Editing Cassander (section)

==Rule of Macedon==
[[File:Diadochi LA.svg|thumb|right|300px|
{{legend|#50A249|Kingdom of Cassander}}
Other [[diadochi]]
{{legend|#C3B933|Kingdom of [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]]}}
{{legend|#C38833|Kingdom of [[Lysimachus]]}}
{{legend|#787CAD|Kingdom of [[Ptolemy I Soter|Ptolemy]]}}
{{legend|#AF3662|[[Epirus (ancient state)|Epirus]]}}
Other
{{legend|#A361BD|[[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]]}}
{{legend|#70A9BE|[[Roman Republic]]}}
{{legend|#85AB54|[[Greek colonies]]}}
]]
As Antipater grew close to death in 319 BC, he transferred the regency of Macedon not to Cassander, but to [[Polyperchon]], possibly so as not to alarm the other Diadochi through an apparent move towards dynastic ambition, but perhaps also because of Cassander's own ambitions.<ref>Green, Peter. ''Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age''. pp. 35-36, 2007 Ed.</ref> Cassander rejected his father's decision, and immediately went to seek the support of [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]], [[Ptolemy I Soter|Ptolemy]] and [[Lysimachus]] as his allies. Waging war on Polyperchon, Cassander destroyed his fleet, put Athens under the control of [[Demetrius of Phaleron]], and declared himself Regent in 317 BC. After [[Olympias]]’ successful move against [[Philip III of Macedon|Philip III]] later in the year, Cassander besieged her in [[Ancient Pydna|Pydna]]. When the city fell in the spring of 316, Olympias was killed, and Cassander had Alexander IV and [[Roxana]] confined at [[Amphipolis]].<ref name=":02"/>

That year, Cassander associated himself with the [[Argead dynasty]] by marrying Alexander's half-sister, [[Thessalonike of Macedon|Thessalonike]], and overseeing the burial of [[Philip III of Macedon|Phillip III]] and [[Eurydice I of Macedon|Eurydice]] in the royal cemetery at [[Aegae (Macedonia)|Aegae]]; he further cemented his authority by founding Thessalonica, Cassandreia, and rebuilding Thebes.<ref name=":02" /> From 314 to 310, Cassander campaigned to the west and north, for a time extending Macedonian power as far as [[Apollonia (Illyria)|Apollonia]] and [[Epidamus]], but was driven out by local rulers like [[Glaucias of Taulantii|Glaucius]]; his rule in Macedonia remained firm as he resettled defeated enemies in the tradition of [[Philip II of Macedon|Phillip II]] and fostered trade in the regions around his new cities.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Diodorus |first=Siculus |title=The library. Books 16-20 : Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the successors |date=2019 |translator=Robin Waterfield |isbn=978-0-19-875988-1 |edition=Oxford world's classics paperback |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |chapter=20.53 |oclc=1082183474}}</ref> Cassander had Alexander IV and [[Roxana]] secretly poisoned in either 310 BC or the following year.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A companion to ancient Macedonia |date=2010 |editor=Joseph Roisman |editor2=Ian Worthington |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=978-1-4443-2751-9 |location=Chichester, West Sussex, U.K. |pages=216 |chapter=Alexander’s Successors to 221 BC |oclc=676972389}}</ref>

By 309 BC, Polyperchon had begun to claim that [[Heracles of Macedon]] was the true heir to the Macedonian inheritance, at which point Cassander bribed Polyperchon to kill the boy, promising him an alliance and the return of his Macedonian estates.<ref>Green, Peter. ''Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age''. p. 44, 2007 Ed.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Diodorus |first=Siculus |publisher=Oxford University Press |title=The library. Books 16-20 : Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the successors |date=2019 |translator=Robin Waterfield |isbn=978-0-19-875988-1 |edition=Oxford world's classics paperback |location=Oxford |chapter=20.28 |oclc=1082183474}}</ref> After this, Cassander's position in Greece and Macedonia was reasonably secure, and he proclaimed himself king in 305 BC.<ref>Green, Peter. ''Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age''. p. 163, 2007 Ed.</ref> [[Diodorus Siculus]] relates that Cassander, Ptolemy, and Lysimachus declared their kingships in response to the assumption of royal title by Antigonus, following his victory over Ptolemy at [[Battle of Salamis (306 BC)|Salamis]] in 306.

In 307–304 BC he fought the so-called Four–Years' War against Athens.<ref>Seibert, ''Diadochen'', pp. 141–142; Habicht, ''Pausanias'', pp. 78–80.</ref> In 304 BC, his rival [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus Monophthalmus]] sent his son [[Demetrius I of Macedon|Demetrius Poliorcetes]] to aid Athens against Cassander.<ref>Richard A. Billows, ''Antigonos the One-Eyed'', p. 169.</ref> Demetrius succeeded in driving Cassander from central Greece and created a Hellenic League, ''the League of Corinth'', against him.<ref>Richard A. Billows, ''Antigonos the One-Eyed'', p. 169–173.</ref> In the winter of 303–302 BC, Cassander opened negotiations with Antigonus with a view to establish peace, but Antigonus refused.<ref name="RAB174">Richard A. Billows, ''Antigonos the One-Eyed'', p. 174.</ref> At this Cassander turned to Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] and convinced them to reform the coalition of 314–311 against Antigonus.<ref name="RAB174" /> In early 302 BC, Cassander sent one of his generals, [[Prepelaus]], with an army from Macedon to join [[Lysimachus]] in an invasion of Antigonus's territory in Asia-Minor.<ref name="RAB174" /> Cassander himself marched with the main Macedonian field army into [[Thessaly]] to stop Demetrius from advancing into Macedon.<ref name="RAB174" /> Demetrius invaded Thessaly with a numerically superior force, Cassander stopped his advance by refusing to give battle and fortifying his positions.<ref>Richard A. Billows, ''Antigonos the One-Eyed'', p. 175.</ref> Lysimachus and Prepalaus had been very successful in Asia-Minor and Seleucus was marching with an army to join them.<ref>Richard A. Billows, ''Antigonos the One-Eyed'', pp. 175–176.</ref> In the spring of 302 BC, Antigonus marched with an army from Syria into Asia-Minor to confront his enemies; he confronted Lysimachus and drove him from [[Phrygia]].<ref>Richard A. Billows, ''Antigonos the One-Eyed'', pp. 176–178.</ref> Antigonus realizing that the war would probably have to be decided in a major battle in Asia-Minor recalled Demetrius from Thessaly.<ref name="RAB179">Richard A. Billows, ''Antigonos the One-Eyed'', p. 179.</ref> With Demetrius gone Cassander sent part of his army with his brother, [[Pleistarchus (son of Antipater)|Pleistarchus]], to join Prepalaus, Lysimachus and Seleucus in Asia-Minor.<ref name="RAB179" /> In 301 BC, the combined armies of Lysimachus, Seleucus, Prepalaus and Pleistarchus faced the combined armies of Antigonus and Demetrius at Ipsus. After the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in which Antigonus was killed, Cassander was undisputed in his control of Macedon; however, he had little time to savour the fact, dying of [[Edema|dropsy]] in 297 BC.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Pausanias |date=May 25, 2022 |title=Description of Greece |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D9%3Achapter%3D7%3Asection%3D2 }}</ref>

Cassander's dynasty did not live much beyond his death, with his son [[Philip IV of Macedon|Philip]] dying of natural causes, and his other sons [[Alexander V of Macedon|Alexander]] and [[Antipater II of Macedon|Antipater]] becoming involved in a destructive dynastic struggle along with their mother. When Alexander was ousted as joint king by his brother, [[Demetrius I of Macedon|Demetrius I]] took up Alexander's appeal for aid and ousted Antipater, killed Alexander V and established the [[Antigonid dynasty]]. The remaining Antipatrids, such as [[Antipater II Etesias]], were unable to re-establish the Antipatrids on the throne.