Xerxes I

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xerxes I
King of Persia and Media
Great King
King of Kings
King of Nations
Pharaoh of Egypt
Rock relief of Xerxes at his tomb in Naqsh-e Rustam
King of Persia
Reign486–465 BC
CoronationOctober 486 BC
PredecessorDarius I
SuccessorArtaxerxes I
Born519 BC
Persia
DiedAugust 465 BC (aged 53 or 54)
Persia
Burial
Persia
SpouseAmestris, (disputed: Vashti and Queen Esther)
IssueDarius
Hystaspes
Artaxerxes I
Arsames
Amytis
DynastyAchaemenid
FatherDarius I
MotherAtossa
ReligionZoroastrianism[1]

Xerxes the Great was a Shah of Iran (485–465 BC) of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. Xerxes was son of Darius I and Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus the Great. After Darius died, Xerxes became the Shah of Persia. He took up the title of Shahanshah (King of Kings). In the Graeco-Persian Wars at the Battle of Thermopylae, Xerxes defeated the Greek warriors and annexed parts of Greece. After winning at Thermopylae, Xerxes then took control of Athens with his army.

References[change | change source]

  1. Xerxes made human sacrifice. See Boyce, Mary (1989). A History of Zoroastrianism: The early period, p. 141.

Ancient sources[change | change source]

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Xerxes I at Wikimedia Commons

Xerxes I
Born: 519 BC Died: 465 BC
Preceded by
Darius I
King of Kings of Persia
485 BC – 465 BC
Succeeded by
Artaxerxes I
Pharaoh of Egypt
485 BC – 465 BC