Xerxes I, Persian king: "Only through great risks can great results be achieved"
The Greek historian Herodotus recorded this thought in his books on the Persian Wars
If this king was characterized by anything, it was his winning , conquering, and bold mindset when it came to conquering territories. Highlighting the year 480 B.C. as the most important of his reign .
At a time when territorial disputes were the order of the day , one king managed to stand out above the rest. His way of ruling and of seeing the world led him to become one of the most important figures of his time. This is King Xerxes I, who ruled the Achaemenid Persian Empire from 486 to 465 BC .
Xerxes I, the king who finished off the 300
But without a doubt, there is an invasion and a conquest that crossed borders and, to this day, remains one of the most remembered battles. In 480 BC, Xerxes personally commanded a large army and crossed the Hellespont into Europe. He achieved victories at Thermopylae and Artemisium, before capturing and razing Athens . It was precisely at Thermopylae that he defeated the Spartan king Leonidas and his army of 300. Does it sound familiar? Yes, it is the story told in the film by Zack Snyder .
Without a doubt, there is a phrase by the Persian king himself that very well describes his bold, ambitious, and conquering mentality: "Only through great risks can great results be achieved." With it, he justified his colossal military campaigns.
A betrayal brought an end to King Xerxes I
His power and ambition led him to confront his court, confessors, and friends on numerous occasions. His adviser Artabanus warned of the dangers of attacking Greece. Xerxes replied that great achievements require taking great risks. However, he did not allow himself to be advised and even went so far as to order the waters of the Hellespont to be whipped because a storm had destroyed his bridges. He believed that in this way he was punishing the sea for the harm it had caused him.
His delusion led him to build larger and more imposing monuments and complete more architectural projects than his father. In doing so, he depleted the royal treasury even more than his expedition to Greece already had. Decisions that endangered the kingdom and led to a betrayal by his court to bring about his end.
