Artaxerxes II: Biography, Facts and Career

Arses or Arsaces (c. 445–359/8 BC), known by his regnal name Artaxerxes II (Old Persian: 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂 Artaxšaçāʰ; Ancient Greek: Ἀρταξέρξης), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 405/4 BC to 359/8 BC. He was the son and successor of Darius II (r. 423 – 405/4 BC) and his mother was Parysatis. Soon after his accession, Artaxerxes II faced opposition from his younger brother Cyrus the Younger, who assembled an army composed of troops from his Lydian and Ionian satrapies as well as Greek mercenaries in his bid for the throne. The forces of the brothers clashed at Cunaxa in 401 BC, which resulted in the defeat and death of Cyrus. Following this, Artaxerxes II had to contend with several other revolts; a revolt by Evagoras I (r. 411–374 BC) in Cyprus between 391–380 BC, by the Phoenicians in c. 380 BC, and most importantly, the revolts by the western satraps (known as the Great Satraps' Revolt) in the 360s and 350s BC, led by distinguished figures such as Datames, Ariobarzanes, and Autophradates. The rulers of the Parthian Empire notably considered Artaxerxes II their progenitor.

Quick facts about Artaxerxes II

• Full name: Artaxerxes II
• Born: -0452-01-0
• Nationality: Achaemenid Empire
• Known as: Royal
• Wikidata ID: Q188472

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.