Xerxes I of Persia
Xerxes I of Persia (c. 519 BCE – c. 465 BCE), also known as Xerxes the Great, was a king of the Achaemenid Empire during the Greco-Persian Wars, and an ally of the Order of the Ancients in Persia.
Biography
Like his father, Darius I, Xerxes I was a strong ally[1][2] of the Order of the Ancients.[3]
Additionally, the Cult of Kosmos supported Xerxes in his attempted conquest of Greece, unsuccessfully trying to sway King Leonidas of Sparta to allow Xerxes to conquer the land through their puppet the Oracle of Delphi.[4] In 480 BCE, Xerxes led a Second Persian invasion of Greece. Before crossing the river Strymon, Xerxes had white horses sacrificed as well as nine young women and men buried alive. After that, his army marched to clash with the forces of Leonidas at the Hot Gates of Thermopylai in Malis.[3]
To oppose his tyranny, the Persian elite consisting of Darius, Amorges and Pactyas formed and led a group of freedom fighters against the King.[5]
In August 465 BCE, while Xerxes' convoy was under attack, Darius sneaked in from behind and assassinated the King, marking the first recorded use of the Hidden Blade.[6][7][5]
He was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes I.[3]
Influence and legacy
By the time of the Peloponnesian War, a fort within Lokris was named after him.[3]
The place where Xerxes had performed his sacrifice of horses, women, and men near the river Strymon was afterwards known as Xerxes' Sacrifice of the Nine. The Followers of Ares had made their camp therein, and were subsequently slain by the misthios Kassandra.[3]
Gallery
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Potrait of Xerxes I
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Xerxes assassinated by Darius
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed II (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Multiplayer (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Origins (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (mentioned only)
- Legacy of the First Blade (first appearance)
References
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Abstergo Files
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Bully the Bullies
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide