Evagoras (ĭvăg`ərəs), d. c.374 B.C., despot of Cyprus. Exiled in his youth, he returned (411 B.C.) and made good his claim as ruler of Salamis. By 410 B.C. he had spread his control over the whole island. Friendly to Athens, he sought to bring Athenian culture to Cyprus, partly by giving refuge to exiled Athenians (notably Conon). Evagoras built a powerful fleet and with it harried the mainland (under Persian control). After the Peace of Antalcidas (386 B.C., see Corinthian War Corinthian War (395 B.C.–86 B.C.), armed conflict between Corinth, Argos, Thebes, and Athens on one side and Sparta on the other. Angered by Sparta's tyrannical overlordship in Greece after the Peloponnesian War, several Greek states took advantage of Sparta's
..... Click the link for more information. ), he lost all Greek support and found himself alone in war with Persia. Artaxerxes II Artaxerxes II, d. 358 B.C., king of ancient Persia (404–358 B.C.), son and successor of Darius II . He is sometimes called in Greek Artaxerxes Mnemon [the thoughtful]. Early in his reign Cyrus the Younger attempted to assassinate him and seize the throne.
..... Click the link for more information. defeated him in 381 B.C. and destroyed his fleet. Given easy peace terms, Evagoras kept at least nominal rule of the island. Isocrates wrote an encomium of him.

Evagoras

(died 374 BC) King of Salamis, Cyprus (c. 410–374). He pursued a policy of friendship with Athens and the promotion of Hellenism. He secured Persian aid for Athens against Sparta. With help from Athens and Egypt, he extended his rule over most of Cyprus and part of Anatolia. Relations with Persia later became hostile, and he was defeated by Persia in 381. Though he remained king of Salamis in name, he was in fact a vassal of Persia. He was assassinated by a eunuch.