- Second War of the Diadochi
The Second War of the Diadochi is the conflict between
Polyperchon andCassander , following the death of Cassander's father,Antipater .Background
In the aftermath of the death of
Alexander the Great , his empire was divided between his generals. However, this arrangement eventually led to a war between his successors, the so-calledDiadochi , as to who should control which parts of the empire. Following this first conflict, Antipater became the de facto ruler of Alexander's European territories, whileAntigonus gained a similar position in Asia.However, when Antipater died, he left his domain in the hands of his lieutenant, Polyperchon, as opposed to his son Cassander. Cassander, however, had the support of Antigonus, and
Ptolemy (the current ruler of Egypt, "SeePtolemaic Dynasty "), while Polyperchon was supported byEumenes , Alexander's former secretary, who was then the ruler ofCappadocia .The War
Cassander gained an early advantage in the war, and was able to force Polyperchon to retreat to
Epirus with the infant KingAlexander IV . However, from here he joined forces with Alexander's motherOlympias and was able to re-invade Macedon. An army led by KingPhilip Arrhidaeus , Alexander's half-brother, defected to Polyperchon's side, resulting in the King's execution.However, Cassander rallied once more, and was able to take control of Macedon. In doing so,
Olympias was killed, and Cassander was able to gain control of the infant King and his mother. In Asia, at the battles of Paraitacene and Gabiene, Eumenes was defeated by Antigonus, allowing Antigonus to control the Asian territories once more.Aftermath
The war had shifted the balance of power to such a degree that Antigonus could pose a threat to any of the other Diadochi, leading to Cassander, Ptolemy and
Lysimachus allying against him in the third war of the Diadochi. The territories now controlled by Antigonus would later form the basis of the Selucid Empire.ee also
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Diadochi
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