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For the minor kings of this name, see Perdiccas I, Perdiccas II, and Perdiccas III.
Perdiccas (d. May-June 320 BC) was one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander's death in 323 BC he became main regent of all Alexander's empire.
He was son of Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the province of Orestis. Perdiccas distinguished himself at the conquest of Thebes (335 BC) and himself was severely wounded. Perdiccas commanded with battalion of heavy phalanx infantry. He held an important command in the Indian campaigns of Alexander. When Hephaestion unexpectedly died in 324 BC, Perdiccas was appointed in Hephaestion's functions: commander of the Companion cavalry and chiliarch (vizier).
In the settlement made after Alexander's death (323) it was agreed that Philip III of Macedon, an epileptic bastard son of the great Philip II of Macedon, and Roxana's unborn child (if a son) should be recognized as joint kings. Perdiccas was appointed guardian and regent of entire empire. He soon showed himself intolerant of any rivals, and acting in the name of the two kings (Roxana gave birth to a son, Alexander IV of Macedon) sought to hold the empire together under his own hand. Meleager, infantry commander, was arrested and murdered by Perdiccas. In 322 BC, Perdiccas broke off the engagement with Nicaea, daughter of Antipater, because Olympias offered him hand of Cleopatra, a sister of Alexander the Great.
His most loyal supporter was Eumenes, governor of Cappadocia and Paphlagonia. These provinces had not yet been conquered by the Macedonians. Antigonus (governor of Phrygia, Lycia and Pamphylia) refused to undertake the task at the command of Perdiccas. Having been summoned to the royal presence to stand his trial for disobedience, Antigonus fled to Europe and entered an alliance with Antipater, Craterus and Ptolemy against Pediccas.
Perdiccas, leaving the war in Asia Minor to Eumenes, marched to attack Ptolemy in Egypt. He reached Pelusium, but failed to cross the Nile. A mutiny broke out amongst the troops, disheartened by failure and exasperated by his severity. Perdiccas was assassinated by his officers (Peithon, Antigenes, and Seleucus) sometime between 21 May and 19 June of 320 BC.
External links
Reference
- Peter Green, Alexander to Actium, pp. 3-15
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)