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[[File:Medo-Persia - Achaemid Family Tree - inc Otanes & Cyaxares II.PNG|500px|thumb|right|The Archaemid Family Tree, showing the intermarriage of the royal houses to create the Medo-Persian Empire.]]

[[File:Medo-Persia - Achaemid Family Tree - inc Otanes & Cyaxares II.PNG|500px|thumb|right|The Archaemid Family Tree, showing the intermarriage of the royal houses to create the Medo-Persian Empire.]]

'''Bardiya''' (old Persian 𐎲𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹)<ref>{{cite book|last=Akbarzadeh|first=D.|author2=A. Yahyanezhad|title=The Behistun Inscriptions (Old Persian Texts)|publisher=Khaneye-Farhikhtagan-e Honarhaye Sonati|year=2006|language=Persian|isbn=964-8499-05-5|pages=59}}</ref>, or also known as either '''Smerdis''' (ancient Greek Σμέρδις) or '''Tanaoxares'''<ref>Xenophon, ''Cyropedia'' 8.7.11</ref> as he was known to the Greeks, was the second son to [[Cyrus|Cyrus II "the Great"]].

'''Bardiya''' (old Persian 𐎲𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹)<ref>{{cite book|last=Akbarzadeh|first=D.|author2=A. Yahyanezhad|title=The Behistun Inscriptions (Old Persian Texts)|publisher=Khaneye-Farhikhtagan-e Honarhaye Sonati|year=2006|language=Persian|isbn=964-8499-05-5|pages=59}}</ref>, or also known as either '''Smerdis''' (ancient Greek Σμέρδις) or '''Tanaoxares''' (ancient Greek Ταναοζάρη)<ref>Xenophon, ''Cyropedia'' 8.7.11</ref> as he was known to the Greeks, was the second son to [[Cyrus|Cyrus II "the Great"]].

Granted the [[Satrapy|satrapy]] of Media, [[Armenia]] and [[Cadusia]] as [[cyrus|Cyrus']] last will and testament,<ref>Xenophon, ''Cyropedia'' 8.7.11</ref>, he was later murdered at the hands of his older brother through a third party in response to a dream{{citation needed}} wherein [[Cambyses II]] perceived ''Smerdis'' to usurp his throne.  This murder was done so professionally that few even seem to have realised that he was dead leading the coup of two Median brothers to assume the persona of ''Smerdis'' (who we now commonly call "[[False Smerdis]]") and claim [[Cambyses II|Cambyses II's]] throne while he was yet returning from the campaign of Egypt.

Granted the [[Satrapy|satrapy]] of Media, [[Armenia]] and [[Cadusia]] as [[cyrus|Cyrus']] last will and testament,<ref>Xenophon, ''Cyropedia'' 8.7.11</ref>, he was later murdered at the hands of his older brother through a third party in response to a dream{{citation needed}} wherein [[Cambyses II]] perceived ''Smerdis'' to usurp his throne.  This murder was done so professionally that few even seem to have realised that he was dead leading the coup of two Median brothers to assume the persona of ''Smerdis'' (who we now commonly call "[[False Smerdis]]") and claim [[Cambyses II|Cambyses II's]] throne while he was yet returning from the campaign of Egypt.

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