Cassander
Cassander was a prominent figure in the aftermath of Alexander the Great's death, serving as a general and later becoming regent of Macedonia. He was the son of Antipater, who was Alexander's regent during the king's lifetime. Following Alexander's passing in 323 BCE, the power struggle began as two successors, Philip Arridaeus and the infant Alexander IV, emerged. Cassander initially held a subordinate role under regent Polyperchon but later allied with Antigonus I Monophthalmos in an attempt to seize control.
In a significant power move, Cassander besieged and ultimately executed Olympias, Alexander's mother, after she murdered Philip III to secure power for her grandson. By 316 BCE, he had established himself as regent and married Thessalonice, a half-sister of Alexander. Cassander is known for refounding Thebes, which had been destroyed by Alexander, and he eventually declared himself king around 305 BCE after solidifying his power. His reign marked the end of the Argead dynasty in Macedonia, paving the way for the rise of new Hellenistic kingdoms. Upon his death in 297 BCE, Cassander left a tumultuous legacy, as his heirs struggled for control, leading to further fragmentation of power in the region.
Cassander
Related civilizations: Macedonia, Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt
Major role/position: King of Macedonia
Life
Cassander, who represented his father, Antipater, Alexander the Great’s regent, joined Alexander in fighting at Babylon in 324 b.c.e. After Alexander’s death in 323 b.c.e., the succession fell to Philip Arridaeus (Alexander’s mentally impaired half brother, known as Philip III as regent) and Alexander IV (Alexander’s infant son). When Antipater died in 319 b.c.e., Polyperchon became regent while Cassander remained in a subordinate role. Cassander formed an alliance with Antigonus I Monophthalmos against Polyperchon; they invaded Macedonia but were unsuccessful. In 318 b.c.e., Olympias, Alexander the Great’s mother, in an attempt to gain power for herself and her grandson Alexander IV, murdered Philip III and forced his wife, Eurydice, to commit suicide. Olympias claimed to rule for her grandson, but Cassander besieged her in Pydna in 316 b.c.e., forced her to surrender, and put her on trial for the murders she had ordered. She was condemned to death and killed by the relatives of her victims. Cassander, now regent, married Alexander the Great’s half sister Thessalonice.
In 316 b.c.e., Cassander refounded Thebes, which Alexander had destroyed earlier. Around 310 b.c.e., he had Alexander IV and his mother murdered but did not assume the throne himself. Around 305 b.c.e., Cassander assumed the title of king. With Antigonus’s death in 301 b.c.e., Cassander’s title became secure. In 297 b.c.e., he died, leaving the throne to his son Philip IV, who ruled for only four months before dying. Cassander’s younger sons Antipater and Alexander V quarreled and lost the kingdom to Demetrius Poliorcetes, the son of Antigonus I Monophthalmos.
Influence
Cassander ended Argead rule in Macedonia and made possible the rise of new and independent Hellenistic kingdoms.
Bibliography
Green, Peter. Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age. Reprint. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.
Hammond, N. G. L., and F. W. Walbank. A History of Macedonia. Vol. 3. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1988.
Will, Édouard. Cambridge Ancient History. Vol. 7. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1984.