Croesus

Uncommon card · No. 79902

Croesus ( KREE-səs; Ancient Greek: Κροῖσος, romanized: Kroîsos) was the last king of Lydia from 585 BC to 546 BC. He was renowned for his great wealth, as well as his ultimate defeat by the Persian king Cyrus the Great following the siege of Sardis. A son of the Lydian king Alyattes, Croesus ascended to the throne following a succession struggle with his step-brother. He continued his father's expansionist policies and launched a series of military campaigns that eventually brought much of western Asia Minor under Lydian control. Stopping short of attacking the city-states of the Aegean islands, he concluded treaties with them instead and benefited significantly from trade. In addition, he fostered friendly relations with Media, Egypt, Babylonia and Sparta. He became famous for his extravagant riches; Herodotus and Pausanias noted that his gifts were preserved at Delphi. In 550 BC, the Median kingdom, led by Croesus' brother-in-law Astyages, was conquered by the Persian king Cyrus the Great...

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