Stateira I Shahbanu was queen consort to King Artaxerxes II of the Achaemenid Empire. She was also the mother of Artaxerxes III of the Achaemenid Empire. She was very popular and influential during King Artaxerxes II’s reign. Stateira I Shahbanu was locked in a bitter power struggle with her mother-in-law, Parysatis I Shahbanu. This conflict caused Parysatis I Shahbanu to murder Stateira I Shahbanu.
The birthdate of Stateira I Shahbanu is unknown.[1] She was the daughter of the Persian nobleman Hydarnes.[2] She had two brothers named Tissaphernes and Terituchmes.[3] She eventually married Prince Artaxerxes II. She bore a son named Prince Artaxerxes III.[4]
Terituchmes was plotting a rebellion and had divorced King Darius II’s daughter, Princess Amestris.[5] This made King Darius II to be so enraged that he wanted to kill all of Hydarnes’s children.[6] However, Prince Artaxerxes II begged his mother, Parysatis I Shahbanu, to save Princess Stateira I’s life.[7] Terituchmes was executed.[8] However, Princess Stateira I’s and Tissaphernes’s lives were spared through the interference of Parysatis I Shahbanu.[9]
In 404 B.C.E., King Darius II of the Achaemenid Empire died. King Artaxerxes II became the next king.[10] Stateira I became queen.[11] Stateira I Shahbanu received a maid from Egypt.[12] This was part of a diplomatic effort so that the Achaemenid Empire would not attack Egypt.[13] Stateira I Shahbanu was very influential during King Artaxerxes II’s reign.[14] King Artaxerxes II dearly loved his queen.[15] Stateira I Shahbanu was also very popular with the people.[16] She would ride in carriages with the curtains open so that the people could greet her as it passed.[17]
Prince Cyrus the Younger rebelled against his brother, King Artaxerxes II. The rebellion was also supported by his mother, Parysatis I Shahbanu. This created a power struggle between Parysatis I Shahbanu and Stateira I Shahbanu, and they became enemies.[18] Prince Cyrus the Younger was defeated by Tissaphernes at the Battle of Cunaxa.[19] The battle consolidated King Artaxerxes II’s reign.[20] Parysatis I Shahbanu tried to stop King Artaxerxes II from killing Prince Cyrus the Younger but failed.[21]
One of the conflicts between Parysatis I Shahbanu and Stateira I Shahbanu concerned the execution of the Greek commanders that had been captured, especially regarding their leader, Clearchus.[22] Parysatis I Shahbanu wanted to save their lives.[23] However, Stateira I Shahbanu wanted their executions.[24] This was because she believed they posed a threat to King Artaxerxes II’s reign.[25] King Artaxerxes II listened to Stateira I Shahbanu.[26] He executed all but one of the Greek commanders who had assisted Tissaphernes.[27]
In 400 B.C.E., Parysatis I Shahbanu decided it was time to eliminate Stateira I Shahbanu. Parysatis I Shahbanu poisoned Stateira I Shahbanu through a servant named Gigis.[28] When King Artaxerxes II learned of his wife’s death, he was enraged.[29] King Artaxerxes II killed Gigis. He also banished Parysatis I Shahbanu to Babylon.[30] Parysatis I Shahbanu’s exile did not last long.[31] Instead, King Artaxerxes II recalled his mother back to the palace.[32]
Stateira I Shahbanu was one of the most powerful queens of the Achaemenid Empire.[33] She exerted a strong influence over her husband, King Artaxerxes II.[34] She was very devoted to her husband.[35] She was also beloved by her people, and her subjects were allowed to greet her.[36] However, her power made her become an enemy of her mother-in-law, Parysatis I Shahbanu.[37] The rivalry did not end until she was murdered.[38] Thus, Stateira I Shahbanu is truly a tragic figure.
Sources:
Badian, E. (2015). “STATEIRA”. Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved on November 29 2024 from https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/stateira.
Jackson, G. M. (2009). Women Leaders of Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Pacific. United States: Xlibris.
Smith, W. (1873). “Parysatis or Parysatis Ochus”. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: Spottiswoode and Co. Retrieved on November 26, 2024 from https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Dparysatis-bio-2.
Smith, W. (1873). “Stateira”. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: Spottiswoode and Co. Retrieved on November 29, 2024 from https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Dstateira-bio-1.
Ussher, J. (2003). The Annals of the World. Green Forest, AR: New Leaf Publishing Group, Incorporated.
[1] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[2] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[3] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[4] Jackson, 2009
[5] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[6] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[7] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[8] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[9] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[10] Jackson, 2009
[11] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[12] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[13] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[14] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[15] Smith, 1873, “Stateira”
[16] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[17] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[18] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[19] Jackson, 2009
[20] Jackson, 2009
[21] Smith, 1873, “Parysatis or Parysatis Ochus”
[22] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[23] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[24] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[25] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[26] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[27] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[28] Ussher, 2003
[29] Smith, 1873, “Parysatis or Parysatis Ochus”
[30] Smith, 1873, “Parysatis or Parysatis Ochus”
[31] Smith, 1873, “Parysatis or Parysatis Ochus”
[32] Smith, 1873, “Parysatis or Parysatis Ochus”
[33] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[34] Smith, 1873, “Stateira”
[35] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[36] Badian, 2015, “STATEIRA”
[37] Ussher, 2003
[38] Ussher, 2003
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