Queen Cassandane Shahbanu was the second Persian Queen of the Achaemenid Dynasty. She was the second Queen to King Cyrus the Great of Persia. King Cyrus the Great married her in order to strengthen his alliance with the Achaemenids.[1] She was most likely the mother of Cambyses II, who would succeed his father as the next King of Persia.[2] Queen Cassandane Shahbanu was also known to wield much power and influence.[3] Even though she was very powerful, very little information is known about her.[4] Most of the known facts about her are still being heavily debated.[5]
Queen Cassandane Shahbanu was born sometime in the 5th century B.C.E. Her place of birth remains unrecorded. Her father was Pharnapses the Red, an Achaemenid.[6] Her mother is mostly unknown, except that she was not Egyptian.[7] It is unknown when she married King Cyrus the Great.[8] He married her in order to strengthen his alliance with the Achaemenids.[9] She was not his Queen.[10] His Queen was King Cyrus the Great’s aunt, Amytis Shahbanu.[11]
According to Herodotus, Cassandane was King Cyrus the Great’s favourite wife, and he loved her deeply.[12] Herodotus also claims that Cassadane was the mother of Prince Cambyses, Prince Bardiya, Princess Atossa, Princess Artystone, and Princess Roxana.[13] Still, it is unclear if Cassandane was King Cyrus the Great’s favourite wife.[14] While it is almost certain that Cambyses II was her son, it is still unclear if they were all her children.[15] Some of them may be from Queen Amytis Shahbanu or King Cyrus the Great’s other wives.[16] Herodotus also claims that Cassandane was very proud, especially in regard to Prince Cambyses.[17]
It is unknown when Queen Amytis Shahbanu passed away.[18] After her death, Cassandane became King Cyrus the Great’s second Queen of Persia.[19] He chose her as Queen because Prince Cambyses was his heir.[20] Queen Cassandane Shahbanu learned from Queen Amytis Shahbanu how to wield power and influence within the Persian court.[21] She was able to exercise her own authority.[22]
It is unknown when Queen Cassandane Shahbanu passed away.[23] Some scholars believe that King Cyrus the Great grieved deeply over her death.[24] He made Babylon mourn for her for six days.[25] However, other scholars believe that it was Queen Amytis Shahbanu whom King Cyrus the Great mourned.[26] It is also unclear whether it is Queen Cassandane Shahbanu or Queen Amytis Shahbanu who was buried in the tower of Zendan-e-Solayman in Pasargadae.[27]
Very little information regarding Queen Cassandane Shahbanu is known. Scholars are in dispute over whose children were hers.[28] They are also in dispute about whether she was the Queen that King Cyrus the Great mourned.[29] Scholars have also spent very little focus on how Queen Cassandane Shahbanu exercised her own power.[30] Instead, more attention and focus is paid to Queen Amytis Shahbanu and her role of queenship in Persian history.[31] With more scholarship, there may be more details about this little-known Queen. What is clear is that Cassandane Shahbanu was a powerful Queen, and her son would be the next King of the Achaemenid Empire.[32]
Sources:
Aizid, R. (2018). Sejarah Terlengkap Peradaban Dunia. Indonesia: Penerbit Noktah.
Dandamaev, M. A. (1992). “Cassandane.” Encyclopaedia Iranica. Vol. 5. Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation. Retrieved on October 9 2023 fromhttps://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/cassandane-wife-of-cyrus-ii-q.
Minsoo, S. (2017). Success strategies in emerging Iranian American women leaders. [Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University]. Pepperdine Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/856/.
Rose, D. & Allen, R. (2018). Ancient Civilizations of the World. United Kingdom: EDTECH.
Waters, M. W. (2022). King of the World: The Life of Cyrus the Great. NY: Oxford University Press.
Zarghamee, R. (2015). Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World. Washington D.C.: Mage Publishers Incorporated.
[1] Waters, 2022
[2] Zarghamee, 2015
[3] Minsoo, 2017
[4] Minsoo, 2017
[5] Waters, 2022
[6] Zarghamee, 2015; Waters, 2022
[7] Waters, 2022
[8] Waters, 2022
[9] Waters, 2022
[10] Aizid, 2018; Minsoo, 2017
[11] Aizid, 2018; Minsoo, 2017
[12] Waters, 2022
[13] Waters, 2022
[14] Waters, 2022
[15] Zarghamee, 2015; Waters, 2022
[16] Waters, 2022
[17] Waters, 2022
[18] Minsoo, 2017
[19] Minsoo, 2017
[20] Zarghamee, 2015
[21] Minsoo, 2017
[22] Minsoo, 2017
[23] Waters, 2022
[24] Dandamaev, 1992
[25] Dandamaev, 1992
[26] Aizid, 2018
[27] Dandamaev, 1992; Aizid, 2018
[28] Waters, 2022
[29] Dandamaev, 1992; Aizid, 2018
[30] Minsoo, 2017
[31] Minsoo, 2017
[32] Minsoo, 2017; Zarghamee, 2015
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