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Cleopatra of Macedon

August 30, 2023

Not to be confused with Cleopatra Eurydice, the Macedonian wife of Philip II.

Cleopatra of Macedonia (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα της Μακεδονίας; c. 355/354 BC – 308 BC), or Cleopatra of Epirus (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα της Ηπείρου) was an Ancient Greek princess and later queen regent of Epirus. The daughter of Philip II of Macedon and Olympias of Epirus, she was the only full sibling of Alexander the Great. Her other siblings include half sisters Thessalonike and Cynane, and half-brother Philip III of Macedon.

Cleopatra of Macedon
Κλεοπάτρα της Μακεδονίας
Born355/354 BCE
Died308 BCE
Parents
Relatives

Early life Edit

Cleopatra grew up in the care of her mother in Pella.[1] Olympias nurtured the familial bond in her children, ensuring they were raised in a "consistent political, moral, and cultural education and experience."[2] Cleopatra, Olympias, Leonidas, and Alexander's friends were Alexander's closest relationships until Alexander was sent to Mieza at 13. In 338 BC, Cleopatra stayed in Pella with her father while her mother Olympias fled to exile in Epirus with her Molossian brother Alexander I of Epirus (Cleopatra's uncle), and Cleopatra's brother Alexander fled to Illyria. Soon Philip felt he had to ally himself to Alexander I by offering his daughter's hand in marriage.[3] A large, international, extravagant wedding between Cleopatra and her uncle Alexander I was held in 336 BC. It was at the celebration of her nuptials, which took place on a magnificent scale at Aegae in Macedon, that Philip II was murdered.[4]

Rule in Epirus Edit

Immediately after her father's murder, Cleopatra and her husband-uncle Alexander went from Macedon back to Epirus. It is believed that the couple had two children, Neoptolemus II of Epirus and Cadmeia (named for her brother's defeat of the Theban revolt which began by attacking the garrison on the Cadmea).[3][5]

Cleopatra held her brother Alexander's official favor,[6] and likely kept in close contact with him while he was on his conquest to the east. Alexander considered her and Olympias as the inner circle of his basileia.[2] In 332 BC Alexander had sent booty home for both his mother and sister, as well as his close friends. Cleopatra also used her influence to intercede on behalf of the tyrant Dionysius of Heraclea, and addressed the situation on Alexander's behalf.[4][2]

In 334 BC, Cleopatra's husband crossed the Adriatic Sea to the Italian peninsula to campaign against several Italic tribes, the Lucanians and Bruttii, on behalf of the Greek colony Taras, leaving her as regent of Epirus. She was involved as recipient and sender of official shipments of grain during a widespread shortage around 334 BC. According to an inscription from Cyrene, Libya, she was the recipient of 50,000 'medimni' of grain, and shipped the surplus to Corinth. Alexander I conquered Heraclea, took Sipontum, and captured both Consentia and Terin, but was eventually killed in battle in 331 BC, leaving the young heir, Neoptolemus too young for the throne.

Cleopatra ruled Epirus in the meantime. It was an Epirote custom that the woman of a family became head of household when her husband died and their son(s) were too young, unlike the rest of Greece. Notably, an embassy from Athens was dispatched to deliver condolences upon her husband's death. While, Alexander the Great expressed uncertainty about the Macedonians being willing to be reigned by a woman, most sources highlight his endorsement of Cleopatra's agency.[2]

Cleopatra seemingly acted as the religious head of state for the people of Molossia. Her name appears on a list of Theorodokoi[7][4][8]("welcomers of sacred ambassadors"), in the recently established Epirote alliance. Cleopatra was significantly the only woman on the list. Her position as official welcomer would have allowed her to keep a finger on whatever was happening anywhere in Greece. Cleopatra may also have been instrumental in implementing her brother's policies regarding grain shipments.[4]

Cleopatra's personal life during this time is not recorded, though Plutarch wrote that Alexander commented that Cleopatra should have some enjoyment out of her basileia when he learned of an affair she had[9][10] with a handsome young man.[5]

At some point in her rule, Olympias joined Cleopatra as regent, though the extent of their power is unclear.[6] A passage in Plutarch says that Cleopatra and Olympias shared the rule, with Cleopatra ruling Macedonia and Olympias Epirus. This relationship is portrayed as a close political one against Antipater.[4]

Towards the end of her brothers's life, Cleopatra may have given up the Molossian regency entirely.[6] After her brother's death, Cleopatra's status in relation to her mother's was tenuous. They continued to work together politically, and Olympias likely saw Cleopatra's marriage to a general and future children as a way to solidify their safety.[4] Cleopatra's hand was sought in marriage by several of his generals, who thought to strengthen their influence with the Macedonians by a connection with the sister of Alexander the Great.[10] Leonnatus is first mentioned as putting forward a claim to her hand, telling Eumenes that he received a lettered promise of marriage if he came to Pella. Cleopatra had extended her hand because she knew Leonnatus had the ambition and ability to overthrow the new mentally unfit king Philip III of Macedon. Meanwhile Leonnatus, before he arrived for the wedding and in an attempt to enhance his claim to the throne, stopped to lift the siege from the rebellious Greeks in Lamia and rescue Antipater. However he was killed in this action, so the marriage never occurred.

Time in Sardis and Assassination Edit

Cleopatra arrived in Sardis in 322/321 to marry Perdiccas, but found that he had already proposed to Antipater's daughter, Nicaea. Though Eumenes reportedly promoted Perdiccas's marriage to Cleopatra, Perdiccas's brother, Alcetas, argued against this union. Still, Perdiccas planned to repudiate Nicaea to wed Cleopatra. This, along with Cyanne's murder, turned Antipater and Craterus against the Perdiccas.[4] After his death, her hand was sought by all of Alexander's successors, particularly Cassander, Lysimachus, and Antigonus.

In around 320, a frustrated Antipater publicly scolded Cleopatra for her association with Perdiccas and Eumenes. Cleopatra would not submit so easily, however, and fought back with her own accusations.[4]

Cleopatra remained in Sardis under mysterious circumstances, through the deaths of Antipater, Olympias, Eumenes, Thessalonike's marriage, and her nephews' murders. Many believe that she was kept in honourable captivity by Antigonus, though another theory is that she used her own marriageability and the negative impact of her murder to secure her safety.[4]

In 308, Cleopatra acceded to a proposal of marriage from Ptolemy and fled Sardis. However, before their marriage, she was captured, brought back to Sardis, and assassinated by one of her female attendants,[10] reputedly by order of Antigonus. Despite afterwards executing the assassins and giving her a beautiful funeral in her honor, he knew she represented too much power to remain alive.[1]

References Edit

  1. ^ a b "Cleopatra of Macedonia - Livius".
  2. ^ a b c d Affective relations and personal bonds in hellenistic antiquity : studies in honor of Elizabeth D. Carney. Monica D'Agostini, Edward M. Anson, Frances Pownall. Oxford: Oxbow Books. 2020. ISBN 978-1-78925-499-0. OCLC 1204607533.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ^ a b Bagnall, Roger S; Brodersen, Kai; Champion, Craige B; Erskine, Andrew; Huebner, Sabine R, eds. (2013-01-21). The Encyclopedia of Ancient History (1 ed.). Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah04067. ISBN 978-1-4051-7935-5.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Carney, Elizabeth (1988). "The Sisters of Alexander the Great: Royal Relicts". Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte. 37 (4): 385–404. ISSN 0018-2311.
  5. ^ a b Müller, Sabine (2020-11-09). Argead women. Routledge Handbooks Online. doi:10.4324/9780429434105-29. ISBN 978-1-138-35884-3.
  6. ^ a b c Carney, Elizabeth D. (2003-01-01). Chapter Nine: Women in Alexander's Court. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004217553_010. ISBN 978-90-04-21755-3.
  7. ^ Cleopatras by J. E. G. Whitehorne
  8. ^ Lyngsnes, Øystein Wiklund. "The Women Who Would Be Kings": A study of the Argead royal women in the early Diadochoi Wars (323-316 BCE): The Rivalry of Adea-Eurydike and Olympias and the Death of the Argead dynasty. [Master's Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology] https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2503322/Lyngsnes_%C3%98ystein_Wiklund.pdf?sequence=1
  9. ^ Carney, Elizabeth (1995). "Women and Basileia: Legitimacy and Female Political Action in Macedonia". The Classical Journal. 90 (4): 367–391. ISSN 0009-8353.
  10. ^ a b c The Routledge companion to women and monarchy in the ancient Mediterranean world. Elizabeth Donnelly Carney, Sabine Müller. Abingdon, Oxon. 2021. ISBN 978-0-429-43410-5. OCLC 1154099146.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)

Further reading Edit

Carney, Elizabeth Donnelly. Women and Monarchy in Macedonia. Oklahoma Series in Classical Culture. Univ. of Oklahoma Press: 2000.

External links Edit

  • Cleopatra from Charles Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1867)
  • Cleopatra of Macedonia from Livius on ancient history by Jona Lendering

August 30, 2023
cleopatra, macedon, confused, with, cleopatra, eurydice, macedonian, wife, philip, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, . Not to be confused with Cleopatra Eurydice the Macedonian wife of Philip II This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Cleopatra of Macedon news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Cleopatra of Macedonia Greek Kleopatra ths Makedonias c 355 354 BC 308 BC or Cleopatra of Epirus Greek Kleopatra ths Hpeiroy was an Ancient Greek princess and later queen regent of Epirus The daughter of Philip II of Macedon and Olympias of Epirus she was the only full sibling of Alexander the Great Her other siblings include half sisters Thessalonike and Cynane and half brother Philip III of Macedon Cleopatra of MacedonKleopatra ths MakedoniasBorn355 354 BCEDied308 BCEParentsPhilip II of Macedon father Olympias mother RelativesAlexander the Great brother Thessalonike half sister Cynane half sister Philip III of Macedon half brother Contents 1 Early life 2 Rule in Epirus 3 Time in Sardis and Assassination 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksEarly life EditCleopatra grew up in the care of her mother in Pella 1 Olympias nurtured the familial bond in her children ensuring they were raised in a consistent political moral and cultural education and experience 2 Cleopatra Olympias Leonidas and Alexander s friends were Alexander s closest relationships until Alexander was sent to Mieza at 13 In 338 BC Cleopatra stayed in Pella with her father while her mother Olympias fled to exile in Epirus with her Molossian brother Alexander I of Epirus Cleopatra s uncle and Cleopatra s brother Alexander fled to Illyria Soon Philip felt he had to ally himself to Alexander I by offering his daughter s hand in marriage 3 A large international extravagant wedding between Cleopatra and her uncle Alexander I was held in 336 BC It was at the celebration of her nuptials which took place on a magnificent scale at Aegae in Macedon that Philip II was murdered 4 Rule in Epirus EditImmediately after her father s murder Cleopatra and her husband uncle Alexander went from Macedon back to Epirus It is believed that the couple had two children Neoptolemus II of Epirus and Cadmeia named for her brother s defeat of the Theban revolt which began by attacking the garrison on the Cadmea 3 5 Cleopatra held her brother Alexander s official favor 6 and likely kept in close contact with him while he was on his conquest to the east Alexander considered her and Olympias as the inner circle of his basileia 2 In 332 BC Alexander had sent booty home for both his mother and sister as well as his close friends Cleopatra also used her influence to intercede on behalf of the tyrant Dionysius of Heraclea and addressed the situation on Alexander s behalf 4 2 In 334 BC Cleopatra s husband crossed the Adriatic Sea to the Italian peninsula to campaign against several Italic tribes the Lucanians and Bruttii on behalf of the Greek colony Taras leaving her as regent of Epirus She was involved as recipient and sender of official shipments of grain during a widespread shortage around 334 BC According to an inscription from Cyrene Libya she was the recipient of 50 000 medimni of grain and shipped the surplus to Corinth Alexander I conquered Heraclea took Sipontum and captured both Consentia and Terin but was eventually killed in battle in 331 BC leaving the young heir Neoptolemus too young for the throne Cleopatra ruled Epirus in the meantime It was an Epirote custom that the woman of a family became head of household when her husband died and their son s were too young unlike the rest of Greece Notably an embassy from Athens was dispatched to deliver condolences upon her husband s death While Alexander the Great expressed uncertainty about the Macedonians being willing to be reigned by a woman most sources highlight his endorsement of Cleopatra s agency 2 Cleopatra seemingly acted as the religious head of state for the people of Molossia Her name appears on a list of Theorodokoi 7 4 8 welcomers of sacred ambassadors in the recently established Epirote alliance Cleopatra was significantly the only woman on the list Her position as official welcomer would have allowed her to keep a finger on whatever was happening anywhere in Greece Cleopatra may also have been instrumental in implementing her brother s policies regarding grain shipments 4 Cleopatra s personal life during this time is not recorded though Plutarch wrote that Alexander commented that Cleopatra should have some enjoyment out of her basileia when he learned of an affair she had 9 10 with a handsome young man 5 At some point in her rule Olympias joined Cleopatra as regent though the extent of their power is unclear 6 A passage in Plutarch says that Cleopatra and Olympias shared the rule with Cleopatra ruling Macedonia and Olympias Epirus This relationship is portrayed as a close political one against Antipater 4 Towards the end of her brothers s life Cleopatra may have given up the Molossian regency entirely 6 After her brother s death Cleopatra s status in relation to her mother s was tenuous They continued to work together politically and Olympias likely saw Cleopatra s marriage to a general and future children as a way to solidify their safety 4 Cleopatra s hand was sought in marriage by several of his generals who thought to strengthen their influence with the Macedonians by a connection with the sister of Alexander the Great 10 Leonnatus is first mentioned as putting forward a claim to her hand telling Eumenes that he received a lettered promise of marriage if he came to Pella Cleopatra had extended her hand because she knew Leonnatus had the ambition and ability to overthrow the new mentally unfit king Philip III of Macedon Meanwhile Leonnatus before he arrived for the wedding and in an attempt to enhance his claim to the throne stopped to lift the siege from the rebellious Greeks in Lamia and rescue Antipater However he was killed in this action so the marriage never occurred Time in Sardis and Assassination EditCleopatra arrived in Sardis in 322 321 to marry Perdiccas but found that he had already proposed to Antipater s daughter Nicaea Though Eumenes reportedly promoted Perdiccas s marriage to Cleopatra Perdiccas s brother Alcetas argued against this union Still Perdiccas planned to repudiate Nicaea to wed Cleopatra This along with Cyanne s murder turned Antipater and Craterus against the Perdiccas 4 After his death her hand was sought by all of Alexander s successors particularly Cassander Lysimachus and Antigonus In around 320 a frustrated Antipater publicly scolded Cleopatra for her association with Perdiccas and Eumenes Cleopatra would not submit so easily however and fought back with her own accusations 4 Cleopatra remained in Sardis under mysterious circumstances through the deaths of Antipater Olympias Eumenes Thessalonike s marriage and her nephews murders Many believe that she was kept in honourable captivity by Antigonus though another theory is that she used her own marriageability and the negative impact of her murder to secure her safety 4 In 308 Cleopatra acceded to a proposal of marriage from Ptolemy and fled Sardis However before their marriage she was captured brought back to Sardis and assassinated by one of her female attendants 10 reputedly by order of Antigonus Despite afterwards executing the assassins and giving her a beautiful funeral in her honor he knew she represented too much power to remain alive 1 References Edit a b Cleopatra of Macedonia Livius a b c d Affective relations and personal bonds in hellenistic antiquity studies in honor of Elizabeth D Carney Monica D Agostini Edward M Anson Frances Pownall Oxford Oxbow Books 2020 ISBN 978 1 78925 499 0 OCLC 1204607533 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link a b Bagnall Roger S Brodersen Kai Champion Craige B Erskine Andrew Huebner Sabine R eds 2013 01 21 The Encyclopedia of Ancient History 1 ed Wiley doi 10 1002 9781444338386 wbeah04067 ISBN 978 1 4051 7935 5 a b c d e f g h i Carney Elizabeth 1988 The Sisters of Alexander the Great Royal Relicts Historia Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte 37 4 385 404 ISSN 0018 2311 a b Muller Sabine 2020 11 09 Argead women Routledge Handbooks Online doi 10 4324 9780429434105 29 ISBN 978 1 138 35884 3 a b c Carney Elizabeth D 2003 01 01 Chapter Nine Women in Alexander s Court Brill doi 10 1163 9789004217553 010 ISBN 978 90 04 21755 3 Cleopatras by J E G Whitehorne Lyngsnes Oystein Wiklund The Women Who Would Be Kings A study of the Argead royal women in the early Diadochoi Wars 323 316 BCE The Rivalry of Adea Eurydike and Olympias and the Death of the Argead dynasty Master s Thesis Norwegian University of Science and Technology https ntnuopen ntnu no ntnu xmlui bitstream handle 11250 2503322 Lyngsnes C3 98ystein Wiklund pdf sequence 1 Carney Elizabeth 1995 Women and Basileia Legitimacy and Female Political Action in Macedonia The Classical Journal 90 4 367 391 ISSN 0009 8353 a b c The Routledge companion to women and monarchy in the ancient Mediterranean world Elizabeth Donnelly Carney Sabine Muller Abingdon Oxon 2021 ISBN 978 0 429 43410 5 OCLC 1154099146 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link CS1 maint others link Further reading EditCarney Elizabeth Donnelly Women and Monarchy in Macedonia Oklahoma Series in Classical Culture Univ of Oklahoma Press 2000 External links EditCleopatra from Charles Smith Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology 1867 Cleopatra of Macedonia from Livius on ancient history by Jona Lendering Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cleopatra of Macedon amp oldid 1172071042, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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