Astyages

The Median and Persian Family Tree, showing the intermarriage of the royal houses to create the Medo-Persian Empire

Astyages, Akkadian Ishtumegu, king of Media / of the Medes, son of Cyaxares I; father of Mandane (and thereby grandfather to Cyrus "the Great"); and father to the possible Cyaxares II. Generally recognised as the last king of said empire ruling from 585BC to 550BC before being deposed by Cyrus. Meanwhile, debate does exist that the throne passed to the alleged Cyaxares II before passing to the Persian Cyrus.

Arguments for Succession to Cyrus the Great

The traditional history as recorded by Herodotus tells how Cyrus with the help of Harpagus overthrow his maniacal and despotic grandfather from the throne of Media^{[Citation Needed]} from whence the kingdom was absorbed by the Persian Empire.

Babylonian inscriptions^{[Citation Needed]} tell the story how Cyrus made war with Astyages resulting in a rebellion of the Median troops and Astyages overthrow.

The Greek Ctesias has a different telling of these events.^{[Citation Needed]}

Arguments for Succession to Cyaxares II

The name Cyaxares II comes to us predominantly from Xenophon's Cyropaedia who allegedly campaigned as a mercenary commander for Cyrus the Younger against his brother Artaxerxes II placing him some 150 years from the original events in the life of Cyrus the Great. Yet this volume was among Alexander the Great's most prized possessions and studied it regularly. In the which Xenophon recorded a detailed military history of Cyrus' doings in the which Astyages dies of old age and passes the throne to his son Cyaxares.

The name Cyaxares also appears twice on the Behistun Inscription as two of the nine rebels conquered by Darius I claimed to be "of Cyaxares". The only question remaining since the inscription's first translation has been: Is this a reference to Cyaxares the father of Astyages or to Cyaxares the son of Astyages?

Many have concluded that this must be Darius the Mede from Josephus' assertion that that Darius the Mede was the son of Astyages and was known to the Greeks by another name.^{[Citation Needed]}