Cyrus is the king of Persia who ruled back in 559 BC. e. He founded the Achaemenid state. He was called the Great during his lifetime. There are legends about the wisdom and genius of the ruler. Thanks to his intelligence and strategic abilities, he managed to unite many disparate states, located from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean. And now you can see many monuments testifying to its greatness. And in Pasargadae, a mausoleum has been preserved, where, according to theory, the remains of a wise ruler lie.
Biography of Cyrus the Great
Due to the remoteness of what is happening, the exact date of birth of Cyrus is unknown. There are several versions in the archives of ancient historians, but they all contradict each other. Presumably the ruler was born in 593 BC. e. Cyrus's father was the king of Persia Cambyses I, descended from the Achaemenid clan. The ancient historian Herodotus wrote that at a very young age, Cyrus was exiled to the mountains. He was saved by a she-wolf who nursed him like her puppy. And later the child was found by a shepherd and raised by him. There is an opinion that the name "Cyrus" in translation from Persian sounds like "young dog", but it is impossible to say with certainty.
Conquest
Information on Cyrus the Great, which speaks of his reign, can be considered reliable. First, he began to rule the Anshan region. But the country was dependent on Media and the rulers from the Medes dynasty. Very soon after his appointment, he raised an uprising. Having won, he reasoned sensibly and left some of the laws of the Medes, and also left them as the ruling class. It took Cyrus 3 years to win. It is also interesting that the ruler of the Medes was Astyages, Cyrus's grandfather. His daughter Princess Mandana was the wife of Cambyses. There is a legend that the seer predicted his grandfather's overthrow. And he, as soon as he learned about the birth of his grandson in the family, ordered to kill him. But a slave named Harpagus took pity and did not. He left Cyrus with him and gave him an education. He was later punished, but Cyrus remembered his generosity and appointed him to lead his army.
After the small country of Persia at that time was able to elevate itself so, other countries, fearing aggression, created a coalition. It included Egypt, Babylon and Lydia. The goal was not only to protect, but also to prevent any aggression by the state. Supported the union and Sparta.
But Cyrus did not stand still. Already by 549 BC. e. Armenia, Hyrcania, Elam and Parthia were conquered. Well, Cilicia acted differently. Its king voluntarily decided to go over to the side of Cyrus and offered his help in hostilities.
In 547 BC. e. King Croesus of Lydia decided to conquer Cappadocia, which at that time was under the leadership of Cyrus. But she received a sharp and strong rebuff. Croesus decided to withdraw his troops to recuperate and repeat the attack. But he did not expect that the very next day after his return, Cyrus's troops would attack him. Thanks to the strategic actions of his commander Harpagus, the best soldiers of Croesus could not sit on their horses during the battle, and dismounted, they were defeated. Croesus was captured, and Lydia began to obey Persia and was ruled by none other than Harpagus himself.
The conquests of the Great Husband Cyrus do not end there. In just 5 years, he conquered Drangiana, Khorezm, Margiana, Sogdiana, Gandahara, Gedrosia, Bactria and Arachosia.
For Cyrus, the task remained - to conquer Babylonia. Its impenetrable fortress could frighten anyone, but not the Great One. In 539 BC. e. the stepson of the king of Babylonia was killed. And his army is crushed. In October of this year, Babylon was taken. Cyrus the Great gave permission for the deported people to return to their homes, preserved all the privileges and wealth of the nobility, gave instructions to restore all temples and idols.
Death of Cyrus
Before attacking Egypt, Cyrus decided to seize the territory between the Caspian and Aral. But here the end of the Great Conqueror came. The army, led by Queen Tomyris, crushed the king of Persia. Cyrus's son Cambyses could not even find his father's body to bury him with dignity.
Little is known about the personal life of the Velky ruler. But thanks to his love of strategy, the Persian Empire expanded significantly. The reign of the Achaemenid dynasty lasted another 200 years, until they were crushed by Alexander the Great.
