Editing Seleucus II Callinicus (section)

==Accession and invasion==

After the death of his father, [[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochus II]] in July 246 BC, Seleucus was proclaimed king by his mother, [[Laodice I|Laodice]] in [[Ephesos]], while his father's second wife, Queen [[Berenice Syra|Berenice]], declared her son [[Antiochus Hierax|Antiochus]] king in [[Antioch]]. Berenice acted decisively at first, seizing control of most of Syria and [[Cilicia]]. However, before her brother [[Ptolemy III of Egypt|Ptolemy III]], the king of Egypt, was able to land and support her son's claims, she was murdered by partisans of Seleucus II and Queen Laodice.<ref>{{Citation |last=D'Agostini |first=Monica |title=Laodice (2), Seleucid queen, wife of Antiochus (2) II, c. 285–unknown |date=2016-03-07 |work=Oxford Classical Dictionary |url=https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3581 |access-date=2024-08-25 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.3581 |isbn=978-0-19-938113-5}}</ref>

This dynastic feud began the [[Syrian Wars#Third Syrian War (246 &ndash; 241 BC)|Third Syrian War]]. Ptolemy III invaded the Seleucid Empire and landing at [[Seleucia Pieria]], accepted the surrender of Syria and Cilicia and marched victoriously to the [[Tigris]] or beyond (although he did not reach as far as [[Babylon]]).{{sfn|Grainger|2014|p=186–194}} Ptolemy remained in Syria during the winter of 246-245 BC, while Seleucus sent an expedition by sea to retake the area, only to have it wrecked by storms; not the last time he was to be defeated by bad luck.