Ahasuerus

Ahasuerus (identified with the Persian king Xerxes I, reigned 486–465 BC) is the king in the book of Esther at whose court the story unfolds. He deposed his queen Vashti for refusing to appear at his banquet and subsequently selected Esther as queen through an empire-wide beauty search (Esther 1–2). He later approved Haman's edict calling for the destruction of all Jews in his empire without fully understanding its implications (Esther 3:8–11). When Esther approached him unbidden—risking death—and revealed the plot, he reversed the edict and authorized the Jewish people to defend themselves (Esther 7–8). In Ezra 4:6, an Ahasuerus receives accusations against Jerusalem's rebuilding. Xerxes I is known from Greek sources for his massive but ultimately failed invasion of Greece (480 BC).