Persian king Xerxes I (born about 519 BC - death 465 BC) King of the Achaemenid state (486 BC). He headed the Persian campaign to Greece (480–479 BC), which ended in defeat and marked the end of the first stage of the Greco-Persian wars.
After the death of Darius I Hystaspes, his son, Xerxes I, ascended the throne of the Achaemenids. The new king of kings immediately faced military problems. The huge state was restless. Some of the provinces were out of control. 484 BC e. the Persian king Xerxes was forced to go to pacify rebellious Egypt. Then came the news of the rebellion in Babylon. The Persian army invaded Mesopotamia, destroyed the fortifications of ancient Babylon, plundered temples and destroyed the main shrine of the Babylonians - the statue of the god Marduk.
The successful pacification of the rebellious, perhaps, turned Xerxes' head, and he began to think about the seizure of 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 pondered for a long time, and his entourage were perplexed: they were convinced that little Hellas, on whose territory there were many city-states, would not be able to withstand the might of a huge Persian army.
In the end, the king called those close to him for advice. He told them his plans to build a huge pontoon bridge across the Hellespont (present-day Dardanelles). The Persian king Xerxes was determined not only to fulfill his father's behest and capture Greece. He intended to turn all states into one, that is, to come to world domination. The military leaders could not help but support the idea of Xerxes. In the eastern despotism, which was the Achaemenid state, it was not customary to contradict the lord. Those who had their own opinion could easily say goodbye not only to the situation, but also to the head.
Preparations for the campaign continued for four years. Finally, the titanic work on the construction of the bridge was completed. The 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 overwhelming majority were subject to the Persians, the Phoenicians and Egyptians. In addition, by order of the formidable ruler, the strait was carved with a whip, and the fetters were thrown into the sea. At that distant time, people were still animating natural objects, and the king sincerely believed that the rebellious strait, after punishment, would feel the full force of the anger of the great Xerxes.
The bridge was rebuilt. In addition to the fact that the ships could now safely bypass the dangerous place in the strait, a channel was dug. For this they dug up a whole mountain. The Persian king Xerxes had as many human resources as he wanted: 20 satrapy provinces regularly supplied labor.
480 BC e., August - the troops safely crossed to Europe. For 7 days and nights, the troops marched across the bridge without stopping. Persians, Assyrians, Parthians, Khorezmians, Sogdians, Bactrians, Indians, Arabs, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Thracians, Libyans, Phrygians, Cappadocians, the 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 million 700 thousand infantrymen, 80 thousand riders on horses and 20 thousand on camels, auxiliary troops. The total number of soldiers, in his opinion, reached more than five million people. In fact, according to scientists, the number of troops did not exceed 100 thousand, 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.
Promotional video:
Xerxes had no doubts of victory. Well, what could the Greeks oppose to his military power? Smiling smugly, he declared, “In my army, everyone is under one man. The whip will drive them into battle, fear of me will make them brave. If I order, everyone will do the impossible. Are the Greeks who talk about freedom capable of this? 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.
Having entered the land of Hellas, the king first of all tried to let the news of his advance reach the Greek cities as quickly as possible. 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 to the hated Athens and Sparta, the Persian king did not send anyone, making it clear to their inhabitants that there would be no mercy for them. But Xerxes' expectations did not come true: only Thessaly and Boeotia agreed to recognize his power. The rest began to prepare for a rebuff.
The Athenian strategist Themistocles, elected in 482 BC. e., in a short time 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, convincing them to postpone 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 trire ships were sent to Cape Artemisia on the coast of Euboea, and the army, led by the king of Sparta Leonidas I, moved to Thessaly. Here, in the Thermopylae gorge, the Greeks expected a formidable enemy.
Xerxes waited four days for news of the naval battle. When it became known that half of his fleet was scattered by the 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 an armchair, he watched the battle of Thermopylae from the top of the mountain. The Greeks continued to stand. The "immortals" were thrown into battle, but they could not achieve success either.
It became clear that the position of the Greeks was extremely beneficial, and their courage had no boundaries. Perhaps the king of the Persians, Xerxes, would have had to look for another way, but among the local residents there was a traitor who, for a reward, showed the Persians a detour path. The defenders of the gorge noticed that they were surrounded. The commander of the Greeks, King Leonidas, released the allies. With him remained 300 Spartans, 400 Thebans and 700 Thespians. After a fierce battle, they all died. The furious Xerxes ordered the search for Leonidas' body. He was beheaded, and his head was planted on a spear.
The army of the Persians advanced to Athens. Themistocles persuaded his fellow citizens to leave the city. He was confident 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 Greeks were going to retreat at night, and Themistocles wants to go over to the side of the Persians and advises to start an offensive immediately at night.
Xerxes showed unforgivable credulity. 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 Strait of Salam so that not a single enemy ship could escape from him. Themistocles wanted to achieve this: now the ships of the Spartans and Corinthians could not leave the Athenians. It was decided to fight.
The Battle of Salamis (480 BC) was fought by 1,000 Persian ships and 180 Greek ships. 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 high-speed Greek triremes. The latter went to the ram and easily dodged the enemy.
As a result, most of Xerxes' fleet was sunk. The bulk of the Persians who did not know how to swim drowned. Those who reached the coast were exterminated by the Greek infantry. Finally the Persians fled. The surviving ships were destroyed by the inhabitants of Aegina, who set up an ambush.
The remnants of the Persian army moved towards 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 extremely crowded. During a severe storm, the helmsman addressed him: “Master! We need to lighten the ship! - and the king ordered his subjects to leave the ship. Those themselves began to throw themselves overboard, where they, who did not know how to swim, were inevitable death. Having safely reached the coast, Xerxes presented the helmsman with 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 all of the 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 town of Plateia in Boeotia. The famous Persian commander Mardonius fell in it, with the death of which the Persians were finally broken and left the Peloponnesian peninsula. The first stage of the Greco-Persian wars was finally completed.
Xerxes had to part with dreams of world domination forever. His destiny was the exaltation of the capital of Persepolis. The construction of the palace, begun under Daria, was completed, and a new one was built, the construction of the throne room of a hundred columns began.
Meanwhile, there was a relentless struggle for influence at court. The courtiers and even members of the Xerxes family never ceased to intrigue. Xerxes grew 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. Apparently, therefore, in the summer of 465 BC. e. Xerxes and his eldest son were killed by conspirators led by Minister Artaban. Another son of the king, Artaxerxes I, ascended the throne, but the golden age of the Achaemenid dynasty passed into the past along with the warlike Persian king Xerxes I, who entered history.
A. Ziolkovskaya