Xerxes I At The Battle Of Thermopylae Coloring Pages

Xerxes I ruled the Persian Empire from 486 to 465 BC, during the height of Persian power. He was born around 519 BC and became king after his father Darius I died, inheriting the largest empire the world had ever seen at that time.

Xerxes wanted to complete his father's mission of conquering Greece after the Persians lost at Marathon in 490 BC. He saw Greek independence as a threat to Persian dominance and sought revenge for previous defeats while expanding his empire westward.

Ancient sources claimed Xerxes brought over one million soldiers, though modern historians estimate his army was between 100,000 to 300,000 troops. Even at the lower estimate, it was still one of the largest armies ever assembled in the ancient world.

Xerxes completed magnificent building projects like the Hall of a Hundred Columns at Persepolis and ruled over territories spanning from India to Greece. He also famously ordered the sea to be whipped when storms destroyed his bridge across the Hellespont.

Yes, Xerxes won at Thermopylae after three days of fighting, but at a terrible cost. Though he defeated the Spartans, his massive losses and the Greeks' heroic resistance inspired other Greek cities to unite against him more fiercely.

After losing the naval battle at Salamis and the land battle at Plataea in 479 BC, Xerxes retreated to Persia. He focused on building projects until he was assassinated by his own courtiers in 465 BC in a palace conspiracy.