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Perdiccas
Perdiccas (Greek: Περδίκκας, Perdikkas; c. 355 BC – 320 BC) was a Macedonian general, successor of Alexander the Great, and the regent of Alexander's empire after his death. When Alexander was dying, he entrusted his signet ring to Perdiccas. Initially the most pre-eminent of the successors, Perdiccas effectively ruled Alexander's increasingly unstable empire from Babylon for three years until his assassination, as the kings he ruled for were incapable.
Perdiccas was born to Macedonian nobility. A supporter, somatophylax (bodyguard) and hetairos (elite cavalry commander) of Alexander, he took part in Alexander's campaign against the Achaemenid Persian Empire, distinguishing himself at the battles of Thebes and Gaugamela, and followed Alexander into India. When Alexander died in 323 BC, Perdiccas rose to become supreme commander of the imperial army, as well as regent for Alexander's vast empire, ruling on behalf of Alexander's intellectually disabled heir, King Philip III Arrhidaeus, and Alexander's infant son, King Alexander IV of Macedon.
Perdiccas gained supreme power as guardian of the two kings, but also inherited the problems of Alexander's quickly conquered and unstable empire. To consolidate power and retain authority, Perdiccas crushed numerous revolts, like that of Ariarathes, and assassinated rivals, like Meleager. Perdiccas' position as regent was never fully secure, however, and his authority was repeatedly contested by other high officers. His attempt to marry Cleopatra of Macedon, Alexander's sister, which would have given him claim to the Macedonian throne, angered critical generals—including Antipater, Craterus and Antigonus—who decided to revolt against the regent in the First War of the Diadochi. In response to this formidable coalition and a provocation from another general, Ptolemy, Perdiccas invaded Egypt, but his soldiers mutinied and killed him in 320 BC when the invasion foundered.
According to the 2nd-century historian Arrian, Perdiccas was the son of the Macedonian nobleman Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis. While Perdiccas' actual date of birth is unknown, he would seem to have been of a similar age to Alexander; historian Tristan Hughes estimated that he was born around 361 BC and historian Waldemar Heckel described him as younger than Ptolemy, son of Lagus. He had a younger brother called Alcetas and a sister, Atalante, who married Attalus. Perdiccas may have had, through some distant relation, blood of the Argead royal family.
Little is known of Perdiccas' youth, but he was probably brought to the Macedonian court in Pella to serve as page like many other young nobles alongside Alexander. In 336 BC, when Pausanias assassinated King Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, Perdiccas was among those who chased the assassin down and killed him.
An anecdote reports that Perdiccas once went into the cave of a lioness who had recently gave birth, and stole two of its cubs. Another tells a story of his fondness for exercise, along with his fellow Orestian and successor, Craterus.
Compared to other companions and boyhood friends of Alexander, Perdiccas earned an "early promotion" when he was appointed the commander of a battalion of the Macedonian phalanx (heavy infantry). In 335 BC, Perdiccas fought in the Balkan campaigns of Alexander against the Illyrian peoples located northwest of Macedon. In the same year, he distinguished himself during the conquest of Thebes, which had rebelled against Macedon following the death of Philip II. He was heavily wounded during the fighting, but the sources differ on Perdiccas's exact role at Thebes. According to Diodorus Siculus, Perdiccas led a contingent which stormed the rear gate of the city on the orders of Alexander; Arrian instead reported that the battalion commander organized an unsanctioned assault on the Theban defenses, breaking through and allowing Alexander to exploit the breach. Historian Alexander Demandt argued that Perdiccas' assault disrupted Alexander's attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution with Thebes.
Afterward, Perdiccas accompanied Alexander on his campaigns against the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Sources generally agree that Perdiccas was a loyal soldier of Alexander. For example, the ancient historian Plutarch reports the following conversation between the two prior to the Battle of Granicus (the first encounter between Alexander and the Persians), when Alexander was allotting lands and properties to his followers:
Hub AI
Perdiccas AI simulator
(@Perdiccas_simulator)
Perdiccas
Perdiccas (Greek: Περδίκκας, Perdikkas; c. 355 BC – 320 BC) was a Macedonian general, successor of Alexander the Great, and the regent of Alexander's empire after his death. When Alexander was dying, he entrusted his signet ring to Perdiccas. Initially the most pre-eminent of the successors, Perdiccas effectively ruled Alexander's increasingly unstable empire from Babylon for three years until his assassination, as the kings he ruled for were incapable.
Perdiccas was born to Macedonian nobility. A supporter, somatophylax (bodyguard) and hetairos (elite cavalry commander) of Alexander, he took part in Alexander's campaign against the Achaemenid Persian Empire, distinguishing himself at the battles of Thebes and Gaugamela, and followed Alexander into India. When Alexander died in 323 BC, Perdiccas rose to become supreme commander of the imperial army, as well as regent for Alexander's vast empire, ruling on behalf of Alexander's intellectually disabled heir, King Philip III Arrhidaeus, and Alexander's infant son, King Alexander IV of Macedon.
Perdiccas gained supreme power as guardian of the two kings, but also inherited the problems of Alexander's quickly conquered and unstable empire. To consolidate power and retain authority, Perdiccas crushed numerous revolts, like that of Ariarathes, and assassinated rivals, like Meleager. Perdiccas' position as regent was never fully secure, however, and his authority was repeatedly contested by other high officers. His attempt to marry Cleopatra of Macedon, Alexander's sister, which would have given him claim to the Macedonian throne, angered critical generals—including Antipater, Craterus and Antigonus—who decided to revolt against the regent in the First War of the Diadochi. In response to this formidable coalition and a provocation from another general, Ptolemy, Perdiccas invaded Egypt, but his soldiers mutinied and killed him in 320 BC when the invasion foundered.
According to the 2nd-century historian Arrian, Perdiccas was the son of the Macedonian nobleman Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis. While Perdiccas' actual date of birth is unknown, he would seem to have been of a similar age to Alexander; historian Tristan Hughes estimated that he was born around 361 BC and historian Waldemar Heckel described him as younger than Ptolemy, son of Lagus. He had a younger brother called Alcetas and a sister, Atalante, who married Attalus. Perdiccas may have had, through some distant relation, blood of the Argead royal family.
Little is known of Perdiccas' youth, but he was probably brought to the Macedonian court in Pella to serve as page like many other young nobles alongside Alexander. In 336 BC, when Pausanias assassinated King Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, Perdiccas was among those who chased the assassin down and killed him.
An anecdote reports that Perdiccas once went into the cave of a lioness who had recently gave birth, and stole two of its cubs. Another tells a story of his fondness for exercise, along with his fellow Orestian and successor, Craterus.
Compared to other companions and boyhood friends of Alexander, Perdiccas earned an "early promotion" when he was appointed the commander of a battalion of the Macedonian phalanx (heavy infantry). In 335 BC, Perdiccas fought in the Balkan campaigns of Alexander against the Illyrian peoples located northwest of Macedon. In the same year, he distinguished himself during the conquest of Thebes, which had rebelled against Macedon following the death of Philip II. He was heavily wounded during the fighting, but the sources differ on Perdiccas's exact role at Thebes. According to Diodorus Siculus, Perdiccas led a contingent which stormed the rear gate of the city on the orders of Alexander; Arrian instead reported that the battalion commander organized an unsanctioned assault on the Theban defenses, breaking through and allowing Alexander to exploit the breach. Historian Alexander Demandt argued that Perdiccas' assault disrupted Alexander's attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution with Thebes.
Afterward, Perdiccas accompanied Alexander on his campaigns against the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Sources generally agree that Perdiccas was a loyal soldier of Alexander. For example, the ancient historian Plutarch reports the following conversation between the two prior to the Battle of Granicus (the first encounter between Alexander and the Persians), when Alexander was allotting lands and properties to his followers: