First Persian Invasion (jan 1, 492 BC – jan 1, 490 BC)

Description:

The invasion of the independent Greek city-states was ordered by the Persian king Darius the Great, wanting to punish Athens and Eretria after they had supported the earlier Ionian Revolt.
Darius also saw the subjugation of Greece as an opportunity to expand into Southeast Europe and thereby ensure the security of the Achaemenid Empire's western frontier.

492: First Campaign led by Mardonius:
- Re-subjugated Thrace and forced Macedon to become a fully subordinate client kingdom within the Achaemenid Empire
- Further progress was prevented when Mardonius' fleet was wrecked in a storm off the coast of Mount Athos
- Darius sent envoys to all parts of Greece the following year, demanding their submission. He received it from almost all of them, but not from Athens and Sparta, both of which executed the envoys sent to them. With Athens still defiant, and Sparta now effectively at war with the Persians, Darius ordered a further military campaign for the following year.

490:

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