Bardiya

Early Life

Bardiya was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, two important Persian kings. Not much is known about his early years.

The Mystery of Bardiya's Rule

There are different stories about Bardiya. Some believe he ruled the Achaemenid Empire for a short time in 522 BCE. Others think he was replaced by a man named Gaumata, who claimed to be Bardiya. This person was later removed from power by Darius the Great. The true story about Bardiya remains a mystery.

Name and sources

The prince had many different names in old records. In the Behistun inscription by Darius the Great, his Persian name was Bardiya or Bardia. The writer Herodotus called him Smerdis, which is the most common Greek name for him. Other writers used different versions of his name: Ctesias called him Tanyoxarces, Xenophon called him Tanooxares, and Justin and Aeschylus used names like Mergis and Merdis.

For a long time, historians mainly used the name Smerdis, but more recent books often use Bardiya.

Traditional view

The traditional view about Bardiya comes from old stories by writers like Herodotus and Ctesias. They all agree that someone pretending to be Bardiya took control of the kingdom after the death of King Cambyses II. This person was not really Bardiya but an imposter named Gaumata.

Bardiya was the younger son of Cyrus the Great and the brother of Cambyses II. Some stories say Cambyses killed Bardiya and kept it a secret. Others say Bardiya went to Egypt with Cambyses but was sent back home because of jealousy. Either way, the people did not know Bardiya had died.

In 522 BC, someone pretending to be Bardiya claimed to be the new king. Many people believed him, especially because he offered three years without taxes. Cambyses tried to stop him but died before he could. Seven noblemen, including Darius, later discovered the imposter and removed him from power. Darius then became the new king. The old stories differ on names and details, but they all describe how an imposter took the throne by pretending to be one of Cyrus’s sons.

Modern view

Most modern historians think that Darius's story might not be true. They believe that Bardiya, Cyrus the Great's real son, ruled for a few months in 522 BCE.

Some experts say this idea is just a creative story without strong proof. Still, many find it interesting because Darius needed a reason to claim the throne, especially since he wasn't a close relative to the previous rulers.

Aftermath

After Bardiya, another person said he was Bardiya and fought against Darius in eastern Persia. This person was defeated, captured, and removed.

Bardiya had one daughter named Parmys, who later married Darius the Great. Some documents from his time were found in Babylonia. Darius said that Bardiya damaged some temples and took away property from people. Darius fixed these things after he became king.

Bardiya in fiction

The story of Bardiya is told in a book called Creation by Gore Vidal. In this book, a Persian nobleman learns that the ruler for a few months was the real Bardiya.

An "impostor Magian Smerdis" is in a 1940 story called Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius by Jorge Luis Borges. In this story, a reader finds a mention of Smerdis in a made-up nation. The narrator uses the name Smerdis as a metaphor.