Heracles of Macedon
Heracles of Macedon (
History
It cannot be established definitively whether Heracles was Alexander's son or not. Of the ancient sources, both
No record at all exists of such a woman accompanying his march; nor of any claim by her, or her powerful kin, that she had borne him offspring. Yet twelve years after his [Alexander's] death a boy was produced, seventeen years old, born therefore five years after Damascus, [Where Alexander and Barsine reportedly first met] her alleged son, ‘brought up in
Stateira, often referred to in Greek sources as Barsine] must have helped both launch and preserve the story; but no source reports any notice whatever taken by him [Alexander] of a child who, Roxane's being posthumous, would have been during his lifetime his only son, by a near-royal mother. In a man who named cities after his horse and dog, this strains credulity.[2]
If Heracles was Alexander's illegitimate child, then it also raises the pointed question as to why he, as Alexander's only living son at the time of his death, was not immediately drawn into the succession disputes, and why he was passed over in favour of
On Alexander's death Nearchus, who was then son-in-law of Barsine, advocated for Heracles' inheritance, but was unsuccessful.[4]
Either way, Heracles lived in obscurity until Alexander IV's murder by Cassander in 310 BC or 309 BC. At that point Polyperchon, a regent of Macedon who had been replaced by Cassander and had all but disappeared for the previous six years, began championing Heracles as Alexander's true heir, and Polyperchon began forming an army. Instead of fighting, Cassander negotiated with Polyperchon. By offering Polyperchon various bribes such as a sinecure and a large number of talents, Cassander persuaded him to murder Heracles, and Polyperchon retired to obscurity once more.[5]
Family tree
References
- ^ Renault, Mary. The Nature of Alexander. p100, 2001 Ed.
- ^ Renault, Mary. The Nature of Alexander. p100-101, 2001 Ed.
- ^ Renault, Mary. The Nature of Alexander. p100-101, 2001 Ed.
- ^ "Nearchus".
- ^ Green, Peter. Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age. p44, 2007 Ed.
External links
- A detailed biography of Heracles' mother Barsine Archived 2013-05-02 at the Wayback Machine
- Children of Alexander III the Great on Web Archive (Pothos.org 2011)
- A genealogical tree of Heracles