Cleopatra of Macedon

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

Cleopatra
Κλεοπάτρα
Born	355/354 BC
Died	308 BC
Children	Neoptolemus II
Parents	Philip II of Macedon(father) Olympias(mother)
Relatives	Alexander the Great(brother) Thessalonike(half-sister) Cynane(half-sister) Philip III of Macedon(half-brother)

Cleopatra of Macedonia(Greek:Κλεοπάτρα της Μακεδονίας;c.355/354 BC – 308 BC), orCleopatra of Epirus(Greek:Κλεοπάτρα της Ηπείρου) was anancient Macedonianprincess and later queen regent ofEpirus.The daughter ofPhilip II of MacedonandOlympias of Epirus,she was the only full sibling ofAlexander the Great.Her other siblings include half sistersThessalonikeandCynane,and half-brotherPhilip III of Macedon.

Early life

Cleopatra grew up in the care of her mother inPella.Olympias nurtured the familial bond in her children, ensuring they were raised in a "consistent political, moral, and cultural education and experience."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 inEpiruswith herMolossianbrotherAlexander I of Epirus(Cleopatra's uncle), and Cleopatra's brother Alexander fled toIllyria.Soon Philip felt he had to ally himself to Alexander I by offering his daughter's hand in marriage.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 atAegaeinMacedon,that Philip II was murdered.

Rule in Epirus

Immediately after her father's murder, Cleopatra and her husband-uncle Alexander went fromMacedonback toEpirus.It is believed that the couple had two children,Neoptolemus II of Epirusand Cadmeia (named for her brother's defeat of the Theban revolt which began by attacking the garrison on theCadmea).

Cleopatra held her brother Alexander's official favor,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 hisbasileia.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 tyrantDionysius of Heraclea,and addressed the situation on Alexander's behalf.

In 334 BC, Cleopatra's husband crossed theAdriatic Seato theItalian peninsulato campaign against severalItalic tribes,theLucaniansandBruttii,on behalf of the Greek colonyTaras,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 fromCyrene, Libya,she was the recipient of 50,000 'medimni' of grain, and shipped the surplus toCorinth.Alexander I conqueredHeraclea,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.

Cleopatra seemingly acted as the religious head of state for the people of Molossia. Her name appears on a list ofTheorodokoi( "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.

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 hadwith a handsome young man.

At some point in her rule, Olympias joined Cleopatra as regent, though the extent of their power is unclear.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.

Towards the end of her brothers's life, Cleopatra may have given up the Molossian regency entirely.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.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.Leonnatusis first mentioned as putting forward a claim to her hand, tellingEumenesthat he received a lettered promise of marriage if he came toPella.Cleopatra had extended her hand because she knewLeonnatushad the ambition and ability to overthrow the new mentally unfit kingPhilip III of Macedon.MeanwhileLeonnatus,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 inLamiaand rescueAntipater.However he was killed in this action, so the marriage never occurred.

Time in Sardis and Assassination

Cleopatra arrived inSardisin 322/321 BC to marryPerdiccas,but found that he had already proposed to Antipater's daughter, Nicaea. ThoughEumenesreportedly 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 andCraterusagainst the Perdiccas.After his death, her hand was sought by all of Alexander's successors, particularlyCassander,Lysimachus,andAntigonus.

In around 320 BC, a frustratedAntipaterpublicly scolded Cleopatra for her association with Perdiccas and Eumenes. Cleopatra would not submit so easily, however, and fought back with her own accusations.

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.

In 308 BC, Cleopatra acceded to a proposal of marriage fromPtolemyand fled Sardis. However, before their marriage, she was captured, brought back to Sardis, and assassinated by one of her female attendants,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.

Further reading

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

External links

• CleopatraArchived2006-01-01 at theWayback Machinefrom Charles Smith,Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology(1867)
• Cleopatra of Macedoniafrom Livius on ancient history by Jona Lendering