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Amyntas III of Macedon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amyntas III (Greek Αμύντας Γ΄ ), son of Arrhidaeus, and father of Philip II and grandfather of Alexander the Great, was king of Macedon from 393 (or 389) to 369 BC.
He came to the throne after the ten years of confusion which followed the death of Archelaus II, the patron of art and literature. But he had many enemies at home; in 393 he was driven out by the Illyrians, but in the following year, with the aid of the Thessalians, he recovered his kingdom. Medius, head of the house of the Aleuadae of Larissa, is believed to have provided aid to Amyntas in recovering his throne. The mutual relations between the Argeadae and the Aleuadae dates to the time of Archelaus.
To shore up his country against the threat of the Illyrians, Amyntas established an aliance with the Chalcidic cities led by Olynthus. In exchange for this support, Amyntas granted them rights to Macedonian timber, which was sent back to Athens to help fortify their fleet. With money flowing into the Olynthus from these exports, their power grew. In response, Amyntas sought additional allies. He established connections with Kotys, chief of the Odrysians. Kotys had already married his daughter to the Athenian general Iphicrates. Prevented from marrying into Kotys' family, Amyntas soon adopted Iphicrates as his son.
After the King's Peace 387 BC, Sparta was anxious to reestablish its presence in the north of Greece. In 385 BC, Bardylis and his Illyrians attacked Epirus, in an attempt to restore the Molossian king Alcetas to the throne. When Amyntas sought Spartan aid against the growing threat of Olynthus, the Spartans eagerly responded. That Olynthus was backed by Athens and Thebes, rivals to Sparta for the control of Greece, provided them additional incentive to break up this growing power in the north. Amyntas thus concluded a treaty with the Spartans, who assisted him to reduce Olynthus (379). He also entered into a league with Jason of Pherae, and assiduously cultivated the friendship of Athens.
With Olynthus defeated, Amyntas was now able to concluded a treaty with Athens and keep the timber revenues for himself. Amyntas shipped the timber to the house of the Athenian Timotheus, in the Piraeus.
By his wife, Eurydice, he had three sons,Alexander II,Perdiccas III and the youngest of whom was the famous Philip II of Macedon. Amyntas died at an advanced age, leaving his throne to his eldest son, Alexander.
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Atheno-Macedonian Alliance during Amyntas III,375/3 BC-Translation of Epigraphy
- Coins of Amyntas III
| Preceded by Argaeus II |
King of Macedon 393 BC–369 BC |
Succeeded by Alexander II |
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| Argeads | Karanus · Koinos · Tyrimmas · Perdiccas I · Argaeus I · Philip I · Aeropus I · Alcetas I · Amyntas I · Alexander I · Alcetas II · Perdiccas II · Archelaus I · Craterus · Orestes and Aeropus II · Archelaus II · Amyntas III · Pausanias · Amyntas III · Argaeus II · Amyntas III · Alexander II · Ptolemy I1 · Perdiccas III · Amyntas IV · Philip II · Alexander the Great · Antipater1 · Philip III2 · Alexander IV2 · Perdiccas1 · Antipater1 · Polyperchon1 · Cassander1 |
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| Antipatrids | Cassander · Philip IV · Alexander V · Antipater II | |
| Antigonids | Demetrius I · Lysimachus and Pyrrhus · Ptolemy II · Meleager · Antipater Etesias · Sosthenes · Antigonus II · Demetrius II · Antigonus III · Philip V · Perseus | |
| 1 Regent of Macedon · 2 Titular king only | ||
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