Artaxerxes II Mnemon (
Old Persian: ��������������
Artaxšaçrā, ) (ca.
436 –
358 BC) was king of
Persia from
404 BC until his death. He defended his position against his brother
Cyrus the Younger, who was defeated and killed at the
Battle of Cunaxa in
401 BC, and against a revolt of the provincial governors, the
satraps (
366 – 358 BC). He also became involved in a war with Persia's erstwhile allies, the
Spartans, who, under
Agesilaus, invaded
Asia Minor. In order to redirect the
Spartans attention to Greek affairs Artaxerxes subsidized their enemies: in particular the
Athenians, Thebans, and
Corinthians. These subsidies helped to engage the
Spartans in what would become known as the
Corinthian War. In
386 BC, Artaxerxes II betrayed his allies and came to an arrangement with Sparta, and in the
Treaty of Antalcidas he forced his erstwhile allies to come to terms. This treaty restored control of the Greek cities of
Ionia and
Aeolis on the Anatolian coast to the Persians, while giving Sparta dominance on the Greek mainland.
Although thus rather successful against the Greeks, Artaxerxes had more trouble with the
Egyptians, who had successfully revolted against him at the beginning of his reign. An attempt to reconquer Egypt in
373 BC was completely unsuccessful, but in his waning years the Persians did manage to defeat a joint Egyptian–Spartan effort to conquer
Phoenicia.
He is reported to have had a number of wives, chief among whom was a Greek woman of
Phocaea named Aspasia (not the same as the concubine of
Pericles). He also is said to have loved a young
eunuch by the name of Tiridates, who died "as he was emerging from childhood". His death caused Artaxerxes enormous grief, and there was public mourning for him throughout the empire as an offering to the king from his subjects.
He is thought to be one of the prime candidates for the Persian king
Ahasuerus of the Purim story.
