Perdiccas
Perdiccas | |
---|---|
Περδίκκας | |
Regent of Macedon | |
In office 323 BC – 321/320 BC | |
Monarch | Alexander IV |
Preceded by | Alexander III (as King) |
Succeeded by | Peithon and Arrhidaeus |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 355 BC |
Died | 321/320 BC (aged 34–36) |
Cause of death | Killed by his own soldiers |
Occupation | General |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Macedonia |
Years of service | 335 – 321/320 BC |
Battles/wars | |
Perdiccas (Greek: Περδίκκας, Perdikkas; c. 355 BC – 321/320 BC) was a general of Alexander the Great. He took part in the Macedonian campaign against the Achaemenid Empire, and, following Alexander's death in 323 BC, rose to become supreme commander of the imperial army, as well as regent for Alexander's half brother and intellectually disabled successor, Philip Arridaeus (Philip III).
He was the first of the Diadochi who fought for control over Alexander's empire. In his attempts to establish a power base and stay in control of the empire, he managed to make enemies of critical generals in the Macedonian army—including Antipater, Craterus and Antigonus—who decided to revolt against the regent. In response to this formidable coalition and a provocation from another general, Ptolemy, Perdiccas invaded Egypt, but his soldiers revolted and killed him when the invasion foundered.
Family background
According to Arrian, Perdiccas was the son of the Macedonian nobleman, Orontes,[1][2] a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis.[3] While his actual date of birth is unknown, he would seem to have been of a similar age to Alexander. He had a brother called Alcetas[4] and a sister, Atalantê, who married Attalus.[5]
Hetairos
As the commander of a battalion of the
Diadoch
Following the death of Alexander the Great on the 11 June 323 BC in Babylon, his generals met to discuss their next steps.[7] Perdiccas proposed that a final decision wait until Alexander's wife Roxana, who was pregnant, had given birth. If the child was a boy, then Perdiccas proposed that the child be chosen as the new king. This meant that Perdiccas would be the regent and effectively the ruler of Alexander's empire until the boy was old enough to rule on his own. Despite misgivings amongst the other generals, most accepted Perdiccas' proposal.
However, the infantry commander, Meleager, disagreed with Perdiccas' plans. Meleager argued in favour of Alexander's half brother, Arridaeus, whom he considered first in succession. The infantry supported this proposal with Meleager's troops willing to fight in favour of Arridaeus.
Regent
Through the
Perdiccas' authority as regent and his control over the royal family was immediately challenged. Perdiccas appointed
At around the same time, Cynane, Alexander's half-sister, arranged for her daughter, Eurydice II, to marry the joint king, Arridaeus (Philip III). Fearful of Cynane's influence, Perdiccas ordered his brother Alcetas to murder her. The discontent expressed by the army at the plan to murder her and their respect for Eurydice as a member of the royal family persuaded Perdiccas not only to spare her life but to approve of the marriage to Philip III. Despite the marriage, Perdiccas continued to hold control over the affairs of the royal family firmly.
As regent and commander-in-chief, Perdiccas considered it essential to consolidate Alexander's empire. A critical step in achieving this was to conquer Cappadocia, which remained under Persian rule. However, Antigonus I Monophthalmus, the Macedonian satrap of Pamphylia and Lycia, was unwilling to support Perdiccas when in 322 BC Perdiccas successfully invaded Cappadocia. When Perdiccas ordered Antigonus to appear before his court, Antigonus fled to Antipater's court in Macedonia.
To strengthen his control over the empire, Perdiccas agreed to marry
Civil war and invasion of Egypt
As a result of these events and actions, Perdiccas earned Antipater's animosity, while Antigonus had reason to fear Perdiccas. Another general, Craterus, was also unhappy at being ignored by Perdiccas despite his important position within the army when Alexander was alive. So Antipater, Craterus and Antigonus agreed to revolt against Perdiccas.
In late 321 BC, Perdiccas intended to send Alexander's body back to Aegae in Macedonia, the traditional place of burial for the Macedonian Royal Family. Arrhidaeus was chosen to escort the body back to Macedonia. However, when Alexander's remains were passing through Syria, Ptolemy, the satrap of Egypt, was able to bribe the escort and seize the body. Ptolemy brought Alexander's remains back to Egypt, where they were housed in the city of Memphis. Perdiccas regarded Ptolemy's action as an unacceptable provocation and decided to invade Egypt.
Perdiccas marched to attack Ptolemy in Egypt, but when he reached the most easterly tributary of the
Death
Following what was so far a disastrous campaign, a mutiny broke out amongst Perdiccas' soldiers, who were disheartened by his failure to make progress in Egypt. Perdiccas was murdered by his officers (Peithon, Antigenes, and Seleucus) some time in either 321 or 320 BC. His officers and the rest of his army defected to Ptolemy.
Notes
References
- Austin, M. M. (1994). The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest: a Selection of Ancient Sources in Translation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-29666-8.
- ISBN 0-520-05611-6.
- Hornblower, S.; Spawforth, T., eds. (2000). Who's Who in the Classical World. Oxford University Press. p. 282. ISBN 0-19-280107-4.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png)
- Lendering, Jona. "Perdiccas". Livius.org. Archived from the original on 2014-04-28. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- Smith, Mahlon H. (2008). "Perdiccas". Into His Own. American Theological Library Association.