Why did Darius I choose Xerxes I as his heir instead of Artabazanes?

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Darius I chose Xerxes I as his heir over his elder son, Artabazanes, primarily because Xerxes was the first son born to Darius after he had ascended to the throne.1

While Artabazanes was older, he had been born before Darius became king. By naming Xerxes—the son of Darius and Atossa, a daughter of Cyrus the Great—as his successor, Darius effectively united the two branches of the Achaemenid family. This decision solidified the legitimacy of his reign by linking his own lineage with that of the founder of the empire.21