Encyclopedia

Smerdis

Smerdis (smûr'dis) [key], d. c.528 B.C., second son of Cyrus the Great, king of Persia. He is also called Bardiya. He was assassinated by his brother Cambyses II, who kept the murder a secret. Patizithes, the Magian custodian of Cambyses' palace, deposed Cambyses (who was campaigning in Egypt), put forward his own brother Guamata to impersonate Smerdis, and proclaimed him king. After a reign of seven months the false Smerdis was overthrown (521 B.C.) and slain. Darius I succeeded Guamata.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

More on Smerdis from Fact Monster:

  • Cambyses - Cambyses Cambyses , two kings of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia. Cambyses I. was king (c.600 ...
  • Achaemenids - Achaemenids Achaemenids , dynasty of ancient Persia. They were descended presumably from one ...
  • Darius I - Darius I Darius I (Darius the Great), d. 486 B.C., king of ancient Persia (521–486 B.C.), ...
  • Cyrus the Great - Cyrus the Great Cyrus the Great , d. 529 B.C., king of Persia, founder of the greatness of the ...
  • Persia: The Achaemenids - The Achaemenids By the 6th cent. B.C. the early Persians were established in the present-day region ...

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Ancient History, Middle East: Biographies