Parysatis I Shahbanu – The Babylonian Queen who had a large spy network

Parysatis I Shahbanu was one of the most powerful queens of the Achaemenid Empire.[1] She was the daughter of King Artaxerxes I. She was also the queen consort to her half-brother, King Darius II Ochus. She was the mother of King Artaxerxes II. Parysatis I Shahbanu received vast land holdings.[2] She also had a large spy network.[3]

The birthdate of Parysatis I Shahbanu is unknown.[4] She was the daughter of King Artaxerxes I of the Achaemenid Empire.[5] Her mother was Andia, one of King Artaxerxes I’s lesser wives.[6] Her half-brothers were King Xerxes II, King Sogdianus, and Prince Darius II Ochus.[7] Her father arranged for Princess Parysatis I to marry her half-brother, Prince Darius II Ochus.[8] In 424 B.C.E., Darius II Ochus became King of the Achaemenid Empire. Parysatis I became queen.

Parysatis I Shahbanu was very influential during King Darius II Ochus’s reign.[9] Ancient chroniclers say that she maintained a spy network that would uncover any disloyalty throughout the Achaemenid Empire.[10] Parysatis I Shahbanu had a daughter named Princess Amestris.[11] She had two sons named Prince Artaxerxes II and Prince Cyrus the Younger.[12]

Parysatis I Shahbanu had cities that were dedicated to her located in Syria at Halys River.[13] The cities’ residents had to pay taxes to the queen.[14] This corroborates with Herodotus’s statement who claims that the Egyptian city of Anthylla supplied shoes to Parysatis I Shahbanu.[15] She also received wine, livestock, and bread from these holdings.[16] Historians believed that her holdings were managed by slaves.[17] One Babylonian document mentions that Parysatis I Shahbanu rented one of her estates (which was situated near Nippor) “to the house of Murashu.”[18]

In 404 B.C.E., King Darius II Ochus of the Achaemenid Empire died. King Artaxerxes II became the next king.[19] However, Parysatis I Shahbanu tried to put her second son, Prince Cyrus the Younger, on the Babylonian throne.[20] She urged Prince Cyrus the Younger to overthrow King Artaxerxes II.[21] However, Prince Cyrus the Younger was defeated at the Battle of Cunaxa.[22] This battle consolidated King Artaxerxes II’s reign.[23] Parysatis I Shahbanu tried to stop King Artaxerxes II from killing Prince Cyrus the Younger but failed.[24]

During King Artaxerxes II’s reign, Parysatis I Shahbanu was still very influential.[25] She was locked in a bitter power struggle with her daughter-in-law, Stateira I Shahbanu.[26] The rivalry finally ended when Parysatis I Shahbanu poisoned Stateira I Shahbanu through a servant named Gigis.[27] When King Artaxerxes II learned of his wife’s death, he was enraged.[28] King Artaxerxes II banished Parysatis I Shahbanu to Babylon.[29] Parysatis I Shahbanu’s exile did not last long.[30] Instead, King Artaxerxes II recalled his mother back to the palace.[31] Once she arrived, she quickly regained all her influence in court.[32] She used her influence to put Tissaphernes (the Satrap of Lydia) to death.[33] After Tissaphernes’s execution, no more is mentioned of her in ancient texts.[34] There is no mention of when or how she died.[35]

Parysatis I Shahbanu was very influential through the reigns of King Darius II Ochus and King Artaxerxes II.[36] She tried to put her younger son on the throne and even murdered her own daughter-in-law, Stateira I Shahbanu.[37] Yet, King Artaxerxes II listened to her advice and executed Tissaphernes.[38] She even had cities that paid taxes to her.[39] Therefore, Parysatis I Shahbanu will still be one of the most controversial figures in history.[40]

Sources:

Dandamaev, M. A., et al.(2004). The Culture and Social Institutions of Ancient Iran. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Jackson, G. M. (2009). Women Leaders of Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Pacific. United States: Xlibris.

“Parysatis I (fl. 440–385 BCE)”. (2007). In A. Commire & D. Klezmer (Eds.), Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages (Vol. 2, p. 1481). Yorkin Publications.

Smith, W. (1873). “Parysatis or Parysatis Ochus”. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: Spottiswoode and Co. Retrieved on November 18, 2024 from https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/....

Ussher, J. (2003). The Annals of the World. Green Forest, AR: New Leaf Publishing Group, Incorporated.

[1] Jackson, 2009

[2] Dandamaev, et al., 2004

[3] “Parysatis I (fl. 440–385 BCE).”

[4] Smith, 1873

[5] “Parysatis I (fl. 440–385 BCE).”

[6] “Parysatis I (fl. 440–385 BCE).”

[7] Smith, 1873

[8] “Parysatis I (fl. 440–385 BCE).”

[9] “Parysatis I (fl. 440–385 BCE).”

[10] “Parysatis I (fl. 440–385 BCE).”

[11] “Parysatis I (fl. 440–385 BCE).”

[12] “Parysatis I (fl. 440–385 BCE).”

[13] Dandamaev, et al., 2004

[14] Dandamaev, et al., 2004

[15] Dandamaev, et al., 2004

[16] Dandamaev, et al., 2004

[17] Dandamaev, et al., 2004

[18] Dandamaev, et al., 2004, p. 136

[19] Jackson, 2009

[20] Jackson, 2009

[21] Jackson, 2009

[22] Jackson, 2009

[23] Jackson, 2009

[24] Smith, 1873

[25] Smith, 1873

[26] Smith, 1873

[27] Ussher, 2003

[28] Smith, 1873

[29] Smith, 1873

[30] Smith, 1873

[31] Smith, 1873

[32] Smith, 1873

[33] Smith, 1873

[34] Smith, 1873

[35] Smith, 1873

[36] Jackson, 2009

[37] Jackson, 2009; Smith, 1873

[38] Smith, 1873

[39] Dandamaev, et al., 2004

[40] Jackson, 2009

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