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Xerxes
The Greek campaign of the Persian King Xerxes is referenced in William of St. Denis' Historia Peregrinorum. In a discussion of the failure of the Second Crusade between William and a companion, William asks why the Crusade was such a failure in light of the advantages of the Crusade had since it was led by powerful kings. William's companion then compared the Second Crusade to Xerxes' failed Greek campaign in the early fifth-century B.C.E. Specifically, William's companion cites the unwieldlyness of the massive armies in both campaigns as the cause of failure.  Scholar Elizabeth Siberry addresses this in her work, Criticism of Crusading, 1095-1274, Clarendon Press, 1985.
Xerxes- Columbia Encyclopedia
Persia- Catholic Encyclopedia
William of St. Denis- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Siberry
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