Chandragupta II

Examples of Chandragupta II in the following topics:

• Rise of the Gupta Empire

  • According to the Gupta records, Samudragupta nominated his son, Prince Chandragupta II, born of Queen Dattadevi, as his successor.
  • However, his eldest son, Ramagupta, may have been his immediate successor until he was dethroned by Chandragupta II in 380 CE.
  • After gaining power, Chandragupta II expanded the Gupta Empire through conquest and political marriages until the end of his reign in 413 CE.
  • The period of Gupta rule, especially the reign of Chandragupta II, is still remembered as the Golden Age of India.
  • The Iron Pillar of Delhi, India, erected by Chandragupta II to honor the Hindu god Vishnu, in the 4th century CE.

• The Golden Age of India

  • Although Chandragupta I and his son, Samudragupta, were prominent rulers, the reign of Chandragupta II included the greatest promotion of science, art, philosophy, and religion by the government.
  • Chandragupta's court was even more influential than those that came before or after because it contained the Navaratnas, or the Nine Jewels, a group of nine scholars who produced advancements in many academic fields.
  • Fa Xian was one of the first Chinese travelers to visit India during the reign of Gupta Emperor Chandragupta II.
  • Scholars during the reign of Chandragupta II contributed many scientific advancements in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and medicine.

• Decline of the Gupta Empire

  • The Gupta Empire flourished, in military and territorial conquests as well as cultural and scholastic advancements, during the reign of Emperor Chandragupta II.
  • In 415 CE, Chandragupta II was succeeded by his second son, Kumaragupta I, who ruled successfully until 455 CE.
  • Thereafter came a succession of weak kings, beginning with Kumaragupta II from 473-476 CE, followed by Budhagupta, the son of Purugupta.

• Expansion of the Maurya Empire

  • In 305 BCE, Emperor Chandragupta Maurya led a series of campaigns to retake the satrapies left behind by Alexander the Great when he returned westward.
  • In return, Chandragupta sent 500 war elephants, a military asset which would play a decisive role in Seleucus' victory against western Hellenistic kings at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE.
  • Later, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, sent an ambassador named Dionysius to the Mauryan court.
  • Chandragupta Maurya ruled from 322 BCE until his voluntary retirement and abdication, in favor of his son, Bindusara, in 298 BCE.
  • Chandragupta extended the borders of the Maurya Empire toward Seleucid Persia, after defeating Seleucus c. 305 BCE.

• Rise of the Maurya Empire

  • Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya Empire in 322 BCE when he conquered the kingdom of Magadha and the northwestern Macedonian satrapies.
  • Chanakya encouraged the young Chandragupta Maurya and his army to take over the throne of Magadha.
  • Rakshasa became Chandragupta's chief advisor, and Chanakya assumed the position of an elder statesman.
  • Statue of Chandragupta Maurya at the Birla Mandir Hindu temple, Delhi
  • Chandragupta Maurya conquered the kingdom of Magadha to found the Maurya Empire in 231 BCE, at the age of 21.

• Centralization in the Maurya Empire

  • Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya Empire, ruled from 324-297 BCE, before voluntarily abdicating in favor of his son, Bindusara, who ruled from 297 BCE until his death in 272 BCE.
  • Chandragupta Maurya, the father of the dynasty, established a single currency across India, a network of regional governors and administrators, and a civil service to provide justice and security for merchants, farmers, and traders.
  • Chandragupta Maurya established a single currency across India, including these silver punch mark coins with symbols of wheel and elephant, 3rd century BCE

• Alexander's Empire

  • Taking advantage of this, Chandragupta Maurya (referred to in Greek sources as Sandrokottos), of relatively humble origin, took control of the Punjab, and with that power base proceeded to conquer the Nanda Empire.

• Ashoka's Conversion

  • Chandragupta Maurya's embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Ashoka's embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the foundation of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India.

• The Rise of the Macedon

  • Philip II’s conquests during the Third Sacred War cemented his power, as well as the influence of Macedon, throughout the Hellenic world.
  • Macedon’s rise is largely attributable to the policies during Philip II’s rule.
  • For many Macedonian rulers, the Achaemenid Empire in Persia was a major sociopolitical influence, and Philip II was no exception.

• Restoration of the Stuarts

  • Over a decade after Charles I's 1649 execution and Charles II's 1651 escape to mainland Europe, the Stuarts were restored to the English throne by Royalists in the aftermath of the slow fall of the Protectorate.  
  • On April 4, 1660, Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda, in which he made several promises in relation to the reclamation of the crown of England.
  • On May 8, it proclaimed that King Charles II had been the lawful monarch since the execution of Charles I on January 30, 1649.
  • Charles II of England by Peter Lely, 1675, Collection of Euston Hall, Suffolk
  • King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration.