were increasingly in favor of the policies.

Xerxes I is one of the greatest Persian kings of the Achaemenid dynasty. Ruled the Persian Empire from 486 to 465. BC e. The Persian king Xerxes was called "the king of all kings." He ascended the throne at the age of 35.

The nature and appearance of Xerxes

Historians of the East considered the Persian king an experienced warrior and fair statesman. The king himself called himself wise, defending the law and just in punishment, defending the oppressed, never making hasty conclusions and making hasty decisions, he carefully considers all matters. He also considered himself cruel when he punished misdeeds, and very generous when he rewarded for achievements before the empire.

Xerxes himself considered himself well-built physically, which made him a good warrior. Herodotus confirmed the fact that King Xerxes was a tall and stately warrior, handsome in the prime of his youth.

Reign of Xerxes

At the beginning of his reign, King Xerxes had to face a series of uprisings that needed to be filed. Even during the lifetime of his father Darius, a major uprising began in Egypt. The young king succeeded in putting down the uprising a year after his accession. The uprising was brutally suppressed, and Egypt was subjected to even greater infringement.

In the same year, the Babylonians rebelled, but soon the rebellion was crushed. In 482, the uprising began again, but already in 481 the city was recaptured, and a trial will be held over the rebels. Xerxes plundered the city itself, and most of it became uninhabited.

Wars with the Greeks

When the uprisings stopped, the king urgently began to prepare for a new campaign against the Greeks. Several Greek states expressed their support for Persia (Argos, Thessaly), the rest were preparing for defense. Sparta led an alliance against the Persians in 481.
In the summer of 480, the Persian army entered the territory of Greece with a two hundred thousandth army.

Battle of Thermopylae

To conquer Athens and Sparta, the Persians had to pass through the Thermopylae Gorge. To his surprise there, King Xerxes met resistance from the Spartans. Several hundred Spartan warriors and several thousand warriors of other city-states settled down in a phalanx in the narrow Thermopylae Gorge.

The defense was led by the king of Sparta Leonidas himself. The Greeks fought off the attacks of the Persians for two days, while having an army ten times smaller than that of the Persians. On the third day, the Persians bypassed the gorge from the rear, and the defense was broken through. However, the losses were colossal, killing several hundred Greeks, the Persians lost tens of thousands.

The ruin of Athens

After Xerxes passed through Thermopylae, he began to besiege Athens, which was eventually sacked, several hundred soldiers were taken prisoner. The Persian army did not meet significant resistance.

Battle of Salamis

The battle of Salamis became almost decisive in the Greco-Persian wars, since in the event of a defeat, many Greeks were captivated and killed. The Persians had a huge advantage in the number of ships, although they failed to use this advantage. A strong wind began and the Persian ships were thrown one on one. The weather helped the Greeks to win.

Decisive Battle - Plataea

In 479, the Battle of Plataea took place. The Greeks had at their disposal 30 thousand soldiers, and the Persians about 70 thousand. But despite the numerical advantage, the Persians were defeated and were forced to retreat.
After the defeat at Plataea, Xerxes decided to stop the war with Greece and took up public affairs.

State of affairs in the country

Many satraps were unhappy that Xerxes had lost the war to the Greeks and many thought of revolting. But, despite the unrest, King Xerxes began an active building policy, and also carried out a religious reform.

Murder

Around the year 467, famine began in the country, and grain prices increased by about 7 times. Xerxes removed high-ranking officials from their posts, for which, according to historians, he was killed in his bedroom in 465. It is possible that his son Artaxerxes I, who became king after the death of his father, had a hand in his murder.

In all likelihood, there were several uprisings. Initially, the Babylonians rebelled under the leadership of Bel-shimanni. It is possible that this uprising began under Darius, under the influence of the defeat of the Persians at Marathon. The rebels captured, in addition to Babylon, the cities of Borsippa and Dilbat. In two cuneiform documents found in Borsippa, dated "the beginning of the reign of Bel-shimanni, king of Babylon and the Countries." The witnesses who signed this contract are the same as those found on documents from the second half of the reign of Darius and the first year of Xerxes. Obviously, Bel-shimanni rebelled against Darius and took the daring title of "king of the Countries", which had not yet been encroached upon by the False Buchadnezzers. But two weeks later in July 484 BC. e. this uprising was put down.

Crossing the Hellespont

Warriors of the army of Xerxes. Reconstruction according to the description of Herodotus, archaeological finds and drawings on Greek vases. From left to right: Persian standard-bearer, Armenian and Cappadocian warriors.

Warriors of the army of Xerxes.
From left to right: Chaldean foot soldiers formed the first rank of the Persian phalanx of archers; Babylonian archer; Assyrian infantry. The warriors are wearing quilted jackets stuffed with horsehair - a typical type of oriental armor of that time.

Warriors of the army of Xerxes from Asia Minor. On the left is a hoplite from Ionia, whose weapons are very reminiscent of the Greek, but he is wearing a soft quilted shell, widespread among Asian peoples (in this case, Greek cut); on the right - a Lydian hoplite in a bronze cuirass and a kind of frame helmet.

Warriors of the army of Xerxes. Reconstruction according to the description of Herodotus and archaeological finds. From left to right: an Ethiopian warrior armed with a powerful bow, half of his body painted white; an infantryman from Khorezm, a Bactrian infantryman; Arian cavalryman.

Battle of Thermopylae

Fleet actions

Devastation of Attica

The Persians were now free to move into Attica. Boeotia submitted to the Persians, and in the future Thebes provided them with active support. The land army of the Greeks stood on the Isthmus Isthmus, and Sparta insisted on creating a fortified defensive line here to protect the Peloponnese. The Athenian politician, creator of the Athenian fleet Themistocles believed that it was necessary to give the Persians a sea battle off the coast of Attica. Defending Attica at that moment, of course, was not possible.

The situation in the State

These failures in the Greco-Persian wars intensified the process of disintegration of the Achaemenid state. Already under Xerxes, symptoms dangerous for the existence of the state appeared - the rebellions of the satraps. So, his own brother Masista fled from Susa to his satrapy of Bactria in order to raise an uprising there, but on the way, warriors loyal to the king caught up with Macista and killed him along with all the sons accompanying him (c. 478 BC). Under Xerxes, intensive construction was carried out in Persepolis, Susa, Tushpa, on Mount Elvend near Ecbatana and in other places. To strengthen state centralization, he carried out a religious reform, which amounted to a ban on the veneration of local tribal gods and the strengthening of the cult of the pan-Iranian god Ahuramazda. Under Xerxes, the Persians stopped supporting local temples (in Egypt, Babylonia, etc.) and seized many temple treasures.

Assassination of Xerxes as a result of a conspiracy

According to Ctesias, by the end of his life, Xerxes was under the strong influence of the head of the royal guard Artaban and the eunuch Aspamitra. Probably, the position of Xerxes at this time was not very strong. In any case, we know from Persepolis documents that in 467 BC. e. , that is, 2 years before the assassination of Xerxes, famine reigned in Persia, the royal barns were empty and grain prices increased seven times compared to usual. In order to somehow calm the dissatisfied, Xerxes removed about a hundred state officials during the year, starting with the highest-ranking ones. In August 465 B.C. e. Artaban and Aspamitra, apparently not without the intrigues of Artaxerxes, the youngest son of Xerxes, killed the king at night in his bedroom. The exact date of this conspiracy is recorded in an astronomical text from Babylonia. Another text from Egypt says that he was killed along with his eldest son Darius.

Xerxes was in power for 20 years and 8 months and was killed at the age of 55. About 20 cuneiform inscriptions in ancient Persian, Elamite and Babylonian have survived from the reign of Xerxes.

Wives and children

Queen Amestrid

• Darius
• hystaspes, satrap of Bactria

Unknown wives

• Aratry satrap of Babylon.
• Ratashap

Achaemenids
Predecessor: Darius I