Two Men and One Great Empire.....!!
For example, even if I made a millimetric mistake in my calculations, the dominoes will not fall as i dreamed. All my hard work will be in vain. It's okay, let it be.... I can try again.
I wish great empires, great dynasties, kingdoms and civilizations could have this kind of chance, Am i right.....?!
Would it be bad if we had a second chance in the decisions we make or the actions we take.....?! Rest assured, the Persian King Xerxes I would wanted a second chance. Because he made such a decision at such a time that, the world we lived in had completely changed, beyond what we could imagine.
Persian and Greek civilizations fought each other relentlessly throughout their history. Well, what happened between these two great civilizations, that tens of thousands of people would have pay for.....?!
Emperor Xerxes I of Persia, the great ruler whose name means King of heroes, arrived in today's Dardanelles with his army of millions and had the Greek navy cornered ; According to Heradotus. The monarch, was sitting on his throne and he was watching them destroy greek forces. His father, Darius I, after losing the marathon war against the Greeks and being humiliated in front of his people, hurts his son Xerxes. Exactly 10 years later, He faced the Greeks to achieve what his father failed to archive. He has to bring his huge army to the shores of Salamis was not only a challenge. It was also a bloody revenge for an unfinished business.
Could Xerxes be able to avenge his father's death.....?! To fully understand the reasons for anger toward the Greeks, we need to rewind the story a little bit.....
In 550 BC, the Persian Empire was expanding its borders beyond the discovered world. It was conquering new Lands everyday and the ruler Darius was becoming more and more powerful. In those years, on the eastern shores of Aegean Sea, there was a land known as Ionia. All these coasts inhabited by the Greeks were under the control of the Persians and the ruler owed taxes and loyality to Darius I. The lands of the empire were spread over wide geographies. Ruling these lands in a peaceful way was not as easy as it seems. Therefore, The Persians chose to appoint governors everywhere, on condition that they would be loyal to the Emperor Darius I. The governors appointed by Darius, who at that time were called Satraps had the absolute control over the region. They ruled and lived a life worthy of kings. There is a saying I like very much : “Big fish eat small fishes”. Exactly, 2500 years ago, I could not find any other word that could describe conflict between satraps better then this. So much so that they all wanted to move to a more Comfortable and more respected positions, and they knew that for this, they had to gain the favour of the Emperor Darius I. There was one among them, he had the intelligence and ambition to eliminate any threats he faced.
The Satrap of Miletus, Aristagoras. Always high-flier, ambitious, arrogant and a very good speaker with high persuasiveness. In the legendary Babylon Palace, Aristagoras was in a good position. Let's let enjoy him this moment a little longer. Because after a few minutes, he will have to wake up to his own painful truth. If you are the satrap of a small city like Miletus, that has neither importance nor dignity and getting the attention of the emperor is quite difficult. Indeed, he had a similar problem. Aristagoras, in order to impress the Persian Emperor , he had to put on a big show of strength.
But how would that be possible.....?!
Miletus was a province and sadly it was not destinated to experience great events. But the long awaited miraculous news that would change the history would soon knock on Aristagoras' door. But what was this news....?!
In the Aegean Sea, off the Ionion coast, there was an island called Naxos. On this island which is in the borders of the Persian Empire. The ruling style of the satrap appointed by the Emperor Darius I, and that satrap drove people crazy. People who were overwhelmed by heavy taxes, gathered in the city square to execute that Persian satrap. The enraged crowd wasn't just looking for a little riot. This soon turned into their struggle for freedom. The people of Naxos island executed the satrap without hesitation. The miracle Aristagoras waited for all his life had finally come true. Aristagoras could not believe what he heard. The Island of Naxos hoisted the flag of rebellion against the Persians. There was no turning back. The opportunity Aristagoras had been waiting for had arrived.
So what did he do to face of all this.....?!
He saw these events as an opportunity to gain favour with the Emperor. If he suppressed the Naxos riot and took back the city on behalf of the Persians, this could turn him into a hero in the eyes of the Emperor. But how....?! Naxos was an island, and Aristagoras neither had an army to conquer this island, nor ships to carry the army to the island. Aristagoras thought about dozens of scenarios that could come to his mind, in this brief moment. And finally, he came up with the brilliant idea that would change his life completely, or maybe.... He thought it would.
The satrap of Lydia, and the brother of Persian Emperor Darius I, The Supreme Artaphernes. Besides being a great leader, he was a cruel and an ambitious person. Aristagoras set out to solve the problem of invasion of the island of Naxos. He wanted to visit the brother of Person Emperor Darius I, Artaphernes the Lydian satrap. He told his plans he had in mind, one by one. Aristagoras was a great speaker. There was no person he could not impress with the magical words that would come out of his mouth. So much so that he succeeded in making the satrap of Lydia a part of his ingenious plan. Artaphernes would send his ships and part of the army to Naxos. But he had one condition. The head of the navy should be Admiral Megabates, a total tactician and strategist, and his right arm. Aristagoras had no choice but to accept this offer. Artaphernes being involved could also mean that the possible heroic story would be quickly Heard by Darius I. The two satraps shook hands in the darkness of the night.
The army that was going to invade Naxos Island was positioned in the tent set up in the port. While Admiral Megabates was describing the perfect plan he prepared, down to the smallest details, Aristagoras was busy enough to studying the people around him. He had never led such a large group of people in his life. How honorable and proud was this..... But wait a second....!! The army that would invade the Naxos Island and the people of Miletus, Nobody cares about Aristagoras. All eyes and ears were on Admiral Megabates. This was very distressing for Aristagoras because he did not intend to share his success with anyone. He thought for a moment. These gnawing thoughts were about to be the biggest mistake of his life. Aristagoras slammed the table and got everybody's attention. He humiliated Admiral Megabates in front of his soldiers. This was a pretty big mistake, especially doing this to the Admiral who leading an entire naval fleet
Honour and pride are more important concepts then their lives, for some people. They live for them, they die for them. Admiral Megabates was such a person. Being humiliated in front of his own soldiers hurt him. He wanted to teach Aristagoras a lifetime lesson that he would never forget. The Admiral summoned his most trusted man. And he asked him to warn the people of Naxos about the impending danger. Aristagoras and his army arrived off Naxos in the early hours of the morning. When the ships approached the shore, as a result of a sudden raid, the Island would be so easily taken. At least that was the plan. But the letter from Megabates had already ruined the plan. Aristagoras and his army did not know how to get out of the hell they had fallen into. Those who escaped to save their lives took shelter in the waves of the sea. Others became food for vultures. Aristagoras, on this journey to be the conqueror, turned into a traitor waiting for his executioner. “Cowards die every day, the Brave ones only die one day”. This was exactly the case with Aristagoras. He had made his promise to the Emperor Darius' brother, not to any local leader. The best consequence of the failure in Naxos would be exile, Maybe even execution.
Aristagoras was not seen for several days after the failure in Naxos. Lydia satrap Artaphernes instructed to his men to search everywhere for him. He failed to archive any results, but he had no intention of giving up. After few days and nights, Aristagoras suddenly appeared in the square of Miletus. What do you think he did.....?!
After all, he made another cunning plan. He invited all Greek peoples to a fight for freedom especially the people of Miletus. I told you before, Aristagoras was one of the most successful speakers you can see in history. And he would succeed in making everyone around him a part of this aimless struggle.
The Greek army under the command of Aristagoras reached the city of Sardis and they stared to burn down everything. Artaphernes did not know what to do in the face of this strange suicide attack that he never expected. He took his trusted men with him and took refuge in his castle. He had no choice but to wait for his Emperor brother Darius I to send his army and support him. His city burned down before his eyes. And Artaphernes could not do anything about it. At dawn, Aristagoras and his soldiers were trying to break through the castle walls. No matter what they did, they couldn't do it. Emperor Darius I's perfect army had managed to come to Sardis. An army led by legendary warriors called the Immortals, defeated the Greek troops. One of the chief architects of this suicide attack, the greedy and cunning Aristagoras had his fair share of his old friend’s sword. The Persian Emperor and his family never forgot what the Greeks did. Until then, Greek cities were too poor and remote to be worth conquering. The burning of Sardis painfully revealed that the Greeks should be perceived as a threat to the Persian Empire. And the Persian Empire, could not tolerate such threats. It did not. But the genie was out of the bottle. The fight for freedom began to grow like an avalanche. Although the Persian army outnumbered its enemy, it was scattered on the plain of Marathon. The Greek Commander Themistocles seized an opportunity that could change history and did not hesitate to use it. Emperor Darius I collapsed to the ground, seriously injured. His son Xerxes was with him. Xerxes looked into his father's eyes. He took him in his arm and he took an oath of revenge, “Greek cities would be burned to the ground”.
Let's get back to the spot, where we left the main story for rewind the back story.....
Offshore of Salamis Island. Xerxes' mighty army was flocking by land and sea, trapping Greek soldiers. Great casualties were suffered in the Battle of Thermopylae, which took place in the gates of fire. And the Emperor's patience was running out. At that very moment, an incredible event took place that would change the entire course of the war. A slave from the Greek ships jumped into the sea to save his life. The slave's name was Sicinius. Sicinius, plunging deep into the forest to appear before the Persian Emperor, chose to sell the future of his people for a comfortable life and personal ambitious until he was captured by the Persian scouting soldiers. Then they took him to the presence of the Emperor. And Xerxes listened to what he had to say. The slave Sicinius cried out that the Greeks were in complete disarray. The Persian Emperor needed to recall the ships he sent for material supply as soon as possible, and attack. The Emperor looked at the slave who was begging for his life and trying to tell him what to do, not knowing his place. To the slave who tried to sell his country and people. Xerxes hated traitors and this slave deserved death. And the Emperor himself ordered to execute the slave immediately.
So did this really happen.....?! Of course not.
We will never know why the supreme ruler of Persia trusted a slave he did not know, did not met before in his life. However we can be sure that the price of this fatal mistake would be very, very heavy for the Persian Empire. The sky was covered with clouds, the storm was approaching. Xerxes' decision would turn into a mass suicide let alone winning the war. The ruler wanted to recall the ships he sent to the Peloponnese for a supply run and finish this job with intense pressure. However, there was a big problem. The slave Sicinius, who came out of the middle of the war and came to the presence of the Emperor, was the private servant of the great Greek commander Themistocles. And the lies he told would completely change the fate of the world we live in today. The rough sea seemed to herald a great rebellion. Greek galleys, which were outnumbered, took advantage of the slowness of larger Persian warships and succeeded in hitting them in their weakest spots. Disappointment and pain on one side. Justified pride by an unexpected miracle on the other.....
Aristagoras gave into his personal ambition, and started a fight between two nations. If he had succeeded in conquering Naxos, who knows, maybe the story would have ended before it even started. What would have happened if Xerxes I, The Emperor of Persia, hadn't trusted a slave’s words....?!
What kind of world would we live in today.....?!
All these unanswered questions and endless possibilities.... Emperor Xerxes I, if he hadn't trusted to a slave who stood before him and lied to him. The Persians might have won the war, and these lands, instead of being the cradle of western culture would remain the relatively improverished backyard of eastern culture.
The world as it is today, The historical dominance of democracy, Roman culture of the western world and The Christianity could never have existed. But all these exists because two men were in the right place at the right time to change the fate of the Greek and Persian nations.....!!
– IBN LATHEEFA BINT ABDUL WAHHAB.....✍️
Comments
Post a Comment