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Cyrus-the ruler in charge of beginning Persia's aggressive expansion. Cyrus was born in an ancient Persian city to his parents, Cambyses and Mandane of Media. He's unique because he was one of the first leaders who practiced tolerability. -
When Cyrus's father died, power transferred to Cyrus. He quickly became hungry for expansion. He immediately began expanding Eastward. -
Cyrus overthrew his grandfather Astyages, taking over Media region of Anatolia. Persia then had some control over Media, eventually leading to its total takeover. Wikipedia
[Wikipedia(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire) -
Shortly after taking the throne, Cyrus led a revolt against the Median Empire. At the time, Media was still a region that Persia had some control over. The revolts led to total control. Ducksters -
The Battle of Thymbra was a battle fought between Cyrus of Persia and Croesus of Lydia. Persia's victory successfully ended and took over Lydia's Kingdom. Lydia's kingdom was soon added to the Achaemenid Empire. World History Encyclopedia -
Babylon was an ethnically diverse and huge empire, while still being very young. Cyrus was easily able to defeat and take over Babylon. Cyrus's tolerance of Babylon helped put Persia ahead scientifically. Livius -
Cyrus, while still being a leader fought in many battles. Cyrus fought in the Battle of Opis a few weeks before Persia took over Babylon. Cyrus, ridiculously, died from a wound against a nomadic Iranian tribe. His son, Cambyses II took power after his death. -
Cambyses II, unlike his father Cyrus, was a very aggressive and brutal leader. Cyrus, while known for his tolerability, completely flipped the vibe for Persia. Cambyses was a very disliked leader. His death cause is unknown, however his death is believed to be from suicide or accidental wound. Ancient Pages -
The Ionian Revolt took place after dissatisfaction with the tyranny in the Satrapy of Anatolia. Ionians captured and burned Sardis, the capital of the satrapy. Greece helped minorly to assist the Revolts, causing Persia to then target Greece. This marks the inevitable beginning of the Greco-Persian wars. Wikipedia
Britannica -
Greco-Persian wars were a series of wars fought for 49 years. During this time period, Persia's military was at its strongest and largest. During the Greco-Persian wars, Greece mainly played a defensive position, utilizing its strong navy. in 478 BCE Greece counterattacked in Asia Minor before peace was finally declared. Britannica
Study.com -
Persian fleet arrives at northeastern Attica of Greece. 10,000 Greek Soliders stand to defend the city of Athens. Greece holds Persia off. Athens' greatest runner starts the 140 mile journey to Sparta to ask for backup. Persian fleet removes its horsemen, so the Athenians strike the large army. Myth says that the runner died of exhaustion after telling Athens of the victory. Britannica -
Xerxes renewed Darius's father's power through more intense militaristic actions. Xerxes is sometimes called Xerxes the great because of the famous battles of Thermopylae, Platea and most importantly, Salamis. Arguably, Xerxes wasn't an amazing leader because of his failure against Greece, but some argue that his failure was inevitable. Britannica
Wikipedia -
The battle of Salamis, a famous battle where the Greeks successfully defended the straits of Salamis with their strong Naval fleets. While the Greeks were still outnumbered, the Greeks' strategic defense and knowledge of the Geography allowed them to win the battle. The battle is one of, if not the largest naval battle of Ancient History. Britannica -
The Delian League was a military alliance led mainly by Athens, Greece. It was set up to protect the Ionian Greeks from Persian expansion. The Delian League ended up being used mainly by Athens for its own Military. The wars of the Delian League were complicated and abundant. During this period, Persia helped Sparta fight Athens, ending with Athens getting defeated, and the end of the Delian League.
Wikipedia
Brown University -
Xerxes I along with his first son, Darius, were assassinated. Xerxes's 3rd son, Artaxerxes I took power as the fifth king of the Achaemenid Empire. He is known to have been a tolerant monarch, and is written about in the bible for freeing The Jews in Babylon. [Britannica] -
Through Greece's undefeatable defense, Persia asked Greece for a treaty. While the Persian army was much stronger than Greece's, and could easily defend against Greece, the defendable geography of Greece along with its militaristic strategies allowed Greece to successfully defend against persia. Greek culture massively shaped Western culture, and if Greece never won the battle, nearly every element of Western culture would be different. Britannica -
Persia stopped attempting to expand after failing twice to defeat Greece. Persia was also weakened by its internal political conflict and civil wars. A scheduled battle between Alexander the Great of Greece and Darius in Egypt managed to still put Persia in a massive numerical advantage. Alexander's strong military decisions allowed them to defeat the Persian army and capture the entirety of the Achaemenid Dynasty. History.com -
Following Alexander the Great's death, Seleucus took power of the Achaemenid empire and founded the Seleucid dynasty centered in Alexander's eastern territories, in modern-day Syria and Iran. Seleucid, just like Alexander the Great was a tolerant leader. [Khan Academy](https://shorturl.at/GqRP2
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