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Socrates Chrestus (Greek:Σωκράτης ό Χρηστός;Chrestus (The Good)^[1] died 90–88 BC) was the second son ofNicomedes III of Bithynia. He usurped theBithynian throne by deposing his elder brother or half brother,Nicomedes IV of Bithynia.

There is very little information about Socrates. We have only brief references byAppian,Granius Licinianus,Justin andMemnon of Heraclea within the context of conflict inAsia Minor and military interventions in the kingdoms of Bithynia andCappadocia byMithridates VI, the king ofPontus.

Socrates was a second son Nicomedes III had with a concubine called Hagne who was fromCyzicus. He sent Socrates and Hagne to Cyzicus with 500 talents.^[2] He had an older half-brother namedNicomedes IV, and two younger half siblings namedNysa andPylaemenes III.

When Nicomedes III died in 94 BC, theRoman senate appointed Nicomedes IV to be the king of Bithynia as his successor. However,Mithridates VI, the king ofPontus, set up Socrates as a rival to Nicomedes.^[3] Mithridates gave Socrates a splendid reception and called him Chrestus (The Good).^[4] He helped Socrates to usurp the throne by giving him an army. He put Socrates on the throne even "though Socrates was of a quiet disposition and thought it right that his elder brother should reign."^[5] He then sent him to Rome to ask for his recognition as king. The Roman senate turned this down.^[4] Justin wrote that Mithridates drove Nicomedes IV out of Bithynia. He probably wrote this because it was Mithridates who engineered Socrates' usurpation. Nicomedes IV fled to Rome and asked the Romans for help. The Roman senate decreed that both Nicomedes IV andAriobarzanes I of Cappadocia, who had been deposed and driven out ofCappadocia by Mithridates, be able to return to rule their states and commissionedManius Aquillius and Manlius Maltinus to enforce this.^[6] The Romans' wishes prevailed, despite the opposition of Mithridates.^[4]

Manius Aquillius, with the help of Cassius, the governor of theRoman province of Asia, who recruited a large force fromGalatia andPhrygia, restored both Nicomedes IV and Ariobarzanes I.^[7] According to Granius Licinianus, Socrates was not tempted by jealously to seek control of the kingdom, because he had had enough trouble from his previous adventures.^[2] These restorations are mentioned in thePeriochae. An entry forLivy's book 74 records that in 88 BC "[i]n Bithynia Nicomedes was restored to the throne and Ariobarzanes in the kingdom of Cappadocia."^[8]

According to Granius Licinianus, Socrates went back to Cyzicus. He murdered his sister out of greed. Both the people of Cyzicus and Nicomedes IV pursued him and he fled to the Greek island ofEuboea, where he was welcomed and hosted by a certain Cornelius, who was a Romanequite.^[4] According to Justin, Socrates was murdered by Mithridates.^[9]

Primary

Appian, The Foreign Wars, Book 12, The Mithridatic Wars, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014;ISBN 978-1503114289

• Granius Licinianus, Grani Liciniani Quae Supersunt (Classic Reprint),Forgotten Books, 2018;ISBN 978-0428904401
• Justin, Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus (Classical Resources Series, No 3), Society for Classical Studies Classical Resources, Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 1994;ISBN 978-1555409517
• Memnon of Heraclea, History of Heracleia[1]

Secondary

• Mayor, A.,The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy,Princeton University Press, 2009,ISBN 978-0691150260
• McGing, B.C., The foreign policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus, BRILL, 1986

• 1st-century BC Kings of Bithynia
• 1st-century BC murdered monarchs
• Anatolian Greeks
• Ancient Pontic Greeks
• Monarchs of Bithynia
• 80s BC deaths
• People of the Mithridatic Wars

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles needing additional references from September 2017
• All articles needing additional references
• Articles containing Greek-language text
• Year of death uncertain
• Year of birth unknown