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The Life of Olympias

Claire Stapleton

History 134

23 March 2017
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Olympias of Macedon was one of Philip IIs wives, and the mother of Alexander the

Great (Goral 1)1. Born in 375 BCE, she grew up as a Molossi princess and lived a notable life,

however was considered obscure during her husbands reign (Carney 2006)2. Olympias was

heavily involved in Alexander the Greats reign, and much of her legacy comes from this period

of time.

Philip II used marriage as part of his great political power, and when he joined the Molossi

kingdom, he married Olympias in hopes that she would bring forth a worthy heir to the empire

(Goral 1). She did produce an heir, however it is speculated that she brought about the

assassination of Philip II (Philip II of Macedon.)3

During Philips reign, he was absent quite often from Alexanders life, and it is said that during

this time Olympias formed a close relationship with Alexander (Goral 3). Olympias was said to

be a cruel and ruthless woman, often producing extreme reactions from those dealing with her,

and much of her behavior may have been a driving force for success in Alexanders reign

(Carney 2006).

When Philip II was assassinated, there was a question as to who was really behind his

death. There was the story of the love affair with the two Pausaniass, however, who had put

Pausanias 1 up to the murder is unclear. It is said that Olympias put Pausanias 1 up to the

assassination either because she felt replaced by his latest wife, or in order for Alexander to

1 See Goral Olympias the Great for an insightful journal article on the life of Olympias.

2 Carney published the book Olympias: Mother of Alexander the Great in 2006 explaining Olypmias life and
legacy.

3 Philip II of Macedon is a biographic article available on biography.com.


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become king (Philip II of Macedon). According to Goral, Olympias and Philip had a tense

relationship, and when Philip remarried, her hatred for him grew, and this behavior as well as her

other characteristics influenced Alexander, for he had an intense admiration for both his mother

and his father. His admiration for his father turned into hate partly from his mothers influence,

and part of his success as a ruler was due to him attempting to be a better ruler than Philip (Goral

5). Before Philips assassination, his marriage to Olympias became so tense that at one point

Alexander felt he had dishonored her, and he and his mother fled to exile in her homeland of

Molossia (Carney 2006).

Olympias had a vast knowledge of religion (Goral 2). Not only was Olympias very

knowledgable in religion and sacrificial rites, she was also familiar with the heroes of Greek

mythology. She believed she was related to the Greek heroes, and convinced Alexander that he

was the son of Zeus (Goral 6). Her beliefs led Alexander to think that he was more than a mere

mortal, he believed that he was a deity and that he should be treated as such (Cartledge 2004)4

Olympias behavior, mythological beliefs, and the suspected unhealthy relationship between her

and Alexander may have been the cause of his mental instability and delusions of grandeur.

After Philips death, Alexander made sure that Olympias was respected as a ruler in his absence,

therefore she had influence over the kingdom. When Alexander died, there was sort of a frenzy

as to who was going to inherit the throne (Goral 8). One of Alexanders commanders became the

new regent, while Olympias wanted her grandson, Alexander IV to become king (Wasson 2013)5

4 Paul Cartledge published Alexander the Great in 2004, with insights into how Olympias influenced her son
during his reign.

5 Donald L. Wassons article for the Ancient History Encyclopedia offers an in depth and detailed look at Olympias
life from her marriage to Philip to after her sons death.
3

However, the new regent, Polyperchon, was forced out by Cassander, and he fled with

Alexanders wife and Alexander IV. Olympias then decided to invade Macedon to try to retake

control of the throne (Wasson 2013). According to ancient sources, Olympias invasion of

Macedon and the war tactics she carried out were cruel and barbaric (Goral 8). Ultimately, her

invasion was a failure, and she was captured and killed by Cassander in 316 BCE, which was

soon followed by the deaths of Alexanders wife and Alexander IV (Wasson 2013).

Olympias lived an exciting and unusual life, from her upbringing as royalty, to being one of

many wives, to being closely involved in one of the most vast kingdoms in history, and

ultimately trying and failing to take control herself. While she may be remembered as cruel,

outspoken, and barbaric, her role in the upbringing of Alexander played a huge part as to how the

kingdom was ruled and how it expanded. Olympias now has a legacy as being a very important

woman in history, and her life will always be a subject of research to those learning about the

rulings of Philip II and Alexander the Great.

Annotated Bibliography
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Carney, Elizabeth Donnelly. Olympias: Mother of Alexander the Great. New York: Routledge,

2006. Print.

Elizabeth Carneys book Olympias: Mother of Alexander the Great provides great

detail and information about Olympias life, from beginning to end, and

everything in between. She makes note of the struggles Olympias had and also provided

a critical response to the ancient records that were kept of Olympias.

Cartledge, Paul. "Alexander the Great." History Today, vol. 54, no. 7, July 2004, pp. 10-16. Print.

Paul Cartledge provided a history of Alexander the Greats life, with information on

Olympias relationship and how she influenced the great ruler.

Goral, Melanie. "Olympias "The Great": The Source of Alexander's Success." (n.d.): pp 1-8.

Print.

Goral gives us an excellent article that provides critical and abstract thinking about the

life of Olympias and her seemingly unhealthy relationship with Alexander, as well

as her relationship with Philip II, ending with accounts of her death in Macedonia.

"Philip II of Macedon." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 08 July 2014. Web. 23 Mar.

2017.

This biography is an article from a website that provides brief information about

important aspects of ones life. This particular article focuses on Philip II with key

features of the relationship with Olympias.

Wasson, Donald L. "Olympias." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., 01 June 2013. Web. 23

Mar. 2017.
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Donald Wasson wrote an insightful and detailed article for the Ancient History

Encyclopedia that discusses almost every aspect of Olympias life, focusing on

her role in politics as well as personal life.

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