THE DYNASTIC LEGTIMACY OF CLEOPATRA IN THE WARS OF THE DIADOCHOI
Keywords:
Cleopatra, Diadochoi, Argeads, dynastic legitimacy, royal women, Hellenistic periodAbstract
The study The Dynastic Legitimacy of Cleopatra in the Wars
of the Diadochi examines the historical narrative concerning Cleopatra,
the only full sister of Alexander III the Great and daughter of Philip II of
Macedon and Olympia. Although a figure of considerable importance, she
has remained largely neglected in scholarship addressing the political
upheavals that followed the death of Alexander III in 323 BCE. The point
of departure for this research lies in the testimonies preserved in
historiographical sources—Diodorus of Sicily (Books XVI–XX),
Plutarch, and Justin. The paper investigates Cleopatra’s royal status and
her position within the intersecting and competing interests surrounding
the Macedonian throne during the period of the Wars of the Diadochi
(323–308 BCE). Through an analysis of the narrative framework and the
political context in which Cleopatra’s life unfolded, this study offers
insight into the condition of Macedonian royal women, who were caught
between personal agency and patriarchal constraints, and consequently
remained in a state of uncertainty and constant mortal danger. According
to the extant evidence, Cleopatra lived between Epirus, Macedonia and
Sardis, in a world dominated by the male successors of her brother,
Alexander III. From the moment she was widowed by Alexander I of
Epirus—and especially after her brother’s death – she became a focal
point for the leading generals of the Macedonian kingdom, who sought
through marriage to her to secure royal legitimacy and supremacy in the
struggles of the early Hellenistic period. Ultimately, Cleopatra’s life and death reflect the tension between hereditary sovereignty and patriarchal
control, illuminating the role of royal women and offering valuable insight into the patterns of dynastic legitimacy in the period following the death
of Alexander III.
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