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satrap |
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satrap (sā`trăp), governor of a province (satrapy) of the ancient Persian Empire. He was nominated by the king and given extensive powers. Darius I Darius I (Darius the Great) (dərī`əs), d. 486 B.C., king of ancient Persia (521–486 B.C. ..... Click the link for more information. reorganized the privileges and duties of his satraps in the 6th cent. B.C.; the number of satraps varied from 20 to 28 during his reign. To prevent the concentration of power in one man's hands, certain officials, responsible only to the king, checked up on the satrap. The king also regulated the taxes and imposed a fixed sum upon each satrap. Alexander the Great revised the system, replacing Persians with Macedonians and reducing their powers. The command of the troops was taken from the satraps, who lost the right to engage mercenaries and to issue coinage. satrapProvincial governor in the Achaemenian empire. Darius I (r. 522–486 BC) established 20 satrapies with an annual tribute. Appointed by the king, satraps were usually of the royal family or Persian nobility and held office indefinitely. They collected taxes, were the highest judicial authority, and were responsible for internal security and for raising and maintaining an army. Controls guarded against the abuse of power, but after the mid 5th century BC, with central authority weakened, satrapies became virtually independent. Alexander the Great and his successors retained the satraps. satrap 1. (in ancient Persia) a provincial governor 2. a subordinate ruler, esp a despotic one How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| Instead of visiting wrath and destruction upon conquered populations, he respected their customs while also offering local leaders important positions as imperial satraps. The first is the story of the Lithuanian boyhood of Schaja Schachnowski and his family--all of whom suffered through World War II under the occupying German regime and its murderous local satraps for the Nazi-defined crime of being Jews. Still, it was with some discomfort, and even regret, that they recounted how they had terrorized their charges, and described themselves as punitive satraps, "always bossing [them] around. |
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