Historical Figures Codexery

Xerxes I

Fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, invader of Greece.

He was the son of Darius the Great and Atossa, a daughter of Cyrus the Great.[1][2] His name derives from the Old Iranian Xšaya-ṛšā, meaning "ruling over heroes".[3]

Quick Facts

Reign
October 486 – August 465 BC
Predecessor
Darius the Great
Successor
Artabanus (disputed); Artaxerxes I
Spouse
Amestris
Dynasty
Achaemenid
Issue
  • Darius
  • Hystaspes
  • Artaxerxes I
  • Rhodogune
  • Amytis
Mother
Atossa
Born
c. 518 BC

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Xerxes was born around 518 BC to Darius and Atossa, who married in 522 BC.[2] Xerxes led a massive invasion of Greece in 480 BC, capturing Athens and burning the city.[4][5] After defeats at Salamis and Plataea, he retreated to Asia, leaving Mardonius in command.[6] He oversaw completion of construction projects at Persepolis and Susa, including the Gate of All Nations and the Hall of a Hundred Columns.[7]

The Greek dialogue First Alcibiades describes that Persian princes were raised by eunuchs, and that from age seven they learned to ride and hunt.[8] In January 484 BC, Xerxes put down an Egyptian revolt and installed his full brother Achaemenes as satrap of Egypt.[9] Xerxes was killed in August 465 BC by Artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard, who was aided by the eunuch Aspamitres.[10] Greek historians provide conflicting versions of the assassination and the subsequent succession of Artaxerxes I.[11]

What the cited sources add

According to Herodotus, Xerxes’s queen was Amestris, daughter of Otanes, not the figures Vašti or Esther.[12] The Dutch novel "Xerxes of de Hoogmoed" (1919) by Louis Couperus is a fictionalized account based on Herodotus, translated into English in 1930 as "Arrogance: The Conquests of Xerxes".[13][14] The opera libretto "Artaserse" (1730) by Metastasio romanticizes the murder of Xerxes by Artabanus and the subsequent succession.[15] Johann Christian Bach's first opera "Artaserse" reached the stage on 26 December, with Gaetano Guadagni in the cast.[16]

The Encyclopædia Iranica states that the Hebrew name Ahasuerus corresponds to Old Persian Xšayaršā, thereby identifying Xerxes as the king referred to in the biblical text.[12] In the alternate history story "Counting Potsherds", Xerxes leads the Persians to victory over the Greeks, which prevents the spread of democracy.[17] In the opera Temistocle, Xerxes is so moved by the heroic courage of Themistocles that he gives up his plans for war against Athens.[16]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Carey, "Warfare in the Ancient World", Pen and Sword, 19 January 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Llewellyn-Jones 2017, p. 70; Waters 1996, p. 11, 18; Briant 2002, p. 132; Briant 2002, p. 132; Stoneman 2015, p. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ;; Schmitt 2000; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Barkworth, 1993. "The Organization of Xerxes' Army." Iranica Antiqua Vol. 27, pp. 149–167 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Martin Steskal, Der Zerstörungsbefund 480/79 der Athener Akropolis. Eine Fallstudie zum etablierten Chronologiegerüst, Verlag Dr. Kovač, Hamburg, 2004; Carey, "Warfare in the Ancient World", Pen and Sword, 19 January 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Herodotus VIII, 97; "Bêl-šimânni and Šamaš-eriba – Livius", livius.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ghirshman, Iran, p. 172; Fergusson, "A History of Architecture in All Countries, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day: 1. Ancient architecture. 2. Christian architecture. xxxi, 634 p. front., illus", p. 211; Herodotus VII.11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stoneman 2015, p. ; Stoneman 2015, p. ; Stoneman 2015, p. ; Stoneman 2015, p. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Briant 2002, p. 132; Dandamayev 1983, p. 414; Dandamayev 1989, p. 183; Briant 2002, p. 132; Briant 2002, p. 132 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stoneman 2015, p. ; Stoneman 2015, p. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dandamayev; Olmstead: The history of Persian empire pages 289/90 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. McCullough, "Ahasureus", Encyclopædia Iranica, 28 July 2011. facts only, no text reused. iranicaonline.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Xerxes, of De hoogmoed", www.bibliotheek.nl; Classe, "Encyclopedia of Literary Translation Into English: A–L", Taylor & Francis, 2000 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  14. "Xerxes, of De hoogmoed", www.bibliotheek.nl. facts only, no text reused. bibliotheek.nl
  15. Wikipedia, "Xerxes I" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Johann Adolph Hasse German composer", Encyclopedia Britannica; "Metastasio's Musicians: Music In The Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries", Oxford Western Music; "Christer Malmbergs värld - Musik – Klassisk musik – Johann Christian Bach", christermalmberg.se (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  16. "Christer Malmbergs värld - Musik – Klassisk musik – Johann Christian Bach", christermalmberg.se. facts only, no text reused. christermalmberg.se
  17. "Uchronia: Counting Potsherds", www.uchronia.net. facts only, no text reused. uchronia.net

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Xerxes I (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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