Aeacides of Epirus
| Aeacides | |
|---|---|
| King of Epirus | |
| Reign | 331 - 313 BC (316-313 Macedonian rule) |
| Predecessor | Alexander I of Epirus |
| Successor | Alcetas II of Epirus |
| Spouse | Phthia |
| Issue | Pyrrhus I of Epirus Deidamia I of Epirus |
| House | Aeacidae |
| Father | Arybbas of Epirus |
| Mother | Troas (daughter ofNeoptolemus I of Epirus) |
| Religion | Ancient Greek religion |
Aeacides(Ancient Greek:Αἰακίδης;died313 BC), King ofEpirus(331–316, 313), was a son ofKing Arybbasand grandson ofKing Alcetas I.
Family[edit]
Aeacides marriedPhthia,the daughter ofMenon of Pharsalus,by whom he had the celebrated sonPyrrhusand two daughters,Deidamiaand Troias.
Reign[edit]
In 331 BC, on the death of his cousin kingAlexander,who was slain inItaly,Aeacides succeeded to the throne ofEpirus.[1]In 317 BC he assistedPolyperchonin restoring his cousinOlympiasand the five-year-old kingAlexander IV[2]toMacedonia.The following year he had to march to the assistance of Olympias, who was hard pressed byCassander;but the Epirots disliked the military service, rose against Aeacides, and drove him from the kingdom. Pyrrhus, who was then only two years old, was saved by some faithful servants.[3]
In 313 BC, having become tired of the Macedonian rule, the people of Epirus recalled Aeacides (who until then had been campaigning with his old allyPolyperchonin thePeloponnese). Cassander immediately sent an army against him under his brother,Philip.[4]
Philip, who was poised to invadeAetolia,marched his army intoAcarnaniato preventAeacidesfrom linking up with theAetolians.The Epirote army is interceped and a bloody battle is fought, the Macedonians are victorious; killing manyEpirotesand capturing 50 leading supporters of Aeacides, who are sentMacedonas prisoners. Aeacides, with the remnant of his forces, managed to join the Aetolians. Eventually, Philip caught up with Aeacides and the Aetolians atOeniadaeand defeated them in battle. Aeacides, who was wounded in the battle, died a few days later.[5]
Notes and References[edit]
- ^Livy,History of Rome,viii. 24
- ^the mother and son ofAlexander the Great
- ^Diodorus Siculus,Bibliotheca historica19.36.3(Ancient Greek)
- ^Diodorus Siculus,Bibliotheca historica19.74(Ancient Greek)
- ^Pausanias,Description of Greece,i. 11;Diodorus Siculus,Bibliotheca,xix. 11, 36, 74;Plutarch,Lives,"Pyrrhus",1-2
Sources[edit]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Smith, William,ed. (1870). "Aeacides".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.