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Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Darius III

Darius III, also called Codommanus was born in 380 B.C. He was the last and distant member of the Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia, reigning from 336 BC to 330 BC. He belonged to a collateral branch of the royal family since he was the son of a certain Arsames, and grandson of Ostanes, whose father Darius II ruled the Achaemenid Empire from 424 B.C to 405 B.C. His mother was Sisygambis who was a woman of obscure origins. This article will explore the fascinating facts about him to create a clear picture in the reader’s mind.

1 He was helped to acquire his throne

Bogoas helped Darius III sit on the throne because he had great power within the empire around 336 B.C. He wanted to rule the empire through weak kings so he assassinated King Artaxerxes III who was a ruler by then and he put the king鈥檚 son Artaxerxes IV Arses on the throne. King Artaxerxes IV Arses was not pleased with his ideas so he plotted to eliminate Bogoas but Bogoas had managed to get an upper hand before the King鈥檚 plot was executed. He managed to kill the King in 336 B.C by poisoning him and he then placed his cousin, King Darius III, on the throne.

2. Darius III was not his original name

When Darius III was born in 380 B.C, he was named Artashata by his parents; Sisygambis and Arsames. After he took the throne in 336 B.C with the help of his cousin he changed his name from Artashata to Darius III to emulate two previous emperors. It was also at this time he began to appear on the Bible timeline with World History. Darius III ruled for quite some time but he probably didn’t realize that he was going to be the last ruler of the mighty Persian Empire.

3. He was almost killed by Bogoas

Once Darius III was in power in 336 B.C, his cousin Bogoas who was a self-centred official and wanted to rule the empire through weak kings, realized that he could not control King Darius III as he expected and thought of killing him by poisoning him. When the King came to find out he forced him to drink his own poison thus managing to eliminate the troublesome official. At the age of 43, Darius was firmly on the throne. He had taken the name Darius when he took the throne, to emulate two previous emperors including Darius the Great.

4. He had experience in governing, fighting and as a royal courier

During His early carrier, he was reportedly an obscure figure among his peers and first rose to prominence during the Cadusian expedition in the 350s B.C. As a reward for his bravery, he was given the Satrapy of Armenia. When he also served the army still in his early carrier, he had experience in governing and fighting which made him advance to the rank of general which was a very high position also. Around 340 B.C, he was placed in charge of the royal 鈥減ostal service鈥� thus making him gain experience as a royal courier.

5. His daughter was married by Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great abruptly ended the reign of Darius III, and with it, he saw the demise of the Achaemenid kings. However, while conquering new lands Alexander gained not only territory but also some surprising female relatives who provided him with newfound strength, wisdom and loyalty. The three females; sisygambis who was Darius III mother, Stateira and Drypetis who were his daughters, were treated quite well by Alexander and his Army during their hostage. It’s from there that Stateria Darius III elder daughter and Alexander formed a bond and they got married. She later died while giving birth to their son in 332 B.C   

6. He fled leaving his family

When Darius III was defeated in the Battle of Issus on November 5^th 333 B.C, he fled leaving his mother, wife and children, before Alexander and his troops could catch him, even though he had superior forces. Alexander, later on, captured his family and held them hostage. King Darius III wanted them back but Alexander the Great refused to return them unless the Persian King acknowledged that he was the new ruler of the Persian Empire.

7. He spent his reign running from Alexander

Persia’s downfall began when Alexander the Great started to defeat King Darius III’s armies in various battles in 334B.C. King Darius III on seeing these downfalls fled before Alexander and his troops could catch him. Alexander the Great kept on hunting all over the Persian Empire for Darius III but he kept on fleeing from him even after he kept his family hostage. One of the major battles that led to the final blow of the Achaemenid Empire was the Battle of Gaugamela which took place in 331 B.C. It was a battle between the forces of the Army of Macedon under Alexander the Great and the Persian Army under King Darius III.

Despite the overwhelming odds, Alexander鈥檚 army emerged victorious due to the employment of superior tactics and clever usage of light infantry forces. It led to the fall of Darius III.

8. He was stabbed to death

Darius III kept running from Alexander the Great until his subjects and two governors named Bessus and Nabarzanes got tired of him and decided to carry out his assassination. They seized Darius, threw him in an oxcart, and then stabbed him, leaving him to die, giving him none of the ceremony that an emperor should have had. Bessus, later on, took the throne for himself and declared himself the King of Artaxerxes.

Alexander was saddened by his death because he wanted to capture the King Alive. Alexander gave him a magnificent funeral where he ordered his body sent to Persepolis, to be buried in a royal tomb. The conqueror then fulfilled the conquered King鈥檚 wish and married his eldest daughter.

9. Darius III’s mother formed a strong bond with Alexander the Great

In September 331 B.C, Sisygambis’s life changed when Alexander destroyed the Persian army in the battle of Gaugamela. Darius III fled and left his family who was kept hostage by Alexander’s army. Sisygambis was so angry with Darius III that she had never forgiven him for leaving his family at Alexander鈥檚 mercy and escaping like a coward. His family were unsure of the future but Alexender however, treated them quite well until Sisygambis said that she had now only one son, Alexander.

They formed a surprising bond even though Sisygambis had many reasons to hate Alexander. Later on, when Alexander the Great died it is said that Sisygambis locked herself in one of her rooms and stopped eating after she had the news of Alexander the Great death. She died just four days after.

10. He married two times

After Darius received his reward of the Satrapy of Armenia from Artaxerxes III who noticed his exploit, he married for the first time, to an unknown noblewoman, who bore him two daughters; Stateria and Drypetia, and possibly a son named Ariobarzanes. His first marriage is the reason why he dropped his Aramaic name, Codomannus. In around 340 B.C, Darius married for a second time, to his sister Stateira I. In 339 B.C, they had a son named Ochus.