11 Facts About The Rise And Fall Of The Seleucids

Alexander died in Babylon at age 32. He left no named heir. His widow...Roxana (also called Roxanne)Roxana was pregnant. People argued about succession before Alexander's body was cold, unsure if the unborn child would be a son.He was not truly dead yet.Some supported his half-brother Arrhidaeus because he was fully Macedonian. Others loyal to Alexander wanted to focus on his unborn child. A regent would have to rule in the meantime. After Alexander's death caused immediate chaos, one of his bodyguards,...PerdiccasPerdiccas received the big job of sorting out the succession question.

Seleucus was not high in the ranks at that time. He was assigned the satrapy of Babylon during Alexander's empire split, but he lacked the military power to keep it.satrapyPtolemy stole Alexander's body. Seleucus joined Perdiccas's group to get it back. When Perdiccas faced trouble, Seleucus and other officers stabbed him in the back. This betrayal proved useful later when another successor,...stole Alexander's bodySeleucus joined Perdiccas's expedition to get it. As things went badly for Perdiccas, Seleucus and other officers stabbed him in the back. This treachery proved useful later when another successor...Seleucus helped form a group against Antigonus and stayed in contact with officials in Babylon to plan his return. Seleucus and Ptolemy beat Antigonus's son Demetrios in a fight. Seleucus used this chance to take back Babylon during the winter of 312 BCE. He defeated a much larger army the next year by tricking them and attacking at night. Although the raid did not harm the whole force much, Seleucus eliminated the opposing leaders and brought the leaderless army into his own.Seleucus assisted in merging Hellenic and Persian subjects, a major challenge for Alexander in his later conquests. For this goal, he organized a mass wedding in Susa.

Seleucus helped build a group against Antigonus and contacted Babylon officials to plan his return. Seleucus and Ptolemy beat Antigonus's son Demetrios in battle. Seleucus used that chance to take back Babylon in the winter of 312 BCE. The following year, he tricked and attacked a much larger army sent against him at night. The raid did not harm the whole force much, but Seleucus took out the opposition leaders and brought the leaderless enemy army into his own.

Alexander faced a big challenge integrating his Greek and Persian subjects. For this goal, he set up a...ApamaIn 324 BCE, he set up a marriage program in modern-day Iran to match Macedonian nobles with Persian wives. About 80 of Alexander's companions married Persian noblewomen. Alexander took the most famous wives: his enemy, DariusDarius’s eldest daughter Statira (also called Barsine) and the daughter of former Persian rulerArtaxerxes IIIAlexander’s closest companion, HephaestionHephaestion married Darius’s other daughter, Drypetis, hoping to merge their families.

Seleucus was lower in rank, but he seemed happy with his new wife, a noblewoman namedApamaSeleucus was the only Macedonian who did not divorce his wife right after Alexander’s death the next year. Whether it was affection or strategy, the match helped him later. His Persian wife helped cross cultural gaps in a multi-ethnic empire, and their children gained more legitimacy with their subjects.

He married again much later, maybe after Apama died, or with her. The union with the much youngerStratonice.Stratonice’s situation wasn't stable. Rumors, likely made to save face, about his son Antiochus’s feelings for his stepmother caused Seleucus to divorce Stratonice and send her with Antiochus to the empire's other end.

Conquered lands did not always stay conquered. Distant eastern provinces taken late in Alexander’s campaigns received little attention after his death. Seleucus led an expedition toBactria.(modern-day Afghanistan) and the eastern borders to bring the lands back under control. At some point, Seleucus fought the great Mauryan rulerChandragupta Maurya.. Records lack detail, but given Alexander’s ownproblems in India, Seleucus likely faced difficulty., it is very likely Seleucus had a tough time.

If the two kingdoms ever fought, no record survives. The treaty worked for both sides, and good relations suggest an inconclusive fight, maybe influenced by the Mauryans. Seleucus traded the eastern provinces for trade rights and 500 war elephants, which helped his later campaigns.

Settling the eastern borders helped Seleucus and Chandragupta. This arrangement secured each ruler's rear, letting them focus their efforts elsewhere. Both would establish large empires.

To start a dynasty, you need an heir. A spare is often smart, but too many sons can hurt succession as much as too few. Seleucus had four children and at most two sons, and his chosen heirAntiochushad been his co-ruler for years. The old king sensibly sent his eldest son to rule the far end of his territory to maintain order and avoid trying to speed up his succession. His surviving rivals Ptolemy andLysimachushad more children, and the extra sons meant trouble.

Lysimachus had a capable heir, Agathocles, but an intrigue by one of his younger sons and one of his wives caused suspicions of treason, leading to the execution of his eldest son and heir.

Lysimachus became increasingly harsh and absolute because he was unpopular, and the resulting unrest gave Seleucus a chance. After Ptolemy died in 282 BCE, only the two old rivals from the first generation ofDiadochi.It was Ptolemy's eldest son,Ptolemy CeraunusOr Keraunos started the plot against Agathocles and pushed Seleucus's march.

Seleucus defeated his old foe fast. Details of their last fight remain sparse. Lysimachus died in the struggle. Legend says his dog guarded his corpse until recovery. Seleucus pushed 80 when he crossed the Hellespont for Thrace and Macedonia, moving toward reuniting Alexander's empire. At his peak, Ptolemy Ceraunus suggested a temple visit. Alone, Ptolemy Ceraunus stabbed his patron in the back, thanking him—an ignoble end for a career of treachery and dirty tactics.

Ptolemy Ceraunus did not live long after his achievements.A Celtic incursion.The foe caught him in Greece. He did not wait for aid; he underestimated his enemies. The Celtic king Bolgios promptly killed him.

Seleucus and Ptolemy were friendly while alive, each helping the other gain power after Alexander's death. Seleucus eliminated Perdiccas during his Egypt campaign. Ptolemy helped Seleucus when Antigonus kicked him out of Babylon.

Ptolemy was more cautious than Seleucus, who was more opportunistic. Seleucus's skill with trickery helped shift the balance in the struggles among the Diadochi.Diadochi.The two worked together, forming the coalition that defeated Antigonus at the Battle of Ipsus.Battle of Ipsus.Lysimachus took the largest share of the land spoils at Ipsus.

The remaining.Diadochi.All crowned themselves kings over their pieces of Alexander’s empire around 305/6 BCE. After the Antigonid Kingdom split following Ipsus, they all crowned themselves kings of their pieces of Alexander’s former empire around 305/6 BCE.Ptolemy and Seleucus.Ptolemy and Seleucus held part of Syria. The shared border in Syria between the Ptolemies and Seleucids started future fighting. Seleucus and Ptolemy stayed peaceful, but their successors fought over the kingdom for generations. Several wars fought over Syria; those destructive battles likely helped Rome rise in the area.

Alexander often established new cities but most were abandoned within a few years. The Seleucids secured their land by founding many cities that lasted. In the contested kingdom of Syria, the Seleucids founded four key cities in the north.Antioch.Seleucia., Apamea, and Laodicea. These settlements acted as defenses against rivals and centers for trade and Greek migrants.

The Seleucids built prosperous settlements to draw Greek settlers for infantry. Antioch lasted longer than the Seleucids; the city helped Christianity emerge and was one of the...focal pointsFirst Crusade.

Seleucus established another Seleucia on the Tigris in the east. This served as an administrative center for the empire's eastern part and helped defend Babylon. The twin fortified cities, Seleucia and Babylon, sat just miles apart, giving them a secure eastern base. Having two major capitals far apart helped too. The Seleucids secured their succession by making the anointed heir co-king in the east from Seleucia. The large distance between Antioch and Seleucia meant an impatient heir faced less chance to take the throne early. Seleucid succession was not always smooth, but by the time, it was remarkably orderly.

After the mediocre reigns of Seleucus II and Seleucus III, the empire lost territory and began to decline.Antiochus IIIascended the throne in 222 BCE. Antiochus III ruled militarily and campaigned to restore the empire's former glory. By the second century BCE, Antiochus had regained much lost territory, and Bactria returned. Like Seleucus, Antiochus reached India, getting help from war elephants for his campaigns.

In theFifth Syrian War,He partnered with Philip V of Macedon. They split Ptolemaic Egypt’s non-African lands between them. The war went well for them. A Roman intervention pulled Macedon out. This stopped Antiochus from finishing off the Egyptians. This proved the high point for arguably the second-greatest Seleucid ruler. Rome’s growing presence threatened Seleucid ambitions.

The legendary Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca came to Antiochus’s court to advise on the 192 BCE conflict with Rome, which proved disastrous for the Seleucids. A defeat atThermopylae(pictured, as it appears today) - the Spartans made famous this area - led to a crushing loss at the Battle of Magnesia in the winter of 190-189 BCE. Antiochus had more troops, but the Macedonians found an advantage atCynoscephalaeRoman infantry proved far better than the phalanxes of the Hellenic powers.

With Rome involved, the Seleucids had only one path. The financial weight of the peace treaty Antiochus III signed became a burden his successors struggled with. Starting in 196 BCE, the Seleucids followed the Ptolemaic model of incestuous marriages with Antiochus's son (also named Antiochus) and daughter Laodice. After the Seleucid heir died too soon,Laodicemarried her brotherSeleucus IV.

Seleucus spent most of his reign trying to pay down the Roman debt. He changed the Seleucid policy of tolerance toward minorities to a harsher rule. Seleucus sent a minister, Heliodorus, to steal money from the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. A miraculous intervention stopped the minister from succeeding, and he returned to his king without the treasure.Antiochus III the Great experienced a miraculous intervention.This intervention supposedly stopped the minister from reaching his goal, so he returned to his king without the treasure.

He caused the king’s assassination in 175 BCE. He briefly became regent until Seleucus IV’s younger brother, Antiochus IV, killed him. Antiochus IV inherited more than just the kingdom; he became Laodice's third brother-husband.

The Seleucids were...They started with initial tolerance.The early rulers made little effort to interfere with their subjects' daily lives except for collecting taxes. For many subjects, life under the Seleucids resembled life under the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Seleucus and his successors kept local administrations. This relaxed view changed around the second century BCE. Rulers who followed Antiochus III focused more on their own wealth and power than on the common good.

The successor to Antiochus III the Great was also named Antiochus. His history shows him as a villain, not a great ruler. He used the fact that the true heir to the empire was in Rome as a hostage to seize power. Born Mithradates, he ruled asAntiochus IV Epiphanes("God manifest"), but critics called him Epimanes ("the mad one").

After Judea was taken from the Ptolemies, Antiochus IV reversed past rulers' tolerance. He tried to Hellenize the area by banning Jewish religion and customs. Pogroms and desecration of Jerusalem’s Second Temple sparked resistance from the priest Mattathias and his sons. One son, Judah Maccabee, led a successful revolt.He achieved a successful revolt.The conflict involved not just fighting foreign oppressors. It was also a Jewish civil war between traditionalists and Hellenized Jews.

During the Maccabean revolt, theThe Hanukkah miracle occurred.reportedly happened then. The Talmud says the Second Temple of Jerusalem was rededicated, and the menorah burned for eight days, even though there was only enough oil for one. Other sources tell a different story.The Book of Maccabees.states there were eight days of celebration but omits the oil detail. The revolt's nature split historical views, but it succeeded in its goal and was a key moment in Jewish history.This was a key moment.It happened in Jewish history.

Antiochus V Eupator.Antiochus V Eupator succeeded his father at nine. Then, his uncle Demetrius deposed him in 162 BCE. Demetrius was the man Antiochus IV had taken over years before. The last century of the Seleucid Empire featured constant family fights, dull rulers, and rising power at the empire's edges.

Demetrius was overthrown byAlexandros I Balas.He ruled in 150 BCE. The new Seleucid king claimed to be Antiochus IV's lost son. The Ptolemies and the kingdoms of Pergamum and Cappadocia backed his claim. Alexander’s short reign brought territorial losses to the Parthians and his neglectful rule.The son of Demetrius, also named Demetrius, toppled him.Dynastic struggles and territorial losses kept happening. Ineffectual rulers came and went. At its height, the empire spanned from the Aegean Sea to the Indus River, an area over 1.5 million miles. By the start of the first century BCE, it shrank to under 39,000 miles.

The Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also called Pompey, greatly admired Alexander the Great in his youth. He took the title “the Great” to honor his hero, though rivals sometimes used the term to mock him. By 63 BCE, the Seleucid Empire was just a small state in Syria under Roman control.The Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also called Pompey, was a big fan of Alexander the Great during his youth. He took the title "the Great" to honor his hero, though rivals sometimes used the term mockingly. By 63 BCE, the Seleucid Empire was just a small state in Syria under Roman control.Pompey took the kingdom almost as an afterthought while campaigning to end the troublesome Cilician pirates.

Philip II Philoromaeus was the final Seleucid king. He tried to replace his lost throne with the Egyptian crown through marriage in 58 BCE. His plans failed, and the empire's last ruler vanished from history.Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (also called Pompey) was a huge boyhood fan of Alexander the Great. He took on the mantle of “the Great” in reverence to his hero, though it was sometimes used derisively by his rivals. By 63 BCE, the Seleucid Empire was little more than a rump state in Syria under Roman dominion.

Pompey annexed the kingdom almost as an afterthought during his campaign to wipe up the pesky Cilician pirates once and for all. The final Seleucid king, Philip II Philoromaeus, tried to replace his lost throne with the Egyptian crown through marriage in 58 BCE. His plans came to nothing and the empire's last ruler disappeared from the historical record.