Who was Chanakya in real
Artaxerxes (Artaxšacā) IV Arses (Persian: اردشيرچهارم) was king of Persia (Achaemenid Empire/अजमीढ़ साम्राज्य) between 338 BC and 336 BC. He was the youngest son of King Artaxerxes III and Atossa and was not expected to succeed to the throne of Persia. His unexpected rise to the throne came in 338 BC as a result of the murder of his father and most of his family by Bagoas(Chanakya), the powerful Vizier(प्रधानमंत्री) of Persia who had recently fallen in Artaxerxes' disfavor.
Since Artaxerexes-III is referred to as Nindin or a Nanda in the Babylonian texts this immediately recalls the account in the Indian texts that Chanakya had decimated the Nanda line.
Bagoas sought to remain in office by replacing Artaxerxes with his son Arses (Artaxerxes IV), whom he thought easier to control. Arses remained little more than a puppet-king during the two years of his reign, while Bagoas acted as the real power behind the throne. Eventually, disgruntled by this state of affairs and possibly influenced by the nobles of the Royal Court, who generally held Bagoas in contempt, Arses started planning Bagoas' murder. The Vizier again acted first in order to protect himself and managed to poison Arses. Bagoas then raised a cousin of Arses to the throne as King Darius III of Persia.
When Darius attempted to become independent of the powerful vizier, Bagoas(Chanakya) tried to poison him too; but Darius was warned and forced Bagoas to drink the poison himself.
A major concern for Persia during this King's short reign were hostilities on the western borders with Macedonia under Kings Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. This would lead to war between the two states during the reign of Arses' successor.
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