| King of Macedonia | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) Alexander the Great, the most famous Macedonian king | |
| Details | |
| Style | King of the Macedonians, Basileus[1] |
| First monarch | Perdiccas I |
| Last monarch | Perseus |
| Formation | c. 650 BC |
| Abolition | 168 BC |
| Residence | Aegae, Pella, and Demetrias |
Macedonia, also called Macedon, was ruled continuously by kings from its inception around the middle of the seventh century BC until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 168 BC. Kingship in Macedonia, its earliest attested political institution, was hereditary, exclusively male, and characterized by dynastic politics.[2][3][4]
Information regarding the origins of the Argeads, Macedonia's founding dynasty, is very scarce and often contradictory. The Argeads themselves claimed descent from the royal house of Argos, the Temenids, but this story is viewed with skepticism by some scholars as a fifth century BC fiction invented by the Argead court "to 'prove' Greek lineage".[5][6][7][8] It is more likely that the Argeads first surfaced either as part of a tribe living near Mount Bermion who, possibly under the authority of Perdiccas, subjugated neighboring lands,[9][10] or, according to Herodotus, were of a Doric race that originally resided in Pindus.[11] During their reign, Macedonia would not only come to dominate Greece, but also emerge as one of the most powerful states in the ancient world with the conquest of the Persian Empire under Alexander the Great. However, Alexander's untimely death in 323 BC triggered a series of civil wars and regents for his young son Alexander IV, ultimately leading to the Argead dynasty's demise.
Cassander, the ostensible regent of Macedonia, murdered Alexander IV in 310 and installed the Antipatrids as the ruling house. His dynasty was short-lived, however, as his death in 297 triggered a civil war between his sons that further destabilized the kingdom. The following decades saw a rapid and violent succession of Diadochi from various dynasties, each vying for the Macedonian throne. This chaos continued until the death of Pyrrhus in 272 and the accession of the Antigonids under Antigonus II Gonatas.
Following decades of continuous conflict, the Antigonids saw the temporary renewal of the kingdom's fortunes, but were destroyed by Rome after Perseus' defeat at the battle of Pydna in 168 BC.
- ^ Fox 2011b, pp. 359–360.
- ^ Errington 1990, p. 218.
- ^ Roisman 2010, p. 373.
- ^ Hammond & Griffith 1979, p. 152.
- ^ Eder & Renger 2006, pp. 188–190.
- ^ Borza 1990, p. 82.
- ^ Errington 1990, pp. 2–3.
- ^ Asirvatham 2010, p. 101.
- ^ Sprawski 2010, pp. 132–133.
- ^ Hammond & Griffith 1979, pp. 27–28.
- ^ Herodotus. Histories, 1.56.2–3.