Antigonus I Monophthalmus (the One-Eyed) was one of Alexander the Great’s most important generals and one of his most capable successors. He attempted to unite Alexander the Great’s empire in the Wars of the Successors and ended up fighting against the other claimants, who allied themselves against him. He was the son of Philip, a Macedonian nobleman from Elimeia and commander of the army with which Alexander the Great marched into Asia, in 334 BC.<\/p>\n
In 333 BC, Alexander’s army arrived at Celae (present-day Denarius), the capital of Phrygia. The city was too strong to besiege without delaying the advance, and so Alexander agreed to a conditional surrender of the garrison, in order to continue his march. Antigonus was given the title of satrap of Phrygia along with 1,500 mercenaries, and in 330 BC Lycia and Pamphylia were added to the satrapy.<\/p>\n
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His first task was to implement the terms of the treaty, as he would govern Phrygia for the next decade, ensuring that Alexander’s supply lines from Macedonia were kept open. The most serious threat arose later that year, after Alexander’s great victory at the Battle of Issus, as part of the scattered Persian army fled to Cappadocia and Paphlagonia, and it took Antigonus a year and three battles to defeat them.<\/p>\n
In the wake of Alexander’s death (323 BC), Antigonus remained in Phrygia. In the agreement concluded in Babylon, he was appointed to maintain his existing positions and was assigned to assist Eumenes of Cardia in subduing Cappadocia and Paphlagonia, as well as the neighboring satraps. Meanwhile, the Lamian War in Greece prevented the satraps of western Asia Minor from assisting Eumenes, while Antigonus simply refused to help. So Perdiccas, the viceroy of the empire, undertook the mission and as soon as Eumenes secured the satrapy, he asked Antigonus to submit an account of his actions. Antigonus, realizing that this constituted a grave insult, fled to Antipater in Macedonia.<\/p>\n
The First War of the Diadochi saw the deaths of two of Alexander\u2019s most important successors \u2013 Perdiccas was assassinated by his own troops and Craterus was killed in battle. Antigonus was then given command of the royal army in Asia (321 BC) and tasked with defeating Eumenes, who had been condemned as a supporter of Perdiccas. This campaign took place in the interval between the First and Second Wars of the Diadochi. Antigonus forced Eumenes to retreat to eastern Asia Minor and then besieged him at the fortress of Nora.<\/p>\n
The Second War of the Diadochi broke out in 319 BC after the death of Antipater, the elderly regent of the empire, who had appointed an elderly general, Polyperchon, as his successor. Antipater’s son Cassander wanted the title for himself, while Antigonus did not want the presence of an additional powerful opponent.<\/p>\n
His first move was a mistake, because he offered to lift the siege of Nora if Eumenes would follow him in the fight against Polyperchon. Eumenes agreed and, after being freed, then changed sides, joining forces with Polyperchon as general of the troops of Asia.<\/p>\n
The war is divided into two separate conflicts. In 318 BC, Antigonus defeats his opponents’ fleet in the Bosporus, isolating Eumenes. Over the next two years, Antigonus pushes Eumenes further and further east into Phoenicia and Persia through Asia Minor. The only victory Eumenes gains is a controversial one, in 317 BC at Paraitakine, as in 316 BC at Gaviene he suffers a painful defeat, after Antigonus manages to capture Eumenes’ camp and capture the relatives of the silver-spiders (soldiers who formed the Macedonian phalanx along with the copper-spiders) who, in the aftermath of the battle, “surrender” Eumenes to Antigonus in exchange for the return of their relatives.<\/p>\n
The war is divided into two separate conflicts. In 318 BC, Antigonus defeats his opponents’ fleet in the Bosporus, isolating Eumenes. Over the next two years, Antigonus pushes Eumenes further and further east into Phoenicia and Persia through Asia Minor. The only victory Eumenes gains is a controversial one, in 317 BC at Paraitakine, as in 316 BC at Gaviene he suffers a painful defeat, after Antigonus manages to capture Eumenes’ camp and capture the relatives of the silver-spiders (soldiers who formed the Macedonian phalanx along with the copper-spiders) who, in the aftermath of the battle, “surrender” Eumenes to Antigonus in exchange for the return of their relatives.<\/p>\n
The war begins favorably for Antigonus. He captures Joppa and Gaza, controlling Coele Syria. Tyre resisted more and fell in 314 BC after a siege. Previously, in 315 BC, Antigonus issued a proclamation in Tyre in which he developed his positions, while promising to support the freedom and autonomy of the Greek cities. He also gathered the Phoenician kings in Tyre and began building a fleet. During this time, the Koinon of the Islanders \u2013 League of the Cyclades, an alliance of the Aegean islands, was probably founded.<\/p>\n
In Greece, he allied with Polyperchon, who was then confined to the Peloponnese, and sent troops and money, under the orders of his nephew Polemaeus. Antigonus focused on the northern war, against Lysimachus and Cassander, leaving his son Demetrius in charge of Syria. It is noted that Antigonus’ wife was Stratonice (daughter of Corragus, king of Thrace), with whom he had two sons: Philip \u2013 who died at a young age \u2013 and the aforementioned Demetrius, called Poliorcetes.<\/p>\n
The situation began to unravel in 312 BC, when Ptolemy attacked Demetrius, whom he defeated at Gaza, and Antigonus began serious negotiations with Lysimachus and Cassander, in order to restore the situation in Syria. Faced with the prospect of facing Antigonus alone, Ptolemy joined the negotiating team and finally in 311 BC a peace treaty was officially signed. This treaty recognized Europe for Cassander, Thrace for Lysimachus, Egypt for Ptolemy, and Asia for Antigonus. Antigonus regained Coelessia, but failed in his main objectives. A side effect of this peace was the assassination of Alexander the Great’s son Alexander IV the following year by Cassander.<\/p>\n
Seleucus was not included in the treaty, as in the aftermath of Gaza, he had gained power in Babylon and was beginning to advance into the upper satrapies (Iran). Antigonus launched a campaign against Seleucus, but was defeated in a battle that probably took place near Babylon in 309 or 308 BC. This defeat was probably followed by a peace treaty between the two men. The following year finds Antigonus founding a new capital, named Antigoneia, near the future site of Antioch. The city was short-lived, moving in 300 BC after Antigonus’ death.<\/p>\n
The fragile peace ended in 306 BC (the Fourth War of the Successors) as the war moved to Greece. The new round of fighting began with a conflict between Ptolemy and Antigonus. The first battlefield was Cyprus, when in 306 BC, Antigonus ordered his son Demetrius to conquer the island, a mission he successfully accomplished.<\/p>\n
In the wake of this triumph, Antigonus made the fatal move and proclaimed himself king, while Alexander IV was still alive and the successors maintained the illusion that they were ruling in his name. In 306 BC Four years after the young king’s death, Cyprus remained the only clear success of Antigonus, who shared his new title with Demetrius, thus creating a dynasty. The following year, Antigonus’ rivals proclaimed themselves kings.<\/p>\n
The new allies adopt a risky plan. They abandon Macedonia and move into Asia Minor, where Lysimachus and Cassander “preoccupy” Antigonus by keeping him immobilized, while Seleucus moves his army from the east. Rather than send Demetrius to Macedonia, Antigonus recalls him back to Asia. In 301 BC the two sides meet at Ipsus, in one of the greatest battles of the Hellenistic period. Demetrius leads a successful cavalry charge, but is then drawn into the pursuit of his opponents, while on the main battlefield Seleucus’ elephants break up Antigonus’ army. The result is that Antigonus is killed and Demetrius barely manages to escape.<\/p>\n
With the death of Antigonus, the main phase of the Wars of the Diadochi ends. He was the last of the successors who desired the reunification of Alexander’s empire, on the basis of the policy that the great general had set. In the last year of his life, Seleucus also had the opportunity to reunify large parts of the empire, but unfortunately it was not his main goal.<\/p>\n
The death of Antigonus did not put an end to the career of his son Demetrius, who sought to become king of Macedonia, before finally abdicating after a period of continuous military conflicts. Ironically, Antigonus’ grandson, Antigonus Gonatas, would succeed in becoming king of Macedonia, founding the Antigonid dynasty which would rule until Perseus was deposed by the Romans almost 150 years later.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"