Little Kourosh, in the solitude of his mind, which was filled with the knowledge of future history, continued his reflections on the Achaemenid family tree he had found on the ancient clay tablet. He connected his thoughts to the future of this dynasty and the great challenges that awaited it. He knew well that even after the founding of the great empire by Cyrus the Great, this dynasty would face significant internal threats; threats that could endanger the thousand-year stability of his dream and plunge it into a whirlpool of chaos. One of these important and fateful events was the conspiracy that occurred after the death of his son, Cambyses II, on his way back from Egypt, casting a shadow of instability over the Achaemenid throne. This event was a sign of the fragility of power, even at its peak.
Cambyses II, the direct heir of Cyrus the Great and the next emperor, led a massive army to Egypt to expand the realm and conquer new lands. But after his conquests and on his way back, he died under suspicious circumstances, and this sudden death created a huge and dangerous power vacuum in the empire's capital, Persepolis. At this sensitive and tumultuous moment, a man named Gaumata, of the Magian tribe, with cunning, deceit, and by using his physical resemblance, impersonated Bardiya, the brother of Cambyses and son of Cyrus the Great, who had died before Cambyses II's campaign to Egypt. This act plunged the empire into great turmoil, as the people and the nobles, due to Gaumata's incredible resemblance to Bardiya and Cambyses's long absence in Egypt, were deceived and accepted him as the rightful king.
This crisis severely threatened the stability of the fledgling empire. At a time when the government was on the verge of collapse and fragmentation, and rebellions were breaking out in every corner, Darius, one of the Persian nobles belonging to the Ariaramnes branch and a loyalist to the ideals of Cyrus the Great, rose up. With his six loyal companions, each of whom was an elite Persian noble and general, he rebelled against the false Bardiya. A bloody and decisive battle ensued, and in the end, Darius succeeded in eliminating Gaumata and reclaiming the Achaemenid throne. This victory not only saved the empire from collapse but also guided the course of history toward a new chapter.
After gaining power and consolidating his position, Darius had his own account of these events carved into a massive, trilingual inscription on the face of Mount Behistun. This inscription, which is known as the Behistun Inscription and was considered the official historical record of the Achaemenids at the time, details the rebellion of Gaumata, how Darius confronted him, and the suppression of numerous subsequent revolts. In this inscription, Darius presents himself as chosen by Ahura Mazda and the savior of the empire; someone who has come to restore order and truth to the world. At the end of this epic narrative, Darius curses anyone who would lie or disbelieve his inscription; this firm tone indicates the importance of legitimacy, truth-telling, and the consolidation of power in his rule.
From this point on, the rule effectively passed to the Ariaramnes branch of the Achaemenid dynasty. This change in the line of succession demonstrated the fragility of power and the importance of legitimacy in the empire. To strengthen his position and connect with the founding dynasty, Darius proceeded to marry the daughters of Cyrus the Great, including Atossa. Atossa, the intelligent and influential daughter of Cyrus, not only gave Darius more legitimacy but also greatly helped the stability of his government with her influence at court. These marriages strengthened the roots of Darius's power in the Achaemenid soil.
Of course, subsequent generations also benefited from these marriages to maintain legitimacy and a connection to the two main branches of the dynasty. Xerxes, the grandson of Cyrus the Great and the son of Atossa and Darius, became the next ruler of the empire. Little Kourosh remembered that Darius had older sons from his other wives. However, the courtiers and nobles considered Xerxes the rightful heir, mainly due to his mother's lineage as the daughter of Cyrus the Great. This blood tie to the founder of the empire strengthened his position. Furthermore, Xerxes was born at a time when Darius had reached the peak of his power and held the title "King of Kings," which also added to the legitimacy and grandeur of Xerxes's birth as a prince. Xerxes himself emphasizes this lineage in his famous inscription, saying: "I am Xerxes, the great king, king of kings, king of the lands, king of this great world, son of King Darius, an Achaemenid. King Darius, who was my father, did many things by the will of Ahura Mazda... My father Darius had other sons, but he made me the greatest after himself by the will of Ahura Mazda. When King Darius went to his fate, by the will of Ahura Mazda, I became king over this land, I sat on my father's throne." This king was, in a way, a combination of the two main branches of the dynasty, and his presence on the throne was a symbol of the continuity and unity of the Achaemenid dynasty after the Gaumata crisis.
Little Kourosh, by pondering these events and intrigues, became more and more certain of his decision to establish a stable and strong government. He did not want his empire to be so vulnerable that someone like Gaumata could impersonate a dead prince and plunge the government into crisis. He knew he had to establish a system in which accurate and swift information, transparency in succession, and unconditional loyalty would block any path to deception, internal rebellion, and hidden conspiracies.
These thoughts strengthened Kourosh's resolve to implement deeper reforms in the governmental, military, and intelligence structures of his empire. He intended to use his vast twenty-first-century knowledge to design a system that would not only be powerful against external threats but also immune to internal intrigues, leaving a lasting legacy of stability, justice, and prosperity for thousands of years. He wanted his empire to be a symbol of stability and wisdom that would never sink into the whirlpool of instability.