This is likely to differ significantly from a scenario where he dies, as the legitimate Great King is still alive, however, he has suffered an even greater humiliation than simply fleeing from the battlefield, but being captured. The Achaemenids have suffered a huge defeat, but the empire hasn't been truly broken to the same extent as had happened at Gaugamela, with a decent core in Babylonia and Persia still intact, and crucial time to raise another army while Alexander was defeating local resistance in the Levant. Does Oxyathres, his brother, attempt to rescue Darius, or does he abandon his brother and attempt to get proclaimed King of Kings? Does Alexander ransom him back for an ungodly sum, execute him, or keep him in captivity, pressuring him to adopt him as "heir"? Would Bessus start his rebellion earlier? Would Darius have a son, and what would be the impact?
WI: Darius III captured at Issus?
- Thread starter SunKing105
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I don't think Alexander would execute Darius, and he certainly wouldn't ransom him. Why bother with a ransom when you're planning on seizing the entire Persian treasury? The idea of Darius adopting Alexander as his heir (probably combined with Alexander marrying Darius' daughter Stateira, as he did IOTL) seems pretty likely.
Oxyathres would probably try to rescue Darius. I doubt he'd declare himself King of Kings, but he'd probably declare himself regent. Bessus might start his rebellion earlier, which would require him to take out Oxyathres. Ultimately, I think the result would be Persia collapsing faster, as at least some satraps would side with Darius over Bessus.
Come to think of it, if Darius survives in captivity, he could easily outlive Alexander - he would have been 57 when Alexander died. At this point, he could get involved in political schemes with the Diadochi, possibly breaking Persia away. Hell, if Alexander and Stateira have a son, Darius' support could be enough to avoid the breakup of Alexander's empire, with Darius acting as regent for his grandson.
Oxyathres would probably try to rescue Darius. I doubt he'd declare himself King of Kings, but he'd probably declare himself regent. Bessus might start his rebellion earlier, which would require him to take out Oxyathres. Ultimately, I think the result would be Persia collapsing faster, as at least some satraps would side with Darius over Bessus.
Come to think of it, if Darius survives in captivity, he could easily outlive Alexander - he would have been 57 when Alexander died. At this point, he could get involved in political schemes with the Diadochi, possibly breaking Persia away. Hell, if Alexander and Stateira have a son, Darius' support could be enough to avoid the breakup of Alexander's empire, with Darius acting as regent for his grandson.
Ransoming him would allow him to hamper the Achaemenid war effort and potentially start a civil war. Granted, I doubt Alexander would do so, but some of his senior advisors and generals, especially Parmenion, would urge him to either take this course of action or execute him, though Alexander was never known for being conventional. I don't see why he would adopt a half-civilized Macedonian barbarian as his heir, especially since the Achaemenids are still relatively intact and have the ability to raise another army, he might simply sit and plot his escape. The real question, is that does Oxyathres manage to secure the throne without trouble, and does he maintain the facade of Darius being Great King? Either way, nobody will side with a disgraced, defeated, and captured king, one of the worst humiliations possible, they will either throw their lot with Oxyathres or Bessus, or go independent. And I'm not sure he could survive in captivity, there might be vengeful Greek or Macedonian officers who may want revenge on him, and there's likely to be plots that attempt to support his restoration. And none of the Diadochi, however much they disagreed with each other, would be keen on collaborating with a defeated, disgraced king, and especially an Achaemenid, as he would be seen as a liability by many of the Diadochi. They marched in force against attempts to restore an Argead to real power, against both Eumenes and Polyperchon, and that was with legitimate heirs of some Macedonian blood around to Alexander, they would certainly do so against an Achaemenid attempting to restore the dynasty towards rulership of Persia. And quite possibly Darius suffers the same fate as his family, quickly disposed of afterwards.
Wasn't Alexanders goal was to unite both cultures through the Susa Marriages, as the Greco-Persian aristocracy that would have arised had he lived longer than OTL. Could that happen here?
A civil war would make it his conquest of Persia faster than OTL. So he might make more inroads to India than OTL.
Or he decides to attack Carthage afterwards.
In OTL Sisygambis adopted Alexander as son, after being captured at Issus, and that brought a lot of support to Alexander’s conquest of Persia, legitimizing his rule
So it's safe to say that the added legitimacy of Darius would be left the administer Persia while Alexander goes off to India with an army in better condition than OTL.
I can imagine the Indo Greek Kingdom surviving to spread greek philosophy to India.
Its a little known fact that in addition to his daughters Darius also had a son who was captured with the rest of his family at Issus.
Said son, Ochus, was subsequently disappeared from history, likely on Alexander's orders. Alexander knew how the game was played.
I believe Darius would be spared but would certainly be kept close at hand by Alex, not given any authority.
Said son, Ochus, was subsequently disappeared from history, likely on Alexander's orders. Alexander knew how the game was played.
I believe Darius would be spared but would certainly be kept close at hand by Alex, not given any authority.
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It would slow it down in fact, if there isn't one, but multiple central authorities all claiming pretensions over significant parts of territory, then one claimant can get defeated at a Gaugamela-esque battle and utterly destroyed, but another would still have his army mostly intact. And especially if certain satrapies go independent, that would be hard to subdue, it would take longer to mop out local resistance, as happened in Central Asia and India, than in the first half of his Persian campaign, which saw a few pitched battles against the Achaemenid royal host.
Didn't that happen after the battle? In any case, Alexander still has to defeat the other claimants, who would de jure be more legitimate being actually of the Achaemenid bloodline and not a Macedonian usurper. While I don't doubt he'll defeat them, not everybody even accepted Alexander and simply submitted to keep their position, which was the case in most of the empire anyway. And allegedly Sisygambis and the rest of Darius' family shifted their support to Alexander because of Darius abandoning his family while fleeing, here, even though getting captured would be a great loss, it would look like he at least tried to stand and fight.
There's no way that Alexander accepts to leave behind the former Great King of the Achaemenids behind in Persia where he can simply rebel and wipe out his army from the rear. And even if Alexander accepts, none of the Greeks or Macedonians within Alexander's army would find such a position tolerable. About the Indo-Greeks, their rise was contingent on a number of specific circumstances, and struck the Shunga while they were weak and having just recently deposed the Maurya, the Nanda and the early realm of Chandragupta, if he still rises, are a lot stronger and have advantages the paper tiger that was the Achaemenids didn't have, and the reverse is true for Alexander venturing into the Indian heartland.
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Yes. Adoption by Darius’ mother would made Alexander as fully legitimate. And much of that depended from the treatment who Alexander had given to them, so is likely who Sisygambis would still adopt Alexander as son, maybe without rejecting Darius here.
He was seen as legitimate because he successfully conquered the whole thing. Sisygambis' adoption merely reinforced it, but was not it's basis. He still had to back up his claim with another military victory.
Sure, he needed also military wins as many do not trusted him, but the ones who do not fought him, accepted him on the base of the adoption. And another big battle with Darius captured is pretty unlikely