Artaxerxes - I

Artaxerxes' path to the throne was marked by court intrigue. Following the murder of Xerxes I by the courtier Artabanus, Artaxerxes—his younger son—seized power after killing the assassin and his own brother, Darius, whom he believed complicit in the regicide. Early in his reign, he faced significant internal threats:

Relief of Artaxerxes I, from his tomb in Naqsh-e Rustam in ... - Facebook artaxerxes i

Artaxerxes I : The "Long-Handed" Consolidation of Empire Artaxerxes I (reigned c. 465–424 BCE) was the fifth "King of Kings" of the . Rising to power in the wake of his father Xerxes I's assassination, his forty-year reign was defined by a shift from the aggressive expansionism of his predecessors toward a policy of stabilization, diplomacy, and religious tolerance . Known to the Greeks as Macrocheir ("Long-handed"), he is remembered both for his physical stature and for his pivotal role in biblical history as the benefactor of Ezra and Nehemiah. A Violent Accession and Internal Challenges Artaxerxes' path to the throne was marked by court intrigue