Artabanus of Persia
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Artabanus of Persia (or Artabanus the Hyrcanian; grc, Ἀρτάβανος) was a
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 ...
n political figure during the Achaemenid dynasty who was reportedly
Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
of Persia for a few months (465 BC – 464 BC). This Artabanus is not to be confused with Xerxes' uncle of the same name: Artabanus, son of Hystaspes (and thus the brother of Xerxes' father Darius I). Artabanus probably originated from the province of
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 Caspian ...
and reportedly served as the chief official of
Xerxes I Xerxes I ( peo, 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ξέρξης ; – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC. He was the son and successor of ...
. He is considered to have served either as his
vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called '' katib'' (secretary), who was ...
or as his head
bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
. According to
Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
, Artabanus was responsible for the death of Crown Prince Darius. He then became afraid that Xerxes would seek
revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...
and proceeded to assassinate the King. On the other hand,
Junianus Justinus Justin ( la, Marcus Junianus Justinus Frontinus; century) was a Latin writer who lived under the Roman Empire. Life Almost nothing is known of Justin's personal history, his name appearing only in the title of his work. He must have lived af ...
reported that Artabanus had personal ambitions for the throne. He first secretly murdered Xerxes and then accused Darius of
parricide Parricide refers to the deliberate killing of one’s own father and mother, spouse (husband or wife), children, and/or close relative. However, the term is sometimes used more generally to refer to the intentional killing of a near relative. It ...
, resulting in his execution. The order of events remains uncertain but the deaths of Xerxes and Darius did leave the throne vacant. Artabanus' course of action is also uncertain. Some accounts have him usurping the throne for himself. Others consider him to have named young Artaxerxes I as King and to have acted as
Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
and
power behind the throne The phrase "power behind the throne" refers to a person or group that informally exercises the real power of a high-ranking office, such as a head of state. In politics, it most commonly refers to a relative, aide, or nominal subordinate of a poli ...
. This state of affairs would not last more than a few months. Artaxerxes reportedly slew him with his own sword, either in battle or by surprise. Artabanus is occasionally listed among the Kings of the Achaemenid dynasty though he was not related to them.


In popular culture

Artabanus appears as a character in
Leonardo Vinci Leonardo Vinci (1690 – 27 May 1730) was an Italian composer known chiefly for his 40 or so operas; comparatively little of his work in other genres survives. A central proponent of the Neapolitan School of opera, his influence on subsequ ...
's 1730 opera ''
Artaserse ' is the name of a number of Italian operas, all based on a text by Metastasio. ' is the Italian form of the name of the king Artaxerxes I of Persia. There are over 90 known settings of Metastasio's text. The libretto was originally written for, ...
''. A character based on the historical Artabanus appears in the ''
Assassin's Creed ''Assassin's Creed'' is an open-world, action-adventure, and stealth game franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patrice D ...
'' video game series under the alias "Darius". He is first mentioned in ''
Assassin's Creed II ''Assassin's Creed II'' is a 2009 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montréal and published by Ubisoft. It is the second major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and the sequel to 2007's '' Assassin's Creed''. The g ...
'' (2009) as the person thought to be the originator of the Assassins' signature weapon, the Hidden Blade, which he used to assassinate Xerxes in 465 BC. For this, he is remembered as a legendary figure in the history of the Assassins, and a statue of him was placed in the sanctuary underneath the
Villa Auditore Villa di Maiano is a 15th-century villa at Via del Saviatino 1 in the Maiano area of Fiesole, near Florence, Italy. History and architecture The original "palagio di Maiano" was battered in 1467 by a hurricane, so much so that the then owner, Ba ...
in
Monteriggioni Monteriggioni is a ''comune'' in the province of Siena in the Italian region of Tuscany. It borders on the communes of Casole d'Elsa, Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Poggibonsi, Siena, and Sovicille. The ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, as well as a tomb dedicted to him being built beneath the
Santa Maria Novella Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. The ch ...
church in
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
. Darius makes his first in-person appearance in '' Legacy of the First Blade'', a DLC
expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...
for ''
Assassin's Creed Odyssey ''Assassin's Creed Odyssey'' is a 2018 action role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. It is the eleventh major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series and the successor to 2017's ''Assassin's Creed ...
'' (2018), in which it is revealed that he is not an Assassin, but rather a freedom fighter whose ideals and organization would eventually give rise to those of the Hidden Ones and, in turn, the Assassin Brotherhood. In ''Legacy of the First Blade'', Darius is initially presented as an antagonist with indeterminate motivations, before later becoming an ally who fights alongside the player character against the Order of the Ancients, the precursors to the
Knights Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...
, the Assassins' mortal enemies. Darius' backstory is given in the expansion, revealing that he killed Xerxes, who was being controlled by the Order, to end his tyrannical rule over the Persian people. However, when he planned the assassination of Xerxes' successor, Artaxerxes I, to prevent him from also falling victim to the Order's manipulation, he was stopped by his brother-in-arms (and future Order leader) Amorges, who believed it was unnecessary to kill the new king. Darius was subsequently forced to flee Persia with his last surviving child after he was branded a traitor and the Order killed the rest of his family.


Classical sources

*
Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
, ''Politics'' 5.131Ib *
Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ;  1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
, ''Historical Library'' 11.69

* Justin (historian), Justin, ''
Epitome An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "t ...
of Philipic Histories of
Pompeius Trogus Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus also anglicized as was a Gallo-Roman historian from the Celtic Vocontii tribe in Narbonese Gaul who lived during the reign of the emperor Augustus. He was nearly contemporary with Livy. Life Pompeius Trogus's grandfat ...
'' III

* Photios I of Constantinople, Photius, ''
Epitome An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "t ...
of Persica 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 ...
'' 2

*
Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...
, ''Life of Themistocles'' 27


See also

*
Artapanus (general) Artapanus ( el, Αρτάπανος) was a Persian General under Xerxes I. He was the son of Artasyras, the chief of the Hyrcarnians. According to Ctesias' ''Persica'', Artapanus led the first wave of Persians against the Spartan force at the Battl ...
{{authority control 464 BC deaths 5th-century BC Pharaohs Ancient murderers Regents Rulers in the Achaemenid Empire Regicides Year of birth unknown 5th-century BC Iranian people