CyaxaresKyaxares

The son of Phraortes and the third king of the Medes; he ruled from 625-585 BCE.

Kyaxares’ father, Phraortes, and his grandfather, Deiokes (Deioces), had expanded the influence of the Medes with military might but both were new to the theory and practice of military strategy; Kyaxares had a broader vision as to the role and potential of the military; he organized the troops into separate units based on the type of weapons they used; this was an innovative concept and proved to be effective but not as decisive as Kyaxares had hoped.

Kyaxares had expanded the empire of the Medes into Asia and confronted the Assyrians outside the city of Ninus (Nineveh) when he was simply overwhelmed by the unexpected invasion of the Skythians (Scythians); the Skythians proved to be fierce fighters but poor administrators of the territory they conquered; Kyaxares was forced to retreat from the Skythians and relinquished his rule for twenty-eight years; Kyaxares and the Medes eventually gained the advantage and drove the Skythians back into the northern lands from which they had emerged; Kyaxares finally subdued all of western Asia except for the city of Babylon; he ruled for forty years and was succeeded by his son, Astyages.

• Histories, book 1, chapter 103-107