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Ptolemy Keraunos (Greek ?t??eľa??? ?e?a???? - 279 BC) was the King of Macedon
Macedon

Macedon or Macedonia was the name of a monarchy centred in the northernmost part of ancient Greece. The homeland of the ancient Macedonians, it was bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east....
 from 281 BC to 279 BC.

He was the eldest son of Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter

Ptolemy I Soter was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great who became ruler of Egypt and founder of both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Dynasty....
 (ruler of Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
) and his first wife Eurydice (daughter of Antipater
Antipater

Antipater was a Macedonian general and a supporter of kings Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. In 320 BC, he became regent of all of Alexander's empire....
). His younger half-brother, also called Ptolemy, became heir apparent and, in 282 BC, ascended to the throne as Ptolemy II
Ptolemy II Philadelphus

Ptolemy II Philadelphus , was the king of Ptolemaic Egypt from 283 BC to 246 BC. He was the son of the founder of the Ptolemaic kingdom Ptolemy I Soter and Berenice I of Egypt, and was educated by Philitas of Cos....
. Ptolemy Keraunos had left Egypt and arrived at the court of Lysimachus
Lysimachus

Lysimachus was a Macedonian officer and Diadochi of Alexander the Great, who became a basileus in 306 BCE, ruling Thrace, Anatolia andMacedonia....
, the king of Thrace
Thrace

Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. Today the name Thrace designates a region spread over southern Bulgaria , northeastern Greece , and European Turkey ....
, Macedon, and part of Asia Minor.






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Ptolemy Keraunos (Greek ?t??eľa??? ?e?a???? - 279 BC) was the King of Macedon
Macedon

Macedon or Macedonia was the name of a monarchy centred in the northernmost part of ancient Greece. The homeland of the ancient Macedonians, it was bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east....
 from 281 BC to 279 BC.

He was the eldest son of Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter

Ptolemy I Soter was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great who became ruler of Egypt and founder of both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Dynasty....
 (ruler of Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
) and his first wife Eurydice (daughter of Antipater
Antipater

Antipater was a Macedonian general and a supporter of kings Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. In 320 BC, he became regent of all of Alexander's empire....
). His younger half-brother, also called Ptolemy, became heir apparent and, in 282 BC, ascended to the throne as Ptolemy II
Ptolemy II Philadelphus

Ptolemy II Philadelphus , was the king of Ptolemaic Egypt from 283 BC to 246 BC. He was the son of the founder of the Ptolemaic kingdom Ptolemy I Soter and Berenice I of Egypt, and was educated by Philitas of Cos....
. Ptolemy Keraunos had left Egypt and arrived at the court of Lysimachus
Lysimachus

Lysimachus was a Macedonian officer and Diadochi of Alexander the Great, who became a basileus in 306 BCE, ruling Thrace, Anatolia andMacedonia....
, the king of Thrace
Thrace

Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. Today the name Thrace designates a region spread over southern Bulgaria , northeastern Greece , and European Turkey ....
, Macedon, and part of Asia Minor. His half-sister, Arsinoe, later to be named Arsinoe II of Egypt
Arsinoe II of Egypt

Arsinoe II , was queen of Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedonia as wife of King Lysimachus , and later co-ruler of Egypt with her brother and husband Ptolemy II Philadelphus ....
, was wife of Lysimachus.

While staying in the court of Lysimachus
Lysimachus

Lysimachus was a Macedonian officer and Diadochi of Alexander the Great, who became a basileus in 306 BCE, ruling Thrace, Anatolia andMacedonia....
, Arsinoe's intrigues led to the accusation of Lysimachus' first son, Agathokles, on treason and to his execution. Keraunos sided with his other sister (from the same mother) Lyssandra, who was Agathokles' wife, and accompanied her to the court of Seleucus in the East to solicit his aid. Seeing an opportunity to intervene for his own gain in the politics of both Lysimachan Thrace and Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucus
Seleucus

Seleucus was the name of several Macedonn kings of the Seleucid dynasty ruling in the area of Syria:* Seleucus I Nicator * Seleucus II Callinicus ...
 prepared an expedition against Lysimachus
Lysimachus

Lysimachus was a Macedonian officer and Diadochi of Alexander the Great, who became a basileus in 306 BCE, ruling Thrace, Anatolia andMacedonia....
 shortly afterwards.

Seizes the Macedonian Throne

After Lysimachus' defeat and death in the battle of Corupedium
Battle of Corupedium

The Battle of Corupedium is the name of the last battle of the Diadochi, the rival successors to Alexander the Great. It was fought, in 281 BC between the armies of Lysimachus and Seleucus I Nicator....
 in 281 BC, against Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I Nicator

Seleucus I , was a Ancient Macedonians officer of Alexander the Great. In the Wars of the Diadochi that took place after Alexander's death, Seleucus established the Seleucid dynasty and the Seleucid Empire....
, Ptolemy Keraunos murdered Seleucus I, because he saw that he had no intention to support him or his sister to gain the throne of Macedon. Then, the Macedonian army named him king. To stabilize his throne, Ptolemy asked his half-sister Arsinoe
Arsinoe II of Egypt

Arsinoe II , was queen of Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedonia as wife of King Lysimachus , and later co-ruler of Egypt with her brother and husband Ptolemy II Philadelphus ....
, the widow of Lysimachus, to marry him. In 281 BC he made an alliance with Pyrrhus of Epirus
Pyrrhus of Epirus

Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos was a Greeks general of the Hellenistic civilization. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house , and later he became King of Epirus and Macedon ....
. His only rival, Antigonos Gonatas (Greek : ??t?????? G??at??), son of the ex-king of Macedon, Demetrius I Poliorketes (Greek : ??ľ?t???? ????????t??), was confined in the city of Demetriada, Thessaly, and so Keraunos' power extended to south Greece as well.

Arsinoe was not happy with the situation. While he was away on a campaign, she conspired against him from the capital, Cassandrea (Greek : ?ass??d?e?a), with the aid of her sons. Keraunos quickly captured Cassandrea, and killed Arsinoe's two younger sons, while the eldest fled north to the kingdom of the Dardanians and Arsinoe herself fled to Egypt, where she married her own brother Ptolemy II and became Arsinoe II.

Death

However, although Ptolemy Keraunos was at the zenith of his power, he did not live much afterwards. He was killed in 279 b.C. in the wars against the Gauls of Bolgius who conducted a series of mass raids against Macedon and Greace. His death brought anarchy to the Greek states, since none of his successors were able to bring stability. This situation lasted about two years, until Antigonos Gonatas defeated the Gauls in the battle near Lysimachia, Thrace, in 277 BC After this victory he was recognized king of Macedon and his power extended eventually also to south Greece.

Keraunos is Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 for "Thunder
Thunder

Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, it can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble ....
" or "Thunderbolt
Lightning

File:Blesk.jpgLightning is an Earth's atmosphere discharge of electricity usually accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcano or dust storms....
".

External links

  • , by Jona Lendering