Alexander II of Macedonia

Alexander II king of Macedonia from 370/369 BC. C. to 368 BC. C., after the death of his father Amyntas III.

He was the eldest of the three children of Amyntas and Eurydice. Although he had already come of age, Alexander was very young when he ascended the throne. This caused problems for the new king as aspirants to the throne appeared against him.

Alexander simultaneously faced an invasion of Illyria from the northwest, and an attack from the east by the claimant Pausanias, possible son of Archelaus I of Macedonia (413 BC-400/399 BC)

Pausanias quickly captured several cities and threatened the queen mother who was in the palace at Pella with her younger sons. Alexander defeated his enemies with the help of Iphicrates, an Athenian general, who had been sailing along the Macedonian coast to reaffirm the Athenian colony of Amphipolis.

He intervened in a civil war in Thessaly (369 BC). He successfully obtained command of Larisa and several cities, but, betraying a promise he had made, he installed garrisons in them. This provoked a hostile reaction from Thebes, the predominant military power in Greece at the time. The general Pelopidas neutralized Alexander, favoring the ambitions of Alexander's brother-in-law and regent, Ptolemy of Aloros, and forced Alexander to abandon his alliance with Athens in favor of Thebes. As part of this new alliance, Alexander was compelled to hand over hostages, including his young brother Philip. Alexander was murdered during a party at the instigation of Ptolemy. Although his brother Perdiccas became king, he was a minority and Ptolemy continued as regent.