AE 18 mm, 6.09 g, 11 h
Amphipolis (?)
Laureate head of Apollo to right. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ – ΚΑΣΣΑΝΔΡΟΥ Tripod; to left, monogram; to right, kerykeion.
McClean 3553. SNG München 1030
Among everyone’s favorites from the Era of the Diadochi, Kassander is never listed. Was he a major schmuck or just maligned? I present the evidence on both sides.
The Schmuck Things
1) There were ancient accusations, especially by Olympias, that Kassander was directly involved in Alexander the Great‘s death.
2) He executed Olympias, Alexander the Great‘s mother, despite agreeing to spare her life as terms for her surrender. Execution was by stoning, and Kassander then denied her burial rites.
3) He ordered the deaths of both the 14-year-old Alexander IV, and his mother Roxana.
4) His own father didn’t seem to find him fit to be regent, and appointed Polyperchon instead. Kassander then took things into his own hands and seized the throne.
5) He died of gout. Sure, he was one of the few rulers of this period to not be killed (others were Ptolemy and Antipater), but he had probably the most painful death of all. One could argue that’s a sign of major karma.
The Explanations
1) We don’t truly know what killed Alexander. There’s a lot of speculation that no poison of the day would have taken 11 days to finish him. Also, Olympias was Kassander’s primary enemy, and she had a lot to gain by spreading such a rumor. Of course, since both Antipater and Kassander were in power then, any such rumors that occurred in writing could have been snuffed out.
2) Olympias herself had been cruel to Philip III and his wife Eurydice. Kassander had also ordered a more stately death for Olympias, but no soldier would carry out a sentence on Alexander the Great‘s mother.
3) The other diadochi – Lysimachos, Antigonos I Monophthalmos, Ptolemy I Soter, and Seleukos I Nikator, didn’t shed many tears over the act and soon declared themselves kings. There’s much speculation that Kassander ordered the executions with agreement from the others. In reality, at that time there was no unified empire for Alexander IV to inherit.
4) It’s possible Antipater was worried that the other diadochi would not respond well to dynastic succession, and appointing Kassander may have resulted in a war they would not have won.
Potential good points
1) Macedonia under Kassander was peaceful and flourished.
2) He named the city of Thessalonika, one of several he either founded or rebuilt, in honor of his wife Thessalonike. She was raised by Olympias, so probably didn’t have happy-feely thoughts about marrying Kassander. She bore him three sons.
3) Several of his siblings weren’t so bad. His sister Phila was married to Balakros, Krateros, and Demetrios of Macedon, and was highly respected. She in particular had a major impact on the reckless Demetrios.
4) Kassander allowed his brother Alexarchos, who was a bit on the loony side, to found the utopian city Uranopolis.
5) Unlike Ptolemy, Lysimachos, and Seleukos, Kassander never minted silver in his own name. He did mint bronze. Only Antigonos never minted either bronze or silver in his own name.
So, given the evidence, what do you think? Was Kassander just a pragmatist who knew how to play the game of thrones, or was he a major schmuck?
Birth of Kassander to an unknown mother and Antipater.
Kassander sent by Antipater to meet with Alexander III at Babylon in favor of a continued regency.
Kassander returns to Macedonia from Babylon.
Antipater, Kassander, and Krateros cross into Asia with a large force.
Kassander assigned by Antipater as chiliarch to Antigonos Monophthalmos.
Demetrios Poliorketes occupies Larissa Kremaste while at war with Kassander.
Adea Eurydike forges an alliance with Kassander against Polyperchon.
Antipater dies with Kassander at his side, but chooses Polyperchon as the new regent instead.
Kassander forces the population of Olynthos to move to his new city of Kassandreia.
Salamis surrenders to Kassander.
Kassander appoints Demetrios of Phaleron to administer Athens.
Kassander dethrones Aeacides, king of Epeiros, and provides a regent for the other king Neoptolemos. Pyrrhos is moved north to Glaukias.
Olympias flees to Pydna to escape Kassander.
Kassander marries Thessalonika, half-sister to Alexander III.
Kassander founds Kassandreia from Potidaia and Mende, founds Thessalonika, and rebuilds Thebes.
March
Kassander completes the siege of Pydna and executes Olympias. Alexander IV and Roxana are imprisoned in Amphipolis.
April
The body of Adea Eurydike is transported back to Aigai by Kassander and buried with honors.
Antigonos Monophthalmos sends his nephew Ptolemy to relieve the siege of Amisos by soldiers under Kassander.
Lysimachos, Seleukos, Ptolemy, and Kassander join against Antigonos Monophthalmos and Demetrios Poliorketes.
Kassander driven out of Dyme by a general of Antigonos Monophthalmos.
Kassander seizes Dyrrhachion, but the garrison he leaves there is besieged and the city is retaken by Illyrians and Korkyra.
Aristodemos, a general of Antigonos Monophthalmos, frees Patrai from its garrison of Kassander.
Stratos is occupied by Kassander to use as a base against the Aetolian League. He resettles people from elsewhere in Akarnania there.
Kassander besieges Histaia, but is forced to leave upon the approach of Ptolemy, a general of Antigonos Monophthalmos.
Orchomenos is taken by Kassander from Polyperchon.
Kassander again attempts to take Dyrrhachion until the city comes under the protection of Glaukias, king of the Illyrians. Kassope is also involved.
Eupolemos serves as strategos of Greece for Kassander.
The peace treaty for the Third Diadoch War, agreed to by Ptolemy, Kassander, Lysimachos, and Antigonos, recognizes the rights of Alexander IV and states he will succeed Kassander in Macedon when he is of age. Antigonos Monophthalmos is now free to take on Seleukos I Nikator directly.
Audoleon receives help from Kassander in fending off an Illyrian invasion.
Kassander travels to Apollonia Pontika to enlarge his territories.
Kassander convinces Polyperchon to kill Herakles, the son of Alexander III with Barsine, then forms an alliance with him.
Demetrios Poliorketes takes Athens from Kassander and forces Demetrios of Phaleron to flee to Thebes.
Kassander declares himself king along with other Diadochi.
Demetrios Poliorketes pushes Kassander out of Athens and chases him to Herakleia Trachineia, who submit to him.
Pleistarchos, Eupolemos and Kassander are defeated at the Diplyon Gate – the only double gate for Athens – by the Athenians while trying to re-install Demetrios of Phaleron.
Kassander attempts to reach a peace with Antigonos Monophthalmos, who refuses.
Kassander besieges Korkyra, but is unsuccessful.
Mithridates I is slain in Kios after appearing to shift his allegiance from Antigonos Monophthalmos to Kassander. He had also ruled Myrleia.
Kassander sends troops and a general to Lysimachos to aid him in taking territory of Antigonos Monophthalmos.
Pleistarchos sent by Kassander to join Lysimachos in the effort against Antigonos Monophthalmos.
Thebai serves as a stronghold of Kassander against Demetrios Poliorketes.
Kassander attempts to take Elataia but fails.
The Battle of Ipsos. Demetrios Poliorketes and Antigonos Monophthalmos are defeated by Seleukos I Nikator, Kassander (commanded by Pleistarchos), and Lysimachos. Antigonos is killed. Demetrios continues the Antigonid dynasty.
Korkyra is again besieged by Kassander, but Agathokles of Syracuse destroys his fleet.