Xerxes I | |
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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 | |
Reign | 486–465 BC |
Coronation | October 486 BC |
Predecessor | Darius I |
Successor | Artaxerxes I |
Born | 519 BC Persia |
Died | August 465 BC (aged 53 or 54) Persia |
Burial | Persia |
Spouse | Amestris, (disputed: Vashti and Queen Esther) |
Issue | Darius Hystaspes Artaxerxes I Arsames Amytis |
Dynasty | Achaemenid |
Father | Darius I |
Mother | Atossa |
Religion | Zoroastrianism[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.