Argaeus II of Macedon
4th-century BC pretender to the Macedonian throne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Argaeus II (Ancient Greek: Ἀργαῖος, romanized: Argaios) was a pretender to the Macedonian crown. He may have been a Lynkestian ruler.[1]
| Argaeus II of Macedon | |
|---|---|
| King of Macedonia | |
| Reign | 393 – 392 BC |
| Predecessor | Amyntas III |
| Successor | Amyntas III |
| Dynasty | Argead dynasty |
| Father | Archelaus I |
| Religion | Ancient Greek religion |
War with Amyntas III
Argaeus II was a son of Archelaus I (ruled 413–399 BC).[2] With the assistance of the Illyrians, Argaeus II expelled King Amyntas III from his dominions in 393 BC and kept possession of the throne for about a year. With the aid of the Thessalians, Amyntas III later succeeded in expelling Argaeus II and recovering a part of his kingdom in 392 BC.
New Pretender
35 years later, in 359, another Argaeus or Argeus appeared as a pretender to the throne; he may have been the same person as Argaeus II of Macedon. This Argaeus had persuaded the Athenians to support his claim to the Macedonian throne, but Philip II, who had just succeeded to the regency of the kingdom, persuaded the Athenians to remain inactive.
With a force of mercenaries, some Macedonian exiles and a number of Athenian troops (who were permitted to join the Macedonians by their general, Manlias), Argaeus made an attempt to take Aegae, but was repulsed. On his retreat to Methone, he was intercepted by Philip and defeated. Argaeus was either killed in the battle or executed afterward.[3]
