Towards the end of Darius' reign, intense struggle with Greece began which ended the superiority of the Persians. Xerxes, son of Darius, was king of Persia at this time. In the early part of his reign there were revolts in Egypt and Babylonia to deal with, but six years later he was ready to turn his attention toward Greece. Xerxes tried to attack Athens but all he accomplished was destroying the deserted city and burning the temples on the Acropolis, while the Athenians were waiting for him at Salamis. Xerxes believed that in order for him to gain control of the Peloponnese he would have to win this battle. The Greek and Persian fleets fought at Salamis, under Themistocles, in 480 B.C. The Greeks won a convincing victory. Later, the Achaemenid (Persian) attempt to overrun Greece was ended. In 465 BC, Xerxes was killed in his palace and his successor Artaxerxes continued building work at Persepolis. It was completed during the reign of Artaxerxes III, around 338 BC. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great defeated the Persian armies of the third Darius. He marched into Iran and, once there, he turned his attention to Persepolis, and that magnificent complex of buildings was burnt down. This act of destruction for revenge of the Acropolis, was surprising from one who prided himself on being a pupil of Aristotle. This was the end of the Persian Empire.

MEDES

Median names are followed by their Greek transcriptions, as those are generally better recognized.

Deioces Kshatrita (Phraortes)

728-675 675-653

SCYTHIAN

Madius

653-625

MEDES

Uwakshatra (Cyaxares) Ishtumegu (Astyages)

625-585 585-550

ACHAEMENID

As with the Medes, I give the much more widely recognized Greek transcriptions of these names in parentheses, where I have them available.

Kurush (Cyrus the Great) Kambujiya (Cambyses) II Smerdis the Usurper Darayavahush (Darius) I the Great Xshayarsha (Xerxes) I the Great Artabanes Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes) I Longhand Xshayarsha (Xerxes) II Sogdianos Darayavahush (Darius) II the Bastard Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes) II the Mindful Artaxshassa (Artaxerxes) III Arsha (Arses) Darayavahush (Darius) III

550-529 529-522 522 522-486 486-466 466-465 465-425 425-424 424-423 423-404 404-359 359-338 338-336 336-330

 

MACEDON

Alexander Philip Antigonus One-eye

330-323 323-316 316-312 d. 301

SELEUCID

Seleucus I Antiochus I Soter Antiochus II Theos

312-280 280-261 261-246

PARTHIA

Arsaces Artabanus I Priapatius Phraates I Mithridates I Phraates II Artabanus II Mithridates II Gotarzes I Orodes I Sanatruces Phraates III Mithridates III Orodes II Phraates IV Tiridates II Phraates IV (restored) Tiridates II (restored) Phraates IV (re-restored) Phraataces Orodes III Vonones I Artabanus III Gotarzes II Vardanes Vonones II Vologases I Pacorus II Artabanus IV Pacorus II (restored) Vologases II Chosroes Parthamaspates Chosroes (restored) Mithridates IV Vologases III Vologases IV vacant Vologases V Artabanus V Artavasdes

246-c. 211 c. 211-c. 191 c. 191-c. 176 c. 176-c. 171 c. 171-138 138-c. 128 c. 128-124/3 124/3-87 opposed by... c. 91-78 ? -78 76/7-70 70-58/7 58/7-57 57-37 37-c. 30 d. 2 BCE c. 30-c. 29 d. c. 26 c. 29-c. 28 d. 2 BCE c. 28-c. 26 c. 26-2 2 BCE-4 CE 4-6/7 6/7-11/2 11/2-38 38-51 opposed by... c. 39-47 ? 51 51-78 d. 80 ? 78-79 d. 115 79-81 81-115 opposed by... 105/6 and then... 109/10 d. 128 ? 116 117-128 ? 128-147 ? 148-192 with... 191 192-207 207- ? 213-226 226-227

SASSANID

Ardashir I Shapur I Hormazd I Bahram I Bahram II Bahram III Narses Hormazd II Adarnarseh Shapur II Ardashir II Shapur III Bahram IV Yazdegerd I Khusrau the Usurper Bahram V the Wild Ass Yazdegerd II Hormazd III Firuz I Balash Kobad I Jamasp Kobad I (restored) Khusrau I the Just Hormazd IV Khusrau II the Victorious Bahram VI the Usurper Khusrau II the Victorious (restored) Kobad II Ardashir III Shahrbaraz the Usurper Khusrau III Juvansher Boran Gushnasbandeh Azarmidurht Hormazd V Khusrau IV Firuz II Khusrau V Yazdegerd III To the Caliphate [Arabs] .... To the Abbasid Caliphs [Arabs] ....

227-241 241-272 272-273 273-276 276-293 293 293-303 303-310 310 310-379 379-383 383-388 388-399 399-420 420 420-438 438-457 457 457-484 484-488 488-497 d. 531 497-499 499-531 531-579 579-590 590 590-591 591-628 628 628-630 630 630 630 630-631 631 631 631-632 632 632 632-633 633-649 d. 651 649-755 755-867

SAFFARID

Yaqub the Coppersmith Amir I Tahir

867-879 879-901 901-902 d. 908

An era of disunity follows, as competing local dynasts established spheres of influence from the 10th century onwards. From 900 to 999 the dominant power in the region was Bokhara, under the Samanids. From 1029 to 1194 the Seljuqs were supreme.

SELJUQ

Mahmud II Toghril Mas'ud Malik Shah III Mohammed II Sulaiman Shah Arslan Shah Toghril III

1118-1131 1131-1134 1134-1152 1152-1153 1153-1160 1160-1161 1161-1176 1176-1194

From 1194 to 1221 the great regional power was Khwarazm.

Most Iranian locals become Mongol vassals Most of Iran under direct Mongol rule

1221-1253 1253-1295

IL-KHANS (Mongol)

(Local Mongol authority under the Great Horde, followed by independent Khans.

Hulegu Khan Abaqa Teguder Arghun Gaikhatu Baidu Mahmud Ghazan Oljeitu Abu Sa'id Arpa Musa Mohammad Sati Beg (fem.) Jahan Timur Suleiman

1256-1265 1265-1282 1282-1284 1284-1291 1291-1295 1295 1295-1304 1304-1316 1316-1335 1335-1336 1336-1337 with... 1336-1338 1338-1339 1339-1340 with... 1339-1343

Another period of disunity, as remnants of the Hordes competed with local dynasts for authority. This era ends with the sweep of conquests by Timur Khan (known in Western Europe as Tamburlane).

TIMURID (Barlas Tribe)

Timur the Lame Djalal Ud-Din Miran Shah Khalil Sultan Ayyal Ailankar Shah Rukh Ulugh Beg

1380-1405 1405-1409 1409-1414 1414 1414-1415 1415-1447 1447-1449

A third period of fragmentation, as Timur's Empire loses cohesion and local rulers strive against each other.

 

QARA QOYUNLU

Jahan Shah

1458-1466

Yet a fourth era of fragmentation, followed by reunification under the Safavid Dynasty.

SAFAVID

Ismail I Tahmasp I Ismail II Mohammed Khodabanda Shah Abbas I Safi Abbas II Suleiman Shah Sultan Husein Tahmasp II Abbas II

1502-1524 1524-1576 1576-1578 1578-1581 1581-1629 1629-1642 1642-1667 1667-1694 1694-1722 1722-1732 1732-1736

AFSHARID

Nadir Shah Adil Shah Rukh Ibrahim

1736-1747 1747-1748 1748-1749 d. 1755 with... 1748-1749

ZAND

Mohammad Karim Khan Zand Abul Fath Ali Murad Sadiq Ali Murad (restored) Jafar Luftf Ali

1750-1779 1779 1779 d. 1785 1779-1782 1782-1785 1785-1789 1789-1794

QAJAR

Aga Mohammad Shah Baba Khan Fath Ali Shah Mohammed Shah Nasir Ed-Din Shah Muzaffar Ed-Din Shah Mohammed Ali Shah Ahmed Shah

1779-1797 1797 1797-1834 1834-1848 1848-1896 1896-1907 1907-1909 1909-1925 d. 1929

PAHLAVI

Reza Anglo-Soviet occupation Mohammed Reza Theocratic State

1925-1941 d. 1944 1941-1946 1941-1979 d. 1980 1979

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei

1979-1989 1989-Present