The tragic fall of Darius III: Persia’s last king betrayed

In 336 BC, Darius III ascended to the throne of the Persian Empire. Born under the name Codomannus, Darius was not immediately in line for the throne, but circumstances thrust him into power after the assassination of his predecessor, Artaxerxes III.

By this time, the empire was reeling from years of political instability and weakening control over its vast territories.

Revolts in Egypt and increasing discontent among the satraps further complicated the situation.

The once formidable Achaemenid Empire, which had controlled much of the known world, was now vulnerable to both internal dissent and foreign aggression. 

Upon taking power, Darius faced the daunting task of restoring the authority of a fractured empire.

The Persian army, which had once dominated the battlefield, was in disarray.

Meanwhile, the rise of Macedonia under King Philip II posed an ever-growing threat on the empire’s western borders.

Philip’s untimely death delayed the invasion of Persia, but his son, Alexander the Great, soon inherited his ambitions. 

By 334 BC, Alexander the Great began his invasion of the Persian Empire. His campaign began with swift victories in Asia Minor, and his momentum soon led to the critical confrontation at the Battle of Issus in 333 BC.

This was the first major clash between the two leaders. Darius commanded a much larger force but was unable to maneuver his troops effectively in the narrow terrain of the Issus plains.

Alexander’s Companion cavalry shattered the Persian lines and Darius, who was in the thick of the battle, fled the battlefield, leaving behind his family, who were captured by Alexander’s forces.

Following his defeat at Issus, Darius sought to regroup and strengthen his position.

He attempted to negotiate with Alexander, offering large amounts of territory and even his daughter's hand in marriage to secure peace.

However, Alexander refused, since he was confident in his ability to achieve a complete victory.

Darius prepared for another decisive engagement, amassing a vast army. The two forces met again at Gaugamela in 331 BC.

On a flat and open plain, Darius hoped to use his numerical advantage to overwhelm Alexander’s smaller army.

He even deployed terrifying scythed chariots and war elephants. Yet, Alexander's military genius once again prevailed.

He created a gap in the Persian center, then led a direct cavalry charge that broke through Darius’s lines.

The Persian king, who was watching the battle from his royal chariot, once again abandoned the battlefield in a desperate attempt to escape capture. 

After the catastrophic defeat at Gaugamela in 331 BC, with his army shattered and his empire crumbling, Darius fled eastward, seeking refuge in the heartlands of Persia.

Moving through Media and into the rugged terrain of the Iranian plateau, he hoped to rally new forces and hold off Alexander’s relentless pursuit.

His journey took him through key cities such as Ecbatana, where he attempted to muster what remained of his loyal troops.

Yet, morale was low, and many of his commanders had either defected to Alexander or lost faith in Darius’s ability to turn the tide of the war.

By the time he reached Ecbatana, it became clear that Darius’s grip on power was slipping.

Meanwhile, Alexander advanced rapidly, capturing city after city, leaving Darius with fewer options.

His plan to gather reinforcements in Bactria or the distant provinces of Sogdiana became increasingly difficult as the Persian king struggled to maintain control over his scattered territories.

The eastern satraps began to question their allegiance as Alexander's forces drew closer.

Darius’s flight, once an organized retreat, turned into a chaotic escape. His resources dwindled, and communication with his far-flung allies grew impossible. 

It was at this moment that he was betrayed by one of his satraps, Bessus, who had been charged with defending Bactria.

Motivated by a desire to rally the eastern provinces against Alexander, Bessus believed that if he controlled Darius, he could use the Persian king as a puppet ruler to legitimize his efforts.

As Darius fled toward the Caspian Gates, a narrow pass through the mountains of northern Persia, Bessus acted.

He and a small group of Persian nobles captured the weakened king, taking him prisoner.

By this point, Darius had lost the support of many of his remaining commanders, and the capture was relatively uncontested.

Bessus justified this betrayal by claiming that Darius had failed to protect the empire, and that new leadership was needed. 

Following this betrayal, Bessus declared himself ‘Artaxerxes V’ and intended to rally support from the satraps of the eastern provinces, particularly in Bactria and Sogdiana.

He believed that with Darius under his control, he could unify these regions to resist the Macedonian invasion.

However, this plan quickly unraveled. As Alexander’s forces closed in, the loyalty of the Persian troops under Bessus began to waver.

In 330 BC, realizing that his position was becoming untenable, Bessus made the fateful decision to kill Darius.

Consequently, he ordered Darius’s assassination. Strapped to a cart and left to die by his captors, Darius was found by Macedonian soldiers. 

Upon finding the body of Darius III in 330 BC, Alexander the Great reacted with a mixture of sorrow and indignation.

Alexander was reportedly angered by the dishonorable manner in which his rival had been killed.

Out of respect, he ordered that Darius be given a royal funeral befitting his status as the former ruler of the vast Achaemenid Empire. 

Alexander swiftly turned his attention to Bessus. He declared Bessus a traitor, both to Darius and to the Persian Empire, and made it his mission to track him down.

This led to a relentless pursuit into the eastern provinces, where Bessus had fled.

Alexander’s desire for justice was also a strategic move, meant to position himself as the legitimate successor to the Persian Empire by upholding Persian traditions of loyalty to the king. 

The former satrap of Bactria was eventually captured by his own men, who delivered him to Alexander as a gesture of loyalty.

Bessus was put on trial and executed for his role in Darius’s assassination. The pursuit of Bessus not only avenged the death of Darius but also served to further consolidate Alexander’s authority as the new ruler of Persia. 

Alexander ordered that he be sent to Ecbatana, a former Achaemenid capital, where he would face a formal trial for his crimes.

There, Bessus was tried and condemned by Alexander’s appointed court. Quickly found guilty, Bessus was subjected to a brutal and symbolic form of execution.

His nose and ears were cut off, a traditional Persian punishment for traitors, intended to dishonor him publicly.

Following this mutilation, Bessus was tied between two trees, his limbs were torn apart when the trees were released.