The Education of Cyrus

Introduction

This is a historical novel about the ideal ruler. Xenophon takes as his hero Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire, and tells of his education, of how he won the loyalty of soldiers and allies, and of how he governed conquered peoples with justice and generosity until he had built a vast empire. Blending history, philosophy, warfare and political thought, it is regarded as the first 'mirror for princes' in the West, and statesmen and thinkers from Cicero and Machiavelli to the American founders drew lessons from it.