Satrap
Also called: Kshatrapa · Topic: The Mauryan Empire · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 5 "The Rise of Empires"; Class 7, Ch 6 "The Age of Reorganisation"
Meaning
A satrap was the governor of a province in the Persian or Greek empires. An overlord left a satrap in charge of a region, and the satrap had a lot of power and freedom there. The Indian form of the word is kshatrapa. The word matters for two periods: Alexander's invasion and the later Shaka rulers.
Example
After Alexander left northwest India in 325 BCE, he left Porus and other local rulers to govern as satraps. In the years after c. 321 BCE, Chandragupta Maurya defeated these Greek satraps and pushed Mauryan control as far as Afghanistan and Baluchistan. Much later, Shaka rulers such as Rudradaman I (c. 150 CE) were called kshatrapas.
Don't confuse with
- Pradeśhika: a Mauryan district governor appointed by the emperor. A satrap governed a province for a foreign overlord.
- Tributary (vassal): a king who kept his own throne and paid tribute (gifts of wealth) to an emperor. A satrap was the overlord's own provincial governor.