Xerxes II (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 ; grc, Ξέρξης ; died 424 BC) was a

Persian king This is a list of monarchs of Persia (or monarchs of the Iranian peoples, Iranic peoples, in present-day Iran), which are known by the royal title Shah or King of Kings#Iran, Shahanshah. This list starts from the establishment of the Medes aroun ...

who was very briefly a ruler of the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...

, as the son and successor of

Artaxerxes I Artaxerxes I (, peo, 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ἀρταξέρξης) was the fifth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, from 465 to December 424 BC. He was the third son of Xerxes I. He may have been the " Artasy ...

. After a reign of forty-five days—where he only had control over the Persian heartlands—he was assassinated in 424 BC by his half-brother

Sogdianus Sogdianus ( or ; grc-gre, Σογδιανὸς ) was briefly a ruler of the Achaemenid Empire for a period in 424–423 BC. His short rule—lasting not much more than six months—and the little recognition of his kingdom are known primarily fr ...

, who in turn was murdered by

Darius II Darius II ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ), also known by his given name Ochus ( ), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 423 BC to 405 or 404 BC. Artaxerxes I, who died in 424 BC, was followed by h ...

six months later. He is an obscure historical figure known primarily from the writings of

Ctesias Ctesias (; grc-gre, Κτησίας; fl. fifth century BC), also known as Ctesias of Cnidus, was a Greek physician and historian from the town of Cnidus in Caria, then part of the Achaemenid Empire. Historical events Ctesias, who lived in the fi ...

. He was the only legitimate son of

and

Damaspia Damaspia (from Old Persian *''Jāmāspi''- or *''ðāmāspyā''-) was a queen of Persia, wife of King Artaxerxes I, and mother of Xerxes II, his legitimate heir. She was Persian. According to the Greek historian Ctesias of Cnidus, King Artaxerxes ...

, and is known to have served as

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

. The last inscription mentioning Artaxerxes I being alive can be dated to 424 BC. He succeeded to the throne but two of his illegitimate brothers claimed the throne for themselves. The first was

, Artaxerxes I's son by his

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

Alogyne of

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

. The second was Darius II, Artaxerxes I's son by his concubine Cosmartidene of Babylon, who was married to their common half-sister

Parysatis Parysatis (; peo, Parušyātiš, grc, Παρύσατις; 5th-century BC) was a powerful Persian Queen, consort of Darius II and had a large influence during the reign of Artaxerxes II. Biography Parysatis was the daughter of Artaxerxes I, Em ...

, daughter of Artaxerxes I and his concubine Andia of Babylon.S. Zawadzki, "The Circumstances of Darius II's Accession", ''Jaarbericht Ex Oriente Lux'', 34 (1995-1996), pp. 45-49 Xerxes II was only recognized as king in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and Sogdianus in

Elam Elam (; Linear Elamite: ''hatamti''; Cuneiform Elamite: ; Sumerian: ; Akkadian: ; he, עֵילָם ''ʿēlām''; peo, 𐎢𐎺𐎩 ''hūja'') was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of modern-day Iran, stretc ...

. Ochus' first inscription as

can be dated to January 10, 423 BC. He was already

satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires. The satrap served as viceroy to the king, though with consid ...

Hyrcania Hyrcania () ( el, ''Hyrkania'', Old Persian: 𐎺𐎼𐎣𐎠𐎴 ''Varkâna'',Lendering (1996) Middle Persian: 𐭢𐭥𐭫𐭢𐭠𐭭 ''Gurgān'', Akkadian: ''Urqananu'') is a historical region composed of the land south-east of the Caspia ...

and was soon recognized by

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Xerxes II only ruled forty-five days. He was murdered by Pharnacyas and Menostanes on Sogdianus' orders, while drunk. Sogdianus gained the support of his regions, but was killed a few months later. Darius II became the sole ruler of the Persian Empire and reigned until 404 BC.

References

External links

A more detailed profile of Xerxes II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xerxes 02 Of Persia 5th-century BC Kings of the Achaemenid Empire 5th-century BC Pharaohs 5th-century BC Babylonian kings Kings of the Achaemenid Empire Pharaohs of the Achaemenid dynasty of Egypt Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt 424 BC deaths 5th-century BC murdered monarchs Murdered Persian monarchs Year of birth unknown 5th-century BC Iranian people 5th-century BC rulers