I don't know if this has been discussed before, I've searched the forums but couldn't find anything useful.
So, what if Darius I dies in his campaign in Scythia, around 513 BC, or even in Thrace either on his way to Scythia or on his way back to Sardis, doesn't matter. This would leave his 5 year old "born in the purple" son and designated heir Xerxes competing for the throne against his elder half brother Artobarzanes, who was born to a commoner wife before Darius' rise to power. In OTL Xerxes won the throne but he was 27 years older, so it would make sense that in this scenario he wouldn't have the same chances. Who would win the throne, one of the two brothers, or someone else, a general or a powerful satrap? How would this affect the future Greco-Persian wars?
So, what if Darius I dies in his campaign in Scythia, around 513 BC, or even in Thrace either on his way to Scythia or on his way back to Sardis, doesn't matter. This would leave his 5 year old "born in the purple" son and designated heir Xerxes competing for the throne against his elder half brother Artobarzanes, who was born to a commoner wife before Darius' rise to power. In OTL Xerxes won the throne but he was 27 years older, so it would make sense that in this scenario he wouldn't have the same chances. Who would win the throne, one of the two brothers, or someone else, a general or a powerful satrap? How would this affect the future Greco-Persian wars?