| Antigonus III | |
|---|---|
Silvertetradrachm struck sometime during the reign of Antigonus.Obv.: head ofPoseidon wearing wreath of marine plants;rev.:Apollo seated on the prow of a ship. | |
| King of Macedon | |
| Reign | 229 – 221 BC |
| Predecessor | Demetrius II Aetolicus |
| Successor | Philip V |
| Born | 263 BC |
| Died | 221 BC |
| Dynasty | Antigonid dynasty |
| Father | Demetrius the Fair |
| Mother | Olympias |
Antigonus III Doson (Ancient Greek:Ἀντίγονος Δώσων, 263–221 BC) was king ofAntigonid Macedon from229 BC to221 BC. Antigonus was a member of theAntigonid dynasty through his paternal line. During theCleomenean War, Antigonus revived theHellenic League ofPhilip II of Macedon under the name of the "League of Leagues" and managed to incorporate most of the Greek city-states in this League.[1][2]
Antigonus III Doson was a half-cousin of his predecessor,Demetrius II Aetolicus. Doson's father wasDemetrius the Fair (briefly king of Cyrene), the son ofDemetrius Poliorcetes and his third wife, Ptolemaïs, daughter ofPtolemy I Soter andEurydice, daughter ofAntipater.[3] As such, Demetrius the Fair was, on his father's side, a younger half-brother ofDemetrius II's father,Antigonus II Gonatas, the son of Poliorcetes by his first wife,Phila, another of Antipater's daughters; as well as a nephew of bothPtolemy Keraunos andMeleager on his mother's side. According toEusebius, Doson's own mother was aThessalian noblewoman, Olympias, daughter of Pauliclitus ofLarissa.[4] Antigonus also had a brother namedEchecrates,[5] whose son, named Antigonus after Doson himself, was put to death byPerseus on the latter's accession to the throne of Macedon.[6]
Doson's father, Demetrius the Fair, died sometime around 250 BC, as a result of events that occurred after being summoned from Macedonia toCyrene to marryBerenice II, the daughter and heir ofMagas of Cyrene. Rather than contenting himself with his young bride, Demetrius openly became the lover of her powerful mother,Apama II. So the jealous bride took her revenge by having him assassinated.[7] It is unclear whether Doson's mother had died before this time.
Antigonus' by-name, Doson, is Greek for "going to give." The meaning of this is uncertain. According toPlutarch it "implied that he was given to promising but did not perform his engagements",[8] though even the exact meaning of this is unclear.
When Demetrius II died in battle in 229 BC, his son and would-be successor, the laterPhilip V, was only nine years old. According to Plutarch, both the Macedonian army and nobility thought the political situation too volatile to wait for Philip V to mature enough to assume command.[9] As a consequence, the Macedonian nobility turned to Doson, who was subsequently maderegent of the kingdom and then married his predecessor's widow and the mother of Philip,[10]Chryseis.[11] However, it was only after Doson demonstrated his leadership abilities by succeeding (where his cousin Demetrius had failed) in defeating theDardanii invaders and also in putting down a rebellion by theThessalians,[12] and showing his rule to be generally moderate and good, that he was given the title of king.[13] Unlike his Antigonid ancestors, he had no viable rivals to challenge his right to rule. Yet, even as king he apparently envisioned himself as caretaker for his cousin's son, Philip V.
As king, Antigonus III proved to be as much a master of tactical diplomacy as of military strategy. In less than a decade of rule he not only secured the borders of his kingdom, but he also re-established Macedon as the dominant power in the region. Unlike previous Macedonian rulers who attempted direct dominion over their fiercely independent neighbours to the West and South, he formed alliances withEpirus and theAchaean League. WhenSparta, underCleomenes III, attempted to establishhegemony over the whole Peloponnese,Aratus of Sicyon - longtime leader of Greek opposition to Macedonian domination - invited Antigonus to intervene (226 BC). Establishing his base on the heights aboveCorinth, Antigonus reconstituted a broad-based Hellenic league (probably 224 BC) under his leadership before launching his attack on Sparta.[14] The Spartan forces, outmatched by the larger, better equipped Macedonian army, were so overwhelmed in theBattle of Sellasia (222 BC) thatCleomenes only managed to escape with a few horsemen, and ultimately had to seek refuge inEgypt.[15] However, in a magnanimous gesture, Antigonus restrained his soldiers from plundering Sparta, saying it was Cleomenes, not Sparta, that was his enemy.[16]
Antigonus did not long survive this victory. For, while his forces were campaigning in the southern Peloponnese,Illyrians invaded Macedonia from the north. Antigonus had to rush north to repel this new threat. On his way, Antigonus passed through Tegea and Argos, his arrival at the latter coinciding with the beginning of theNemean Games, where he was honoured by theAchaean League and various other cities.[17] His death occurred soon after, when he returned to Macedon and engaged the Illyrian army; for though Macedonian forces were once again victorious, the commander became sick during the battle (possibly, though not necessarily, as a result of a ruptured blood vessel) and died.[18]
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Antigonus III Born: 263 Died: 221 BC | ||
| Royal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Macedon 229–221 BC | Succeeded by |