Historica Wiki
Advertisement
Croesus

Croesus (595 BC-) was King of Lydia from 580 to 546 BC, succeeding Alyattes of Lydia. Croesus was renowned for his vast wealth, with many of his gifts being preserved at Delphi; however, his kingdom was conquered by the Achaemenid Persian king Cyrus the Great in 546 BC.

Biography[]

Croesus was born in 595 BC, the son of King Alyattes of Lydia. He succeeded his father as king of Lydia in 580 BC and consolidated his rule by killing a rival claimant and his aristocratic supporters, confiscating their properties; he also conquered Ionia from the Greeks while establishing friendly relations with the European and Aegean Greeks, especially Sparta. Croesus was credited with inventing the first gold coins, his mother having introduced the minting of coins to the Greeks. Croesus became known for his vast wealth, but he was angered when the philosopher Solon assured him that there had been happier people in the world than him, as, while Tellus of Athens had died fighting for his country and the brothers Kleobis and Biton had died peacefully and side-by-side, Croesus' wealth was fickle, and a man's life could not be judged until after his death. Indeed, Croesus' hubristic happiness was punished when his son died in a hunting accident, he was defeated by the invading Persians at the Battle of Thymbra and the Siege of Sardis after he allied with King Astyages of Media against the Persian Revolt, and his kingdom was conquered by the Persians. It is unknown what became of Croesus, who may have been killed in Sardis' fall.

Advertisement