Quick Facts
Died:
June 336 bc
Title / Office:
king (338BC-336BC), Persia
House / Dynasty:
Achaemenid Empire
Notable Family Members:
father Artaxerxes III
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Arses (died June 336 bc) was an Achaemenid king of Persia who reigned from November 338–June 336 bc. He was the youngest son of Artaxerxes III Ochus and Atossa.

Arses had been placed on the throne by the eunuch Bagoas, who had murdered Arses’ father and all his brothers. Little is known of Arses’ short reign; the major external event was the invasion of Asia Minor by Philip II of Macedon, ostensibly because Arses refused to make reparation to Philip for Artaxerxes’ aid to the city of Perinthus against Philip.

The young Arses objected to the tyrannical control by Bagoas and attempted to poison him. Instead, Arses and all his children were killed, and Bagoas gave the throne to a collateral heir, Darius III.

Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon in Coronation Robes or Napoleon I Emperor of France, 1804 by Baron Francois Gerard or Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon Gerard, from the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles.
Britannica Quiz
Kings and Emperors (Part III) Quiz
This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.