Who Was Haman to King Ahasuerus in Esther 3?
Haman was not the king, but he stood close enough to the throne to turn royal power against an entire people. Esther 3 shows how a promoted official used delegated authority to write a death decree.
Who Was Xerxes' Father? Esther 1 Gives No Name
The opening of Esther introduces a king called Ahasuerus and describes his vast empire and lavish feast, but it never names his father. Any link between Ahasuerus and the Persian king history calls Xerxes is reconstruction, not something the text states.