Persian ruler of the Achaemenid empire from 486 to 465 BC, Xerxes was the son of Darius I and Atossa, daughter of Cyrus the Great. Although he was not Darius's eldest son, he was designated crown prince about 498. Xerxes, meaning "ruler over heroes," was his throne name. At the beginning of his reign he put down a revolt in Egypt and also in Babylon, where he razed the walls and plundered the city. His most important action, however, was the invasion of Greece that ended in defeat at the Battle of Salamis in 480).
In the Battle of Salamis on Sept. 29, 480 BC, in the narrow straits off the island, a Greek fleet of 350 triremes- led by Themistocles defeated a Persian fleet twice as large. The battle thwarted an attempt by XERXES I to invade Greece, by depriving him of his seaborne supplies. Salamis was probably the greatest naval engagement of ancient times.
After the debacle in the west, Xerxes retired to his harem and devoted his time to building palaces at Persepolis. In 465 AD, he was assassinated by his chief minister, Artabanus, and was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes I.
