Cyrus the Great builds the Persian Empire by ruling with tolerance and kindness History's greatest leaders often leave behind some kind of legacy. Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Persian Empire around 500 BC, which was the largest empire of its time (Cyrus II, the Great). The empire stretched from ancient Iran and expanded to include an area stretching from Greece to India (Persian Empire). Cyrus' reign saw some of the first contact between Persia and Greece and helped Persia gain the political power that was once held by the people of Mesopotamia (Cyrus, the Great). Cyrus the Great proved to be an effective leader who developed a strong army stationed strategically throughout the empire to stop rebellions and ensure the security of trade routes, treated captives like Jews with kindness, and established an organized government administration that included satraps who governed locally. .Cambyses I, one of the first Achaemenid kings, ruled Persia around 600 BC. Upon his death, his son Cyrus II took over as king in 559 BC and later became known as Cyrus the Great. As ruler of Persia at the age of 41, Cyrus wanted to gain more power to strengthen the Persian Empire. He began by negotiating an alliance with the Babylonians against the Medes, who were then led by Cyrus' grandfather, Astyages (Cyrus, the Great). Around 550 BC, Astyages feared that his grandson would attempt to form an alliance with his enemy Nabonidus, king of Babylon. Astyages asked Cyrus to come to him in the capital of Ecbatana to discuss the matter, but Cyrus would not (Pettman). With the support of the Babylonians, Cyrus led a revolt and defeated the Medes (Cyrus II, the Great). The Nabodinus Chro...... middle of paper ......w American Bible. 2000-2001 ed. Wichita: Fireside Bible, 2001. Print. Reverend Vers. “Persian Empire.” The Ancient Near East: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Ronald Wallenfels and Jack M. Sasson. Flight. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2000. 171-76. World history in context. Internet. November 25, 2013. “Persian Empire.” The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Mesopotamia. Ed. Don Nardo and Robert B. Kedric. 2007. 220-24. World history in context. Internet. November 25, 2013..Pettman, Andrew. “Cyrus the Great.” Encyclopedia of World History. Ed. Marsha E. Ackerman et al. Flight. 1. New York: Facts on File, 2008. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Web.November 25, 2013. .Stockdale, Nancy. “Cyrus the Great”. History of the world: ancient and medieval periods. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. December 14. 2013