The seven wives of Philip II of Macedon




(public domain)

Philip II of Macedon certainly beats Henry VIII with his number of wives, but he did benefit from the times by marrying several at the same time. Philip lived from 382–336 BC, and during that time he married seven times. The exact dates are unknown, and even some of his wives’ names are debated. Philip II was assassinated at the wedding of his daughter by Olympias to Alexander I of Epirus. He was the father of Alexander the Great.

Probably they were:

Audata, the daughter of Illyrian King Bardyllis
Audata was probably his first or second wife. She took the name Eurydice after her marriage. She had a daughter named Cynane.

Phila of Elimeia, the sister of Derdas and Machatas of Elimiotis
Phila probably remained childless.

Nicesipolis of Pherae
She was either his wife or his concubine. She was the mother of Thessalonica.

Olympias of Epirus
She was the daughter of Neoptolemus I of Epirus and was Philip’s fourth wife. She was the mother of Alexander the Great and was known for being a devout member of the snake-worshipping cult of Dionysus.

Philinna of Larissa
She was the mother of Philip III of Macedon.

Meda of Odessa
She probably committed suicide when Philip died to follow him.

Cleopatra Eurydice of Macedon
Cleopatra and Philip had two children, Europa and Caranus. Caranus was just a newborn when Philip was assassinated. After Philip’s assassination, Europea and Caranus were murdered on the orders, Olympias. Cleopatra committed suicide or was forced to commit suicide soon after.

The tradition burial ground of the Macedon Kings has been the site of excavation since 1977. Two of the four tombs had been undisturbed. It is not completely clear in which tomb he or his wives are. Recent research indicates that he may be in Tomb I, rather than in Tomb II as previously thought. With him, in Tomb I are an approximately 18-year-old female and a newborn child, thought to be his last wife Cleopatra and his son Caranus.

Read more:

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/07/15/1510906112.full.pdf

http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2015/07/16/1510906112.DCSupplemental/pnas.1510906112.sapp.pdf






About Moniek Bloks 2846 Articles
My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories.

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