Wars of the Diadochi > Second War of the Diadochi

Second War of the Diadochi

Background

The peace would be short lived as a Second War of the Diadochi (319–315 BCE) would break out a year later following the death of Antipater. In passing over his own son Cassander as successor to his empire a civil war broke out in Greece. On one side was Cassander, the other Polyperchon who was the successor chosen as Regent to the empire.

Cassander was supported by Ptolemy I Soter and Antigonus I Monophthalmus while Polyperchon allied himself with Eumenes in Asia. Cassander emerged victorious during this conflict and fled to Epirus with the infant king Alexander IV and Alexander's wife Roxana. There he met up with Alexander's mother Olympias and joining together they attempted an invasion of Macedon.

Polyperchon and Olympias were met in 317 BCE by King Philip III of Arrhidaeus and his army. However, the soldiers all turned towards the cause of Polyperchon and King Philip and his wife Eurydice were killed in the aftermath. Soon the tide turned in favor of Cassander and he emerged victorious along with killing Olympias. Cassander also captured Roxane and the infant Alexander IV. Both of them would later be executed by Cassander in 310 BCE in order to secure his right to rule the throne.

By this point Macedon had seen such a decimation who knew who should actually legitimately rule. Eumenes was slowly driven further and further east by Antigonus's forces. During the Battle of Paraitacene in 317 BCE and the Battle of Gabiene in 316 BCE. Eumenes was further crushed and his own forces handed him over to Antigonus to be executed in 315 BCE. The aftermath of this engagement left Antigonus in command of a great deal of territory in Anatolia and would set the stage for the Third War of the Diadochi.

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