Ashoka, or Aśoka, popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third ruler of the Mauryan Empire (dynasty). He is most popular for his conquest of Kalinga.
History[]
Involvements of Mauryan Governance[]
Ashoka, son of Bindusara, was appointed several jobs of governance by Bindusara very early on into his life. While he did not actually serve as one of his ministers, he had jobs in the governance of territories; he was appointed to the governorship of Taxila and Ujjain.
Rise to Power[]
As we unfortunately do not have enough knowledge to differentiate between the true and godly information of his early life, his rise to power can be partially seen as realistic. After the death of Bindusara (320-272 BCE), his 101 sons (possibly an exaggeration) fought for the throne. The alleged king, Sushima, rushed back from north-west frontiers after hearing the news. However, he learned that Ashoka was having back to back victories. Sushima was then killed by soldiers of Ashoka as a part of the civil war. Ashoka emerged victorious mostly as he had the unilateral support of the majority of his father's ministers and that he quickly seized the capital, Pataliputra, almost instantly after the war started. According to Buddhist texts, he reportedly killed 99 of his brothers, who were all half-brothers, only sparing his one full, older brother, Tissa.