Editing Xerxes I (section)

{{Short description|King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 486 to 465 BC}}
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{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Xerxes I<br/>{{lang|peo|𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠}}
| title        = 
| image        = National_Museum_of_Iran_Darafsh_%28785%29.JPG
| caption      = [[Rock relief]] of Xerxes I, found in [[Persepolis]], kept at [[National Museum of Iran]]
| succession   = {{ubl|[[King of Kings]] of the [[Achaemenid Empire]]|[[List of Pharaohs|Pharaoh of Egypt]]}}
| reign        = October 486 – August 465 BC
| predecessor  = [[Darius the Great]]
| successor    = [[Artaxerxes I]]
| spouse       = [[Amestris]]
| dynasty      = [[Achaemenid dynasty|Achaemenid]]
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Darius (son of Xerxes I)|Darius]]
* [[Hystaspes (son of Xerxes I)|Hystaspes]]
* [[Artaxerxes I]]
* [[Rhodogune]]
* [[Amytis of Persia|Amytis]]
}}
| father       = [[Darius the Great]]
| mother       = [[Atossa]]
| birth_date   = {{circa|518 BC}}
| death_date   = August 465 BC (aged approximately 53)
| place of burial = [[Naqsh-e Rostam]]
| religion     = [[Indo-Iranian religion]]
}}
{{Hiero|Xerxes (Xašayaruša/Ḫašayaruša)<ref>Jürgen von Beckerath (1999). ''Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen''. Mainz: Von Zabern. {{ISBN|3-8053-2310-7}}, pp. 220–221</ref>|<hiero>< xA-SA-i*i-A-rw-SA-A ></hiero>|align=right|era=egypt}}
'''Xerxes I''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|z|ɜː|r|k|ˌ|s|iː|z}} {{respell|ZURK|seez}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/xerxes-i |title=Xerxes I |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website= |publisher=Collins Dictionary |access-date=2024-09-17 }}</ref>{{efn|{{langx|peo|[[wiktionary:𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠|𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠]]}} {{transliteration|peo|Xšayār̥šā}}, {{IPA|fa|xaʃajaruʃa|IPA}} also '''Khshayārsha''';<ref>Littman, R. J.. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1454354.pdf "The Religious Policy of Xerxes and the 'Book of Esther{{'"}}]. ''The Jewish Quarterly Review'', January 1975, New Series, Vol. 65, No. 3, footnote 2, accessed 30 December 2022</ref> {{langx|grc|Ξέρξης}} {{grc-translit|Ξέρξης}}, {{IPA|grc|ˈkserksɛːs|IPA}}}} {{circa|518}} – August 465 BC), commonly known as '''Xerxes the Great''',<ref name="Warfare in the Ancient World">{{cite book |first1=Brian Todd |last1=Carey |first2=Joshua |last2=Allfree |first3=John |last3=Cairns |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3OSfBwAAQBAJ&dq=persia+overran+modern+day+greece&pg=PT32 |title=Warfare in the Ancient World |publisher=Pen and Sword |date=19 January 2006 |isbn=1848846304}}</ref> was a [[List of monarchs of Persia|Persian ruler]] who served as the fourth [[King of Kings]] of the [[Achaemenid Empire]], reigning from 486 BC until his assassination in 465 BC. He was the son of [[Darius the Great]] and [[Atossa]], a daughter of [[Cyrus the Great]]. 

Xerxes I is best known for his [[Second Persian invasion of Greece|invasion of Greece]] in 480 BC, which ended in Persian defeat. Xerxes was designated successor by Darius over his elder brother Artobazan and inherited a large, multi-ethnic empire upon his father's death. He consolidated his power by crushing revolts in [[Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt|Egypt]] and [[Babylonian revolts (484 BC)|Babylon]], and renewed his father's campaign to subjugate [[Ancient Greece|Greece]] and punish [[Classical Athens|Athens]] and its allies for their interference in the [[Ionian Revolt]]. In 480 BC, Xerxes personally led a large army and crossed the [[Dardanelles|Hellespont]]. He achieved victories at [[Battle of Thermopylae|Thermopylae]] and [[Battle of Artemisium|Artemisium]] before [[Achaemenid destruction of Athens|capturing and razing Athens]]. His forces gained control of mainland Greece north of the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] until their defeat at the [[Battle of Salamis]]. Fearing that the Greeks might trap him in the region, Xerxes retreated with the greater part of his army back across the Hellespont to his empire, leaving behind [[Mardonius (nephew of Darius I)|Mardonius]] to continue his campaign. Mardonius was defeated at [[Battle of Plataea|Plataea]] the following year, effectively ending the Persian invasion.

After returning to Persia, Xerxes dedicated himself to large-scale construction projects, many of which had been left unfinished by his father. He oversaw the completion of the [[Gate of All Nations]], the [[Apadana]] and the [[Tachara]] at [[Persepolis]], and continued the construction of the [[Palace of Darius in Susa|Palace of Darius]] at [[Susa]]. He also maintained the [[Royal Road]] built by his father. In 465 BC, Xerxes and his heir [[Darius (son of Xerxes I)|Darius]] were assassinated by [[Artabanus of Persia|Artabanus]], the commander of the royal bodyguard. He was succeeded by his third son, who took the throne as [[Artaxerxes I]].