Cambyses

Cambyses, king of the Persians and Medes, and son of Cyrus the Great, ascended the throne on the death of his father in 529 B.C. A few years afterwards he conquered Egypt. His subsequent efforts, however, had far from so happy an issue. The army he sent against the Ammonites perished in the desert, and a later expedition into Nubia, led by himself, suffered severe losses unaccompanied by corresponding conquests. These misfortunes affected his disposition, and he gave way to dissipation and cruel treatment of his subjects, murdering even his brother Smerdis. He died in 521 B.C.