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List of kings of Macedonia facts for kids

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King of Macedonia
Vergina Sun WIPO.svg
The Vergina Sun, a symbol of ancient Macedonia
Alexander the Great mosaic (cropped).jpg
Alexander the Great, a very famous Macedonian king
Details
Style King of the Macedonians, Basileus
First monarch Perdiccas I
Last monarch Perseus
Formation c. 650 BC
Abolition 168 BC
Residence Aegae, Pella, and Demetrias

Macedonia, also known as Macedon, was an ancient kingdom. It was ruled by kings from around 650 BC until 168 BC. That's when the Roman Republic took control. The kingship in Macedonia was passed down through families. Only men could become king. This led to a lot of family politics.

The first ruling family was the Argead dynasty. We don't have much information about how they started. The Argeads said they came from the royal family of Argos. But many historians think this story was made up later. It might have been to show they were Greek. It's more likely the Argeads started as a tribe near Mount Bermion. They may have taken over nearby lands under Perdiccas.

During their rule, Macedonia became very powerful. It took over Greece. Then, under Alexander the Great, it conquered the huge Persian Empire. This made Macedonia one of the strongest states in the ancient world. But Alexander died unexpectedly in 323 BC. This led to many civil wars. These wars were fought by his generals, called the Diadochi. They wanted to control the kingdom. This eventually ended the Argead family's rule.

After Alexander's death, Cassander took over Macedonia. He started the Antipatrid dynasty. But his family's rule was short. When Cassander died in 297 BC, his sons fought each other. This made the kingdom unstable. The next few decades were very chaotic. Many different generals tried to become king. This fighting continued until Pyrrhus of Epirus died in 272 BC. Then, the Antigonid dynasty took power under Antigonus II Gonatas.

The Antigonids brought some stability back to Macedonia. But their rule ended when Rome defeated them. This happened after Perseus lost the battle of Pydna in 168 BC.

The First Kings: Argead Dynasty (Around 650 BC – 310 BC)

Early Kings and Legends

There are two main stories about how Macedonia and the Argead dynasty began. The older stories, from the 400s BC, say Perdiccas was the first king. Later stories, from the early 300s BC, claimed Caranus was the founder. Some writers even added kings like Coenus and Tyrimmas.

However, modern historians believe these later stories were made up. They were likely propaganda to support certain rulers. For example, they might have tried to make the name 'Perdiccas' less important.

Name Reign How they became king Important facts
Caranus Unknown Said to be related to the Argive king Pheidon
Coenus Unknown Son of Caranus
Tyrimmas Unknown Son of Coenus

Historical Argead Rulers

Historian Herodotus named five kings before Amyntas I. But he didn't give much more information. So, we can only guess when these early kings ruled. Historian Nicholas Hammond estimated the dynasty began around 650 BC. He did this by counting back 30 years per generation.

Amyntas I and his son Alexander I are the first kings we know more about. We know about their dealings with Persia and the Greeks.

Name Reign How they became king Important facts
Perdiccas I fl.c. 650 BC Said to be the son of Caranus or Tyrimmas Conquered Macedonia after settling near Mount Bermion.
Argaeus I fl.c. 623 Son of Perdiccas I May have started the worship of Dionysus in Macedonia.
Philip I fl.c. 593 Son of Argaeus I
Aeropus I fl.c. 563 Son of Philip I
Alcetas fl.c. 533 Son of Aeropus I
Amyntas I c. 512 – 498/7 Son of Alcetas First king with reliable historical information. He became a vassal of Darius I in 512 BC.
Alexander I "Philhellene" 498/7 – 454
(43 years)
Son of Amyntas I Improved Macedonia's relationship with Greece after Persia left in 479 BC.
Perdiccas II 454 – 413
(41 years)
Son of Alexander I Fought both with and against Athens during the Peloponnesian War. He died of natural causes.
Archelaus 413 – 399
(14 years)
Son of Perdiccas II Moved the kingdom's center from Aegae to Pella. He died in a hunting accident or was killed.
Orestes 399 – 398/7
(3 years)
Son of Archelaus Ruled as a minor. He was removed from power and possibly killed by his guardian, Aeropus II.
Aeropus II 398/7 – 395/4
(3 years)
Son of Perdiccas II Died from an illness.
Amyntas II "the Little" 394/3
(Several months)
Son of Menelaus, Alexander I's second son Likely ruled at the same time as Pausanias. He was probably killed by Derdas, ruler of Elimiotis.
Pausanias 394/3

(Several months)

Son of Aeropus II Likely ruled at the same time as Amyntas II. He was probably killed by Amyntas III.
(1st reign)
Amyntas III
393
(Less than a year)
Great-grandson of Alexander I Kept the kingdom together despite many invasions.
Argaeus II 393?
(disputed)
Claimed the throne with help from the Illyrians. Possibly the son of Archelaus. He was expelled by Amyntas III with help from Thessaly.
(2nd reign)
Amyntas III
393 – 369
(18 years)
Great-grandson of Alexander I Continued to defend the kingdom from invasions. He died of natural causes.
Alexander II 369 – 368
(2 years)
Eldest son of Amyntas III He was killed by Ptolemy of Aloros after Thebes intervened.
Ptolemy of Aloros 368 – 365
(3 years; disputed)
Possibly the son of Amyntas II. He acted as a regent for Perdiccas III. He was killed by Perdiccas III.
Perdiccas III 365 – 360/59
(6 years)
Son of Amyntas III He was killed in a battle against the Illyrians.
Amyntas IV 360/59
(disputed)
Son of Perdiccas III He never truly ruled on his own. He was later killed by Alexander III.
Philip II 360/59 – 336
(23 years)
Son of Amyntas III He greatly expanded Macedonian power and came to control Ancient Greece. He was killed by Pausanias of Orestis.
Alexander III "the Great" 336 – 323
(13 years)
Son of Philip II He conquered the entire Persian Empire. He died from an illness in Babylon.
Philip III Arrhidaeus 323 – 317
(6 years)
Son of Philip II. He ruled with Alexander IV. He had a diminished mental capacity and never ruled on his own. He was executed by Olympias, Alexander III's mother.
Alexander IV 323 – 310
(13 years)
Son of Alexander III. He ruled with Philip III. He was too young to rule on his own. He was killed by Cassander.

The Antipatrid Dynasty (310–294 BC)

After the Argead family ended, the Antipatrid dynasty took over. This family was founded by Cassander, a general of Alexander the Great.

Name Reign How they became king Important facts
Cassander 310 – 297
(13 years)
Son of the regent Antipater. He was also Philip II's son-in-law. He died from an illness.
Philip IV 297

(4 months)

Son of Cassander He died from an illness.
Antipater I 297 – 294
(3 years)
Son of Cassander. He ruled with his brother Alexander. He was killed by his father-in-law, Lysimachus.
Alexander V 297 – 294
(3 years)
Son of Cassander. He ruled with his brother Antipater. He was killed by Demetrius I.

Time of Conflicts (294–272 BC)

After the Antipatrids, Macedonia went through a period of great instability. Many different generals and rulers fought for control.

Name Reign How they became king Important facts
Demetrius I "Poliocretes" 294 – 288
(6 years)
Proclaimed king by the army after Alexander V's death. He surrendered to Seleucus I Nicator and died in captivity.
(1st reign)
Pyrrhus of Epirus
288 – 285
(3 years)
Took the throne after invading Macedonia with Lysimachus and Ptolemy. He was killed at the Battle of Argos.
Lysimachus 287 – 281
(6 years)
Ruled the eastern part of the kingdom, then took all of Macedonia. He was killed at the Battle of Corupedium.
Ptolemy "Ceraunus" 281 – 279
(2 years)
Killed Seleucus and was proclaimed king. He was captured and killed by an invading Celtic army.
Meleager 279
(2 months)
Elected king after Ceraunus's death. He was removed by Macedonians for not being a good leader.
Antipater II "Etesias" 279
(45 days)
Elected king after Meleager was removed. He was removed by Sosthenes for failing to lead the army.
Sosthenes 279 – 277
(2 years)
He was a military leader and the actual ruler, but he refused the title of king. He died of natural causes.
(1st reign)
Antigonus II "Gonatas"
277 – 274
(3 years)
He took control of Macedonia after Sosthenes died. He died of natural causes.
(2nd reign)
Pyrrhus of Epirus
274 – 272
(disputed)
He retook parts of Macedonia but couldn't remove Antigonus from the coast. He was killed at the Battle of Argos.

The Antigonid Dynasty (272–168 BC)

The Antigonid dynasty brought a period of renewed strength to Macedonia. However, their rule eventually ended with the rise of Rome.

Name Reign How they became king Important facts
(2nd reign)
Antigonus II "Gonatas"
272 – 239
(33 years)
Son of Demetrius I. He died of natural causes.
Demetrius II 239 – 229
(10 years)
Son of Antigonus II He was defeated in battle and died shortly after.
Antigonus III "Doson" 229 – 221
(8 years)
Chosen by Macedonian leaders to rule as regent, then as king. He died some months after a battle, possibly from a burst blood vessel.
Philip V 221 – 179
(42 years)
Son of Demetrius II He died suddenly of natural causes.
Perseus I 179 – 168
(11 years)
Son of Philip V He surrendered to the Romans after losing the Battle of Pydna. He was imprisoned for the rest of his life.

Rebel Kings After Roman Conquest (150–93 BC)

After Macedonia was conquered by Rome, some people tried to claim the throne. They were not part of the main royal families.

Name Reign How they became king Important facts
Andriscus
(Philip VI)
150 – 148
(2 years)
Claimed to be a son of Perseus. He was executed by the Romans. He was the last king to rule in Macedonia.
Pseudo-Alexander
(Alexander VI)
148 Claimed to be a son of Perseus. He fled after a military defeat. His fate is unknown.
Pseudo-Philip/Pseudo-Perseus
(Philip VII/Perseus II)
143 Claimed to be the son of Perseus and led a revolt. He was defeated and likely executed by the Romans.
Euephenes 93 Called himself king but was caught before his uprising began.

Family Tree

See also

  • List of ancient Macedonians
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