Alexander II of Epirus
Alexander II was a king of Epirus, and the son of Pyrrhus and Lanassa, the daughter of the Sicilian tyrant Agathocles.[1]
| Alexander II | |
|---|---|
| King of Epirus | |
 Illustration of silver tetradrachm of Ptolemy I of Egypt, in the name of Alexander the Great (ca. 310-305 BC). Obverse: youthful head, covered with the skin of elephant's head. Reverse: Pallas Athena, holding spear and shield; before her eagle on thunderbolt. | |
| Reign | 272 - 242 BC |
| Predecessor | Pyrrhus I of Epirus |
| Successor | Pyrrhus II of Epirus |
| Issue | Pyrrhus II of Epirus Ptolemy of Epirus Phthia of Macedon |
| House | Aeacidae |
| Father | Pyrrhus I of Epirus |
| Mother | Lanassa of Syracuse |
| Religion | Ancient Greek religion |
Reign
He succeeded his father as king in 272 BC, and continued the war which his father had begun with Antigonus II Gonatas, whom he succeeded in driving from the kingdom of Macedon. He was, however, dispossessed of both Macedon and Epirus by Demetrius II of Macedon, the son of Antigonus II; upon which he took refuge amongst the Acarnanians. By their assistance and that of his own subjects, who entertained a great attachment for him, he recovered Epirus. It appears that he was in alliance with the Aetolians.[2]
Alexander married his paternal half-sister Olympias, by whom he had two sons, Pyrrhus ΙΙ, Ptolemy ΙΙ and a daughter, Phthia. On the death of Alexander, around 242 BC, Olympias assumed the regency on behalf of her sons, and married Phthia to Demetrius.[3] There are extant silver and copper coins of this king. The former bear a youthful head covered with the skin of an elephant's head. The reverse represents Pallas holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other, and before her stands an eagle on a thunderbolt.[4][5][6]
References
- Mason, Charles Peter (1867). "Alexander". In William Smith (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. p. 116.
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 545.
- Universal Pronouncing Dictionary of Biography and Mythology, by Joseph Thomas - 1908 - page 90
- Justin, xvii. 1, xxvi. 2, 3, xxviii. 1
- Polybius, ii. 45, ix. 34
- Plutarch, Pyrrhus 9
Sources
- Connop Thirlwall, History of Greece, vol. viii
- Johann Gustav Droysen, Hellenismus
- Benediktus Niese, Geschichte der griechischen und makedonischen Staaten
- Karl Julius Beloch, Griechische Geschichte vol. iii.
| Preceded by Pyrrhus I |
King of Epirus 272–242 BC |
Succeeded by Pyrrhus II |