Antipater facts for kids

This coin shows Alexander the Great. It was made under Antipater's rule around 322–320 BC.

Antipater (born around 400 BC, died 319 BC) was an important general and leader in ancient Macedonia. He served under two famous kings: Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. Antipater played a key role in managing Macedonia while Alexander was away conquering lands. After Alexander's death, Antipater became the regent of the entire empire. A regent is someone who rules a country when the king or queen is too young or unable to rule. His own son, Cassander, later became king of Macedonia.

In 320 BC, Antipater was chosen to be the regent for all of Alexander the Great's vast empire. However, he passed away the very next year. Surprisingly, he picked an army officer named Polyperchon to take his place instead of his own son, Cassander. This led to a two-year fight for power, known as the Second War of the Diadochi.

Antipater's Early Career and Role Under Kings

How Antipater Served Philip II

We don't know much about Antipater's early life. But in 342 BC, King Philip II chose him to govern Macedon. Antipater acted as regent while Philip was away fighting for three years. During this time, Philip expanded Macedonian rule all the way to the Hellespont, a narrow sea passage.

In the same year, the Athenians tried to take control of towns in Euboea. Antipater sent Macedonian soldiers to stop them. He also represented Philip at the Amphictyonic League in Delphi. This was a religious group that Macedonia had joined in 346 BC.

Antipater's Role After Chaeronea

After Macedonia won a great victory at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, Antipater went to Athens. He was an ambassador, meaning he represented Macedonia. His job was to make a peace treaty and return the bodies of the Athenians who had died in the battle.

Antipater was a close friend to young Alexander and Alexander's mother, Olympias. He helped Alexander become king after Philip died in 336 BC.

Antipater as Regent of Europe

When Alexander the Great decided to go on his big expedition to Asia in 334 BC, Antipater was left in charge of Macedonia. He was also made the "general of Europe." He held these important jobs until 323 BC.

Europe was a busy place, and Antipater often had to send extra soldiers to Alexander. He did this when Alexander was in Gordium during the winter of 334–333 BC.

Dealing with Threats at Home

The Persian navy was a big threat to Antipater. It sailed in the Aegean sea and even threatened Europe. Luckily for Antipater, the Persian naval commander, Memnon of Rhodes, died in 333 BC. The Persian fleet then scattered after Alexander won the Battle of Issus.

However, more dangers were closer to home. Tribes in Thrace rebelled in 332 BC. Soon after, Agis III, the king of Sparta, also revolted.

The Spartans were not part of the League of Corinth, an alliance led by Macedonia. They saw Alexander's campaign in Asia as a chance to regain control over the Peloponnese region. The Persians gave Sparta a lot of money, which helped them build an army of 20,000 soldiers.

Agis tried to create a group against Macedonia. While Athens stayed neutral, other Greek cities like Achaea, Arcadia, and Elis joined him. However, Megalopolis, a city in Arcadia, strongly opposed Sparta. In 331 BC, Agis began to besiege Megalopolis with his entire army. This forced Antipater to act.

To avoid fighting two enemies at once, Antipater pardoned Memnon of Thrace. He even let Memnon keep his position. Alexander also sent Antipater large sums of money. With help from Thessaly and many hired soldiers, Antipater gathered an army twice the size of Agis's.

In 330 BC, Antipater led his army south to fight the Spartans. In the spring of that year, the two armies clashed near Megalopolis. Agis and many of his best soldiers died, but they also caused heavy losses for the Macedonians.

The Spartans were completely defeated and asked for peace. Alexander made them pay a penalty of 120 talents (a large sum of money) and join the League of Corinth.

Alexander seemed a bit jealous of Antipater's victory. One historian, Plutarch, said Alexander wrote to Antipater: "It seems, my friends, that while we have been conquering Darius here, there has been a battle of mice in Arcadia."

Antipater's Relationship with Alexander

Antipater was not popular because he supported rulers who had too much power in Greece. However, he also worked with the League of Corinth, which Philip had created. His good relationship with Alexander's ambitious mother, Olympias, also got worse.

In 324 BC, Alexander ordered Antipater to bring new troops to Asia. Craterus, another general, was sent to take over as regent in Macedonia. But when Alexander suddenly died in Babylon in 323 BC, Antipater was able to keep his power.

Some later historians, like Justin, blamed Antipater for Alexander's death, saying he poisoned him. However, most historians today believe Alexander died of natural causes.

Antipater's Role in Later Wars

The Lamian War

After Alexander's death, a new regent named Perdiccas left Antipater in charge of Greece. Antipater soon faced wars with Athens, Aetolia, and Thessaly. These wars, called the Lamian War, were fought by southern Greeks trying to regain their freedom.

At the start of this war, the Greeks had a much larger army, about 25,000 soldiers. Antipater's army was only about 13,000. Many Macedonian soldiers had died in Alexander's campaigns. The Greek forces were led by a skilled general named Leosthenes, who had fought with Alexander.

In an early battle near Thermopylae, Antipater's Thessalian cavalry switched sides. Outnumbered and without cavalry, Antipater was defeated. He had to retreat north to the city of Lamia in Thessaly. He was then besieged inside the city.

Antipater managed to send messages to his allies. In 322 BC, Leonnatus, a governor from Asia Minor, came to help. He arrived in southern Thessaly with an army to break the siege.

Leonnatus died in the battle, but the Athenian forces had to use all their remaining strength to fight him. Many Aetolian and Thessalian soldiers had left the siege to harvest crops. Leonnatus's infantry retreated into rough terrain where the enemy cavalry could not follow them.

This allowed Antipater to escape from Lamia. He then marched north to Macedonia, waiting for more soldiers from Asia. He took control of Leonnatus's infantry, adding them to his own army.

Forming Alliances and Winning Battles

Craterus, another famous general, also answered Antipater's call for help. He arrived in Pella with 16,000 experienced soldiers who had fought with Alexander. The two generals joined forces. To make their alliance stronger, Antipater married his daughter Phila to Craterus.

Antipater and Craterus then led a large combined army south to fight a final battle against the Greeks. They defeated them at the Battle of Crannon in 322 BC, breaking up the Greek alliance.

At a peace meeting in the ruined city of Thebes, Antipater made a deal with Athenian leaders. He forced Athens to be ruled by a small group of powerful people. He also demanded that Demosthenes and Hypereides, who had started the revolt, be handed over. Demosthenes died before being captured, and Hypereides was executed.

Later that year, Antipater and Craterus were still fighting small groups of Aetolians. They then received news from Antigonus in Asia Minor. Antigonus said that Perdiccas planned to become the sole ruler of the empire.

Antipater and Craterus quickly made peace with the Aetolians. They then went to war against Perdiccas, joining forces with Ptolemy, the governor of Egypt. Antipater married another of his daughters, Eurydike, to Ptolemy to strengthen this new alliance.

In 321 BC, Antipater, Craterus, and Antipater's son Cassander crossed into Asia with a large army. In Phrygia, the army split. Craterus marched east to fight Eumenes, while Antipater went south to fight Perdiccas.

While in Syria, Antipater received two letters that completely changed the situation. First, Perdiccas had been killed by his own soldiers in Egypt. Second, Craterus had died in battle against Eumenes. This was a huge shock in the Hellenistic world.

Antipater as Regent of the Empire

In the treaty of Triparadisus (321 BC), Alexander's huge kingdom was divided again. Antipater made himself the supreme regent of the entire empire. He stayed in Greece as the guardian of Alexander's young son, Alexander IV, and Alexander's disabled brother, Philip III.

Antipater stopped a rebellion by his own soldiers. He then ordered Antigonus to continue the war against Eumenes and others who supported Perdiccas. Antipater returned to Macedonia in 320 BC. Soon after, he became ill, which ended his active career.

Antipater's Death and Succession

Antipater died of old age in 319 BC, at 81 years old. His son Cassander was by his side.

Surprisingly, Antipater did not choose Cassander to be the next regent. He said Cassander was too young (Cassander was 36 at the time). Instead, Antipater chose an older officer named Polyperchon as regent.

Cassander was very angry about this. He believed he deserved to be regent because he had been loyal and had a lot of experience. So, he asked general Antigonus to help him fight Polyperchon for the position.

In 317 BC, after two years of war with Polyperchon, Cassander won. Cassander then ruled Macedonia for nineteen years, first as regent and later as king. He eventually started his own family line, the Antipatrid dynasty.

Antipater's Family

Antipater was the son of a Macedonian nobleman named Iollas or Iolaus. His family was distantly related to the royal Argead dynasty. Antipater came from the Macedonian city of Paliura. He had a brother named Cassander. He was also the uncle of Cassander's child Antigone and the great-uncle of Berenice I of Egypt.

Antipater had ten children with different wives. His daughters were:

• Phila, who married three important men: Balacrus, Craterus, and Demetrius I of Macedon.
• Eurydice, who married Ptolemy I Soter. Her son, Meleager, ruled Macedonia for two months in 279 BC.
• Nicaea, who married Perdiccas and later Lysimachus.

His sons were:

• Iollas
• Cassander, who became King of Macedonia
• Pleistarchus, a general and governor who served his brother.
• Phillip, also a military commander under his brother.
• Nicanor
• Alexarchus
• Perilaus

Antipater's Writings

Antipater was a student of the famous philosopher Aristotle. When Aristotle died in 322 BC, he named Antipater as the person in charge of carrying out his will.

According to an ancient source called Suidas, Antipater wrote two books of letters. He also wrote a history called The Illyrian Deeds of Perdikkas.

See also

In Spanish: Antípatro de Macedonia para niños