Aeacides of Epirus
Encyclopedia
Aeacides king of Epirus (331-316, 313 BC), was son of Arymbas
and grandson of Alcetas I. He succeeded to the throne of Epirus
on the death of his cousin Alexander
, who was slain in Italy
. Aeacides married Phthia
, the daughter of Menon of Pharsalus
, by whom he had the celebrated Pyrrhus
and two daughters, Deidamia and Troias. In 317 BC he assisted Polyperchon
in restoring his cousin Olympias
and the five-year-old king Alexander IV
(mother and son of Alexander the Great), to Macedon
ia. In the following year he marched to the assistance of Olympias, who was hard pressed by Cassander
; but the Epirots disliked the service, rose against Aeacides, and drove him from the kingdom. Pyrrhus, who was then only two years old, was with difficulty saved from destruction by some faithful servants. But becoming tired of the Macedonian rule, the Epirots recalled Aeacides in 313 BC; Cassander immediately sent an army against him under his brother, Philip
, who conquered him the same year in two battles, in the last of which he was killed.
Arymbas
Arybbas was king of the Molossians. He was son of Alcetas and brother of Neoptolemus and grandfather of Pyrrhus. He married Troas . In ca. 360 BC, against an Illyrian attack, Arybbas evacuated his non-combatant population to Aetolia and let the Illyrians loot freely...
and grandson of Alcetas I. He succeeded to the throne of Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
on the death of his cousin Alexander
Alexander I of Epirus
Alexander I of Epirus , also known as Alexander Molossus , was a king of Epirus of the Aeacid dynasty. As the son of Neoptolemus I and brother of Olympias, he was an uncle of Alexander the Great...
, who was slain in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Aeacides married Phthia
Phthia of Epirus
Phthia was a daughter of Menon of Pharsalus, the Thessalian hipparch, and wife of Aeacides, king of Epirus, by whom she became the mother of the celebrated Pyrrhus, as well as of two daughters: Deidamia, the wife of Demetrius Poliorcetes, and Troias, of whom nothing more is known...
, the daughter of Menon of Pharsalus
Menon IV of Pharsalus
Menon was a citizen of Pharsalus in Thessaly, and a man of great influence and reputation, took a prominent part in the Lamian war, and commanded the Thessalian cavalry in the battle with the Macedonians, in which Leonnatus was slain...
, by whom he had the celebrated Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus of Epirus
Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos was a Greek general and statesman of the Hellenistic era. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house , and later he became king of Epirus and Macedon . He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome...
and two daughters, Deidamia and Troias. In 317 BC he assisted Polyperchon
Polyperchon
Polyperchon , son of Simmias from Tymphaia in Epirus, was a Macedonian general who served under Philip II and Alexander the Great, accompanying Alexander throughout his long journeys. After the return to Babylon, Polyperchon was sent back to Macedon with Craterus, but had only reached Cilicia by...
in restoring his cousin Olympias
Olympias
Olympias was a Greek princess of Epirus, daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the fourth wife of the king of Macedonia, Philip II, and mother of Alexander the Great...
and the five-year-old king Alexander IV
Alexander IV of Macedon
Alexander IV Aegus was the son of Alexander the Great and Princess Roxana of Bactria.-Birth:...
(mother and son of Alexander the Great), to Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ia. In the following year he marched to the assistance of Olympias, who was hard pressed by Cassander
Cassander
Cassander , King of Macedonia , was a son of Antipater, and founder of the Antipatrid dynasty...
; but the Epirots disliked the service, rose against Aeacides, and drove him from the kingdom. Pyrrhus, who was then only two years old, was with difficulty saved from destruction by some faithful servants. But becoming tired of the Macedonian rule, the Epirots recalled Aeacides in 313 BC; Cassander immediately sent an army against him under his brother, Philip
Philip (general)
Philip was son of Antipater, the regent of Macedonia, and brother of Cassander, by whom he was sent in 313 BC, with an army to invade Aetolia. But on his arrival in Acarnania the news that Aeacides, king of Epirus, had recovered possession of his throne, induced him to turn his arms against that...
, who conquered him the same year in two battles, in the last of which he was killed.