Cyrus the Great was a brilliant general who founded the Persian Empire, greatest empire of its day. He was also the king who freed the Jews from exile at Babylon and allowed them to return to Jerusalem, with the Bible describing him as the only non Jew "anointed by god." Cyrus influenced the US Bill of Rights, and is the biblical figure to whom US President Donald Trump has been favorably compared by Christian evangelicals and the Prime Minister of Israel. In this first ever modern biography of Cyrus, noted historical biographer and author of 43 books Stephen Dando-Collins describes Cyrus' fraught youth, his rise to power via rebellion, his dashing military campaigns that destroyed the Median, Lydian and Babylonian empires, and his uniquely magnanimous reign.  With his usual depth of research and highly readable narrative Dando-Collins cuts through myth and folklore to deliver a fascinating account of a fascinating life. PRAISE FOR STEPHEN DANDO-COLLINS “ Rejoice, history readers, there is a new literary giant in the land!” ―LT. COL. DAVE GROSSMAN, author of On Combat and On Killing “Dando-Collins’ gripping narrative ranks with some of the best literature on the triumph of the human spirit.”― PROFESSOR PHILIP SAMPONARO, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley “Stephen Dando-Collins can be relied on to tell engaging stories with verve.”― PROFESSOR PETER STANLEY, University of New South Wales at Canberra “(Dando-Collins is) the legions’ foremost living historian.’ ― ARTS & LETTERS MONTHLY PRAISE FOR CALIGULA ”The short, sordid and violent life of the Roman emperor some have compared to Donald Trump.”― KIRKUS REVIEW “ Was Caligula really mad, bad and dangerous to know? Discover whether he deserves his infamy – or not – in this engrossing character study of the famous emperor.”―MARGARET GEORGE, New York Times bestselling author of The Confessions of a Young Nero and The Splendor Before the Dark Stephen Dando-Collins is the award-winning author of 40 books, including children's novels and biographies. The majority of his works deal with military history ranging from Greek and Roman times to American 19th century history and World War I and World War II. Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Albanian and Korean. Considered an authority on the legions of ancient Rome, his most recent work on the subject, 2012's Legions of Rome, was the culmination of decades of research into the individual legions of Rome. With all his books, Dando-Collins aims to travel roads that others have not, unearthing new facts and opening new perspectives on often forgotten or overlooked people and aspects of history. Australian-born, he has a background in advertising, marketing and market research.