Darius III (Perzisch: ??????/Dâriûsh, Oud-Perzisch: Darayavaush, Grieks ?a?e???/Dareios) of Codomannus (Grieks: ??d?µa???/Kodomanos) die regeerde van 336 tot 330 v.Chr., was de laatste koning van het Perzische Rijk uit de dynastie der Achaemeniden. Zijn regering stond vrijwel geheel in het teken van de strijd tegen Alexander de Grote.
Nadat in september 338 koning Artaxerxes III was overleden, bracht de machtige eunuch Bagoas diens jongste zoon Oarses op de troon; deze regeerde onder de naam Artaxerxes IV, en werd twee jaar later het slachtoffer van de intriges van Bagoas, die daarop een achterkleinzoon van Darius II voor de opvolging aanduidde. Deze besteeg als Darius III in 336 v.Chr. de Perzische troon.
De nieuwe koning was echter niet de gewillige marionet van Bagoas, zoals deze zich had voorgesteld. Hij begon onmiddellijk een persoonlijke koers te varen en kwam daardoor onvermijdelijk in aanvaring met Bagoas. In deze machtsstrijd trok Bagoas aan het kortste eind: hij moest zelf de gifbeker drinken die voor de koning was bestemd
Intussen was het voor de buitenwereld steeds duidelijker geworden dat het centrale gezag in Perzië niet sterk genoeg meer was om de binnenlandse problemen de baas te blijven en bij de heterogene bevolking een gevoel van nationale eenheid op te dringen. Dat was in de eerste plaats de jonge Alexander de Grote opgevallen Nadat hij afgerekend had met eventuele haarden van opstand in zijn eigen rijk, trok hij in 334 met een leger van 35.000 man over de Hellespont, met de bedoeling de Grieken definitief te bevrijden van de politieke hegemonie van Perzië.
Een eerste Perzisch leger werd bij de Granicusrivier op de vlucht gedreven Darius rekende echter nog altijd op zijn onuitputtelijke mensenreserves die hij meende te kunnen inzetten tegen "die Macedonische roversbende", zoals hij het leger van Alexander smalend noemde.
Alexander van zijn kant vreesde dat de Perzische vloot voortdurend kon oversteken naar Griekenland en hem zo verplichten zich naar zijn thuisland terug te trekken. Om dat te verhinderen veroverde hij, alvorens het binnenland in te trekken, de Perzische kuststeden van de Middellandse Zee. Intussen had Darius III een geweldig leger op de been gebracht en rukte op tegen de indringer. In de slag bij Issus liet hij echter zijn leger in de steek en wist te ontkomen. Zijn knappe echtgenote én de rest van de koninklijke familie viel Alexander in handen. Toen de koning vervolgens om onderhandelingen verzocht, verklaarde Alexander zich enkel tot onderhandelen bereid indien Darius hem als zijn meerdere wou erkennen. Nooit eerder in de geschiedenis was een Perzische koning zo diep vernederd
Terwijl Alexander afrekende met de laatste Perzische vlootbasis Tyrus, bracht Darius III opnieuw een massaal leger op de been en wachtte Alexander op bij Gaugamela aan de Tigris. Zodra de Macedoniërs zich op de Perzische massa stortten, verloor Darius zijn zelfbeheersing en vluchtte het bergland in, terwijl zijn troepen zonder leider totaal werden uiteengeslagen. De koninklijke residentiesteden Susa, Babylon en Persepolis openden hun poorten voor de overwinnaar. In de algemene verwarring die daarop volgde werd het prachtige paleis van Persepolis, dat grotendeels uit cederhout bestond, de prooi van de vlammen.
Nadat ook de vierde residentiestad Ecbatana ingenomen werd, was de situatie van Darius III hopeloos geworden. Op de vlucht voor Alexander werd de laatste der Achaemeniden verraderlijk vermoord door een van zijn satrapen, Bessus.
De ambitieuze verrader die zijn koning vermoord had, probeerde hem onder de naam Artaxerxes V op te volgen en begon een guerrillaoorlog tegen Alexander. Dat was niet naar de zin van de Perzische soldaten: na drie jaar moest Bessus zich gewonnen geven en leverden zijn eigen strijdkrachten hem uit aan Alexander, in ruil voor vrede. Alexander, die respect had opgevat voor zijn vermoorde tegenstander, liet de koningsmoordenaar door een Perzische rechtbank ter dood veroordelen wegens hoogverraad. Bessus werd op gruwelijke wijze terechtgesteld.
Met Darius III was een einde gekomen aan de dynastie der Achaemeniden, die sinds de 7e eeuw v.Chr. over het Perzische Rijk hadden geregeerd.
Darius III (Persian: ?????? ????) (c. 380 July 330 BC), whose original given name was Artashata and who was called Codomannus by the Greeks,[1] was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia from 336 BC to 330 BC. Artashata adopted Darius as a dynastic name.[1]
After Artaxerxes III of Persia and all of his sons were killed by the vizier Bagoas, the vizier installed a cousin of Artaxerxes III, Artashata, to the Persian throne as Darius III. When Darius tried to act independently of the vizier, Bagoas tried to poison him, but Darius was warned and forced Bagoas to drink the poison himself. The new king found himself in control of an unstable empire, large portions of which were governed by jealous and unreliable satraps and inhabited by disaffected and rebellious subjects. However, he lacked the skills and experience to deal with these problems.
In 334 BC, Alexander the Great began his invasion of the Persian Empire and subsequently defeated the Persians in a number of battles before looting and destroying the capital Persepolis, by fire, in 331 BC. With the Persian Empire now effectively under Alexander's control, Alexander then decided to pursue Darius, but Darius was killed by a satrap, who was also his cousin, named Bessus before Alexander reached him.
Early reign
Artaxerxes III of Persia and all of his sons except one, Arses, were assassinated by the orders of the vizier, Bagoas, who installed Arses on the throne as a puppet king. However, when Bagoas discovered that Arses couldnt be controlled, he had Arses killed in 336 BC, and installed on the throne Artashata, the last surviving legitimate heir to the Persian throne. Artashata was a distant relative of the royal house who had distinguished himself in a combat of champions in a war against the Cadusii[2] and was serving at the time as a royal courier.[3] Artashata was the son of Arsames, son of Ostanes, one of Artaxerxes's brothers, and Sisygambis, daughter of Artaxerxes II Memnon. He took the throne at the age of 46.
Artashata took the regnal name Darius III,[1] and quickly demonstrated his independence from his assassin benefactor. Bagoas then tried to poison Darius as well, when he learned that even Darius couldn't be controlled, but Darius was warned and forced Bagoas to drink the poison himself.[4] The new king found himself in control of an unstable empire, large portions of which were governed by jealous and unreliable satraps and inhabited by disaffected and rebellious subjects, such as Khabash in Egypt. Compared to his ancestors and his fellow heirs who had since perished, Darius had a distinct lack of experience ruling an empire, and a lack of any previous ambition to do so. Darius was a ruler of entirely average stamp, without the striking talents and qualities which the administration of a vast empire required during that period of crisis.[5]
In 336 BC Philip II of Macedonia was authorized by the League of Corinth as its Hegemon to initiate a sacred war of vengeance against the Persians for desecrating and burning the Athenian temples during the Second Persian War. He sent an advance force into Asia Minor under the command of his generals Parmenion and Attalus to "liberate" the Greeks living under Persian control. After they took the Greek cities of Asia from Troy to the Maiandros river, Philip was assassinated and his campaign was suspended while his heir consolidated his control of Macedonia and the rest of Greece.
Conflict with Alexander
Darius III portrayed (near middle) battling Alexander in a Greek depiction; Possible illustration of either Battle of Issus or Battle of Gaugamela
Dariuss flight at the Battle of Gaugamela (18th-century ivory relief)
In the spring of 334 BC, Philip's heir, Alexander, who had himself been confirmed as Hegemon by the League of Corinth, invaded Asia Minor at the head of a combined Macedonian and Greek army. This invasion, which marked the beginning of the Wars of Alexander the Great, was followed almost immediately by the victory of Alexander over the Persians at Battle of the Granicus. Darius never showed up for the battle, because there was no reason for him to suppose that Alexander intended to conquer the whole of Asia, and Darius may well have supposed that the satraps of the lower satrapies could deal with the crisis,[6] so he instead decided to remain at home in Persepolis and let his satraps handle it. In the previous invasion of Asia Minor by the Spartan king Agesilaus, the Persians had pinned him in Asia Minor while fomenting rebellion in Greece. Darius attempted to employ the same strategy, but the Spartans were defeated at Megalopolis.
Darius did not actually take the field against Alexanders army until a year and a half after Granicus, at the Battle of Issus in 333 BC. His forces outnumbered Alexander's soldiers by at least a 2 to 1 ratio, but Darius was still outflanked, defeated, and forced to flee. It is told by Arrian that at the Battle of Issus the moment the Persian left went to pieces under Alexanders attack and Darius, in his war-chariot, saw that it was cut off, he incontinently fled indeed, he led the race for safety.[7] On the way, he left behind his chariot, his bow, and his royal mantle, all of which were later picked up by Alexander. Greek sources such as Diodorus Siculus' Library of History and Justin's Epitoma Historiarum Philippicarum recount that Darius fled out of fear at the Battle of Issus and again two years later at the Battle of Gaugamela despite commanding a larger force in a defensive position each time.[8] At the Battle of Issus, Darius III even caught Alexander by surprise and failed to defeat the Macedonian(Alexander's) forces.[9] Darius fled so far so fast, that Alexander was able to capture Dariuss headquarters, and take Dariuss family as prisoners in the process. Darius petitioned to Alexander through letters several times to get his family back, but Alexander refused to do so unless Darius would acknowledge him as the new emperor of Persia.
Circumstances were more in Dariuss favor at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC. He had a good number of troops who had been organized on the battlefield properly, he had the support of the armies of several of his satraps, and the ground on the battlefield was almost perfectly even, so as not to impede movement. Despite all these beneficial factors, he still fled the battle before any victor had been decided and deserted his experienced commanders as well as one of the largest armies ever assembled.[10] Another source accounts that when Darius perceived the fierce attack of Alexander, as at Issus he turned his chariot around, and was the first to flee,[11] once again abandoning all of his soldiers and his property to be taken by Alexander. Many Persian soldiers lost their lives that day, so many in fact that after the battle the casualties of the enemy ensured that Darius would never again raise an imperial army.[12] Darius then fled to Ecbatana and attempted to raise a third army, while Alexander took possession of Babylon, Susa, and the Persian capital at Persepolis. Darius reportedly offered all of his empire west of the Euphrates River to Alexander in exchange for peace several times, each time denied by Alexander against the advice of his senior commanders.[13] Alexander could have declared victory after the capture of Persepolis, but he instead decided to pursue Darius.
Flight, imprisonment and death
Darius did attempt to restore his once great army after his defeat at the hands of Alexander, but he failed to raise a force comparable to that which had fought at Gaugamela, partly because the defeat had undermined his authority, and also because Alexanders liberal policy, for instance in Babylonia and in Persis, offered an acceptable alternative to Persian domination.[12]
When at Ecbatana, Darius learned of Alexander's approaching army, he decided to retreat to Bactria where he could better use his cavalry and mercenary forces on the more even ground of the plains of Asia. He led his army through the Caspian Gates, the main road through the mountains that would work to slow a following army.[14] The Persian forces became increasingly demoralized with the constant threat of a surprise attack from Alexander, leading to many desertions and eventually a coup led by Bessus, a satrap, and Nabarzanes, who managed all audiences with the King and was in charge of the palace guard.[15] The two men suggested to Darius that the army regroup under Bessus and that power would be transferred back to the King once Alexander was defeated. Darius obviously did not accept this plan, and his conspirators became more anxious to remove him for his successive failures against Alexander and his forces. Patron, a Greek mercenary, encouraged Darius to accept a bodyguard of Greek mercenaries rather than his usual Persian guard to protect him from Bessus and Nabarzanes, but the King could not accept for political reasons and grew accustomed to his fate.[16] Bessus and Nabarzanes eventually bound Darius and threw him in an ox-cart while they ordered the Persian forces to continue on. According to Curtius' History of Alexander, at this point Alexander and a small, mobile force arrived and threw the Persians into a panic, leading Bessus and two other conspirators, Satibarzanes and Barsaentes, to wound the king with their javelins and leaving him to die.[17]
Alexander covers the corpse of Darius with his cloak (18th-century engraving)
A Macedonian soldier found Darius either dead or dying in the wagon shortly thereaftera disappointment to Alexander, who wanted to capture Darius alive. Alexander saw Dariuss dead body in the wagon, and took the signet ring off the dead kings finger. Afterwards he sent Dariuss body back to Persepolis, gave him a magnificent funeral and ordered that he be buried, like all his royal predecessors, in the royal tombs.[18] Dariuss tomb has not yet been discovered.[19] Alexander eventually married Darius' daughter Stateira at Susa in 324 BC.
With the old king defeated and given a proper burial, Alexander's rulership of Persia became official. This led to Darius being regarded by some historians as cowardly and inefficient,[20] as under his rulership, the entirety of the Persian Empire fell to a foreign invader.
After killing Darius, Bessus took the regal name Artaxerxes V and began calling himself the King of Asia.[12] He was subsequently captured by Alexander, tortured, and executed. Another of Darius' generals ingratiated himself to Alexander by giving the conqueror Darius' favored companion, Bagoas
Hij is getrouwd met Stateira I.
Zij zijn getrouwd
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