Themistocles is one of ancient Athens’ most celebrated yet controversial figures. He made Athens the world’s foremost naval power, and he was the supreme commander of the Battle of Salamis, the turning point in the Persian War. However, later, he was accused of betraying Athens to its greatest rival, Persia, when after the war he entered the service of the Persian King Ataxerxes I, the son of King Xerxes whom Themistocles had defeated at during the Persian War.