Demetrius II Aetolicus
- For the similarly named Seleucid ruler see Demetrius II Nicator. For the Macedonian prince, see Demetrius the Fair.
| Demetrius | |
|---|---|
| King of Macedonia | |
| Reign | 239 to 229 BC |
| Predecessor | Antigonus II Gonatas |
| Successor | Antigonus III Doson |
| Born | 275 BC |
| Died | 229 BC |
| Spouse | Stratonice of Macedon Nicaea of Corinth Phthia of Macedon Chryseis |
| Issue | Apama III Philip V of Macedon |
| Dynasty | Antigonid dynasty |
| Father | Antigonus II Gonatas |
| Mother | Phila (daughter of Seleucus) |
Demetrius II Aetolicus (Greek: Δημήτριος ὁ Αἰτωλικός) son of Antigonus II Gonatas and Phila, reigned as king of Macedonia from the winter of 239 to 229 BC.[1]:317 He belonged to the Antigonid dynasty and was born in 275 BC.[1]:317
He had already during his father's lifetime distinguished himself by defeating Alexander II of Epirus at Derdia and so saving Macedonia (c. 260 BC).[2] There is a possibility[1]:317that his father had already elevated him to position of power equal to his own before his death. If this had occurred it would be dated at 256 or 257 BC.
On his accession Demetrius had to face a coalition of enemies which included the two great leagues. Usually rivals, the Aetolian League and Achaean League, now became allies against the Macedonian power. He succeeded in dealing this coalition severe blows, wresting Boeotia from their alliance. The revolution in Epirus, which substituted a republican league for the monarchy, gravely weakened his position.[2]
During his reign his kingdom extended[1]:321 to Euboea, Magnesia, Thessaly and its environs, excluding Dolopia and possibly Peparethos and Phthiotic Achaia.
In 236 BC, he invaded Boetia, making the Boetians submit[1]:326 immediately.
In 234 BC due to the Federal Republic[3] replacing the monarchy in Epirus led to the events of 231 BC, Demetrius hired[4] Agron for military aid against advancing Aetolians. His kingdom was not[1]:323 threatened by the Illyrian Ardiaei ruled by Agron despite them having gathered the greatest force in their history (around 231 BC), but Epirus needed some sort of force to deter them.
Demetrius in the end of his reign defended his domain from the tribal peoples of the north. A battle with the Dardanians[1]:335 turned out disastrously, and he died shortly afterwards, leaving Philip, his son by Chryseis, still a child.[2]
Marriage and family
Demetrius married three times, though the chronology of these marriages is a matter of dispute.[2]
- Stratonice of Macedon, his aunt/cousin, the daughter of the Seleucid king Antiochus I and his aunt Stratonice, by whom he had a daughter called Apama III[5] who married Prusias I of Bithynia. Stratonice left him after he married Phthia[6]
- Nicaea, the widow of his cousin Alexander, ca. 245/244 b.C. [6]
- Phthia (239 BC)[1]:322 the daughter of Alexander II of Epirus, to whom he was married at the same time as Chryseis.[6]
- Chryseis, whom he married before 227/6 and by whom he had a son, Philip V of Macedon. After widowing, she remarried to Demetrius' successor, Antigonus III Doson.[6]
Information[1]:317regarding the life of Demetrius are drawn mainly from inscription as only Plutarch writes of him, in Life of Aratus, and Polybius[7] makes scarce mentions of him.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. - ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apame/apame_iii.html
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ cf.2.44.1-2
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Antigonus II Gonatas trains |
Kings of Macedon 239–229 BC |
Succeeded by: Antigonus III Doson |
