Who is the satrap? Meaning of the word. Who in ancient times was called satraps?

Now hardly anyone, hearing how someone is called satrap, will be awed. Most likely, people will think about the evil actions of this person and will condemn him. But there were times when they wanted to become a satrap, honoring it for a great honor. Who is this satrap? What does this word mean now and what did it mean earlier?

Etymology of the word

The origin of the word "satrap" has several interpretations. On the ancient Greek, slightly different from the modern, "σατράπης" is a rich man, governor of the Persian ruler. Interestingly, in Greece even now some parents give their sons the name Satrapis. The same meaning has the same meaning in the Iranian language. There it sounds like khshatrapâ. The ancient Persians xšaθrapāvan (kshathrapavan) consisted of two words - "kshathra", meaning the kingdom, and "pavan", ie, the defender. It turns out, the satrap of the ancient Persian is the defender of the kingdom. There is another unusual explanation of what the word "satrap" means. In Sanskrit, the root of "sat" is being, the body of the universe, existence, and in a broader sense - truth, light, that from which life develops. "Ra" is a facilitator. In this case, Sat-Ra-P will be interpreted as "the truth of light trampling."

Satrapies and Satrapies

Answering the question of who such a satrap is, it is necessary to return to Ancient Persia mentally. This once extremely powerful state is now called Iran. From 558 to 330 BC, the Achaemenids ruled the country. They were distinguished by their militancy, often attacked neighboring states and managed to conquer most of them. Media, Lydia, Bactria, Nubia, Colchis, Thrace and many others were part of the Persian kingdom. Of course, it was difficult to manage such a huge territory to one person, even the most powerful one. Therefore, Darius I, who reigned at that time, introduced a new system of government. He divided the entire territory of the country on the region - the satrapy, each of which was obliged to pay him tribute unquestioningly. They supervised the collection of tribute and followed the order in the entrusted territory of the satrap. It is clear that they were very respected people, the first after the king.

Rights and obligations of satraps

To become a satrap in those times was considered a great mercy and a great success. Assigned to this post personally Darius I, selecting candidates from among his relatives or family members of the court nobility. The chosen one thanked the gods for this, since now everything in his satrapy was subject to him, from the last slave to the highest official. Satrap controlled the collection of taxes, monitored the maintenance of the army, acted as the supreme judge, that is, he had the right to execute and to pardon. He could even mint coins. If we consider that the tsar did not interfere in the internal and external affairs of the satrapies, allowing them to even fight with each other, one can understand who the satrap was, and who he was for his subordinates. The only thing that limited his power - the royal garrisons, obeyed only the king. This was done so that the satraps did not try to achieve the full independence of their satrapy. In practice, the leadership of the garrisons reported to the tsar on the satraps, and they, in turn, directed the garrison. So the tsar controlled the activities of one and the other.

Satrapia under the yoke of excessive back taxes

The taxation imposed by Darius I placed a heavy burden on the shoulders of conquered peoples. Fertile land they took away and distributed to the Persian nobility, which did not pay any taxes. All the rest had to regularly give the king a strictly fixed amount, calculated depending on the fertility and the size of their land. Taxes have been imposed on even temples. Later tribute began to collect silver. Its number was also strictly fixed. Those satrapies, in whose territory there were no silver mines, had to buy this precious metal. With such conduct of affairs conquered states often rebelled. The most significant uprising occurred in 373 BC, when several regions rose against the tsar. They were supported by the Egyptians and Greeks. Artaxerxes II, then ruling Persia, was able to suppress the insurrection only in 359 AD. This historical fact perfectly explains who a satrap is, and what a tremendous power people have in this position.

The most famous satrap of Persia

Now there are units who know who the satrap Harpag is. But this is the first deputy of the tsar, which is documented. This person was written by Herodotus, his name is mentioned in myths, and his story entered the cycle of stories by the science fiction writer Paul Anders "Patrol of Time". Harpagus, while in the service of King Astyages, received orders to kill the newborn son of Mandana, the daughter of the king of Media. The oracle predicted that this child would become the master of the world, and Astyages tried to argue with fate. Harpag, not wishing to personally commit infanticide, gave the baby a shepherd named Mithridates. He brought it home. The wife of Mithridates had just given birth to a dead baby, and that was put instead of the royal one, and the prince was taken to himself. The dead child Mithridates took Harpaga, and he reported to the king about the execution of the commission. Thus, the child, who later became Cyrus the Great, remained alive. Later, Astyages learned about the deception and, as punishment for disobedience, fed Harpaga with the meat of his own son. Harpag cruelly avenged, leading the revolt against the tsar and displacing him from the throne.

Other famous satraps

Another satrap, who left a significant mark in the history, is Orontes I. Plutarch, Demosthenes, Diodorus, and others wrote about him. Orontes I was the satrap of Armenia. He repeatedly raised the people to revolt against the tsar, sought independence of Armenia, fought against the Cyprian king. His name was the river now known as Typhon. In addition, Orontes I is the native grandfather of Orontes II, from which the Orontides race in Armenia goes.

There was also a satrap of Mazes, who ruled Cilicia, Syria, the lands of Israel and Lebanon. Later, Macedonia was added to his satrapy. When Persia was conquered by Alexander of Macedon, Maze was the satrap of Babylon. He gave the city to the Romans without a fight, for which he not only remained there in his previous position, but also received permission from Alexander the Great to print his own coins, which were deprived of other satraps. The meaning of the word is now sometimes interpreted as the rulers of states that are dependent on a stronger power.

The satraps of tsarist Russia

The satraps in ancient times were called guardians of the state. Gradually this word became a household word. Most likely, by analogy with the ancient Persian tsarist governors, who tore taxes from the people, regardless of their entreaties or tears, the satraps began to call collectors of taxes in tsarist Russia. Later this term began to apply to all statesmen, governors and bosses, who were distinguished by rigidity. One of them is Arakcheev. He went down in history as an extremely merciless warlord, who was tormenting soldiers with drill, frut and corporal punishments. There was even a new term for cruelty - Arakcheevism. In ancient Persia, not all satraps were of good character. Information has survived, like the killing of King Darius III. He himself was the satrap of Armenia, but in view of the fact that there was no one left who could take the reins of government, he took the royal throne. Through incomplete 6 years, he was betrayed and brutally murdered by other satraps. Having organized the plot, they seized Darius III, inflicted many wounds on him, and left him to die on the road. It is noteworthy that the leader of the conspirators was Bess.

The satraps of our time

After the merciless rulers of tsarist Russia, the satraps began to call the Bolsheviks, who conducted repressions against wealthy citizens who shot the royal family, even children. The satraps call Stalin, Beria, Hitler, all those who committed and committed crimes against humanity. This word is also used in the literature. So, recently published a new journalistic novel by Udovenko "Satrapons of Satan", in which the author describes the really occurred cases of concealment of various crimes by corrupt officials of Russia occupying the highest positions of state power. Another book, Son of the Satrap, was written by Henri Troyat. Her plot is built on memories by the author of her childhood.