Which Persian king invaded Greece in 480 BC?

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Which Persian king invaded Greece in 480 BC? Xerxes I led the invasion. The campaign was the second Persian invasion of Greece and began after the earlier defeat of Persian forces at Marathon in 490 BC.

Xerxes inherited the conflict from his father, Darius I, and spent several years assembling a vast army and fleet. In 480 BC, Persian forces crossed the Hellespont and advanced through Thrace and Macedonia. Greek resistance famously delayed them at Thermopylae, while the Persian fleet later fought the Greeks at Salamis.

The invasion is often confused with Darius I’s campaign. Darius ordered the first invasion, which culminated in the Persian defeat at Marathon. Xerxes was his son and successor, and he renewed the attempt a decade later. Although Xerxes captured and burned Athens, the Greek victory at Salamis forced him to withdraw much of his army. The following year, the Persians were defeated at Plataea, ending the invasion.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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