Vashti was a queen of Persia. She was married to King Ahasuerus, who was also called Xerxes I. She lost her position as queen after she refused to appear before the guests at a royal banquet (Esther 1:9–19).
Neither Vashti nor Queen Esther (who came after her) are mentioned in historical records outside the Bible. Because of this, some scholars have suggested they might have been less important wives or concubines (women who lived with the king but had lower status than wives) who were given the title "queen."
A Greek historian named Plutarch wrote about Persian customs. He said Persian kings usually ate meals with their official wives. However, when the kings wanted to have feasts with heavy drinking, they would send their wives away and bring in their concubines.
Some people use this information to argue that Vashti was only a concubine. But several facts show that Vashti was truly a queen:
She was asked to wear a royal crown at the banquet.
She is called "queen" in all references before she was removed from her position.
The king said her actions would influence all women in the kingdom.
Her refusal to come to the banquet makes more sense if she was a queen since queens were not usually present at drinking feasts.