Perdiccas (, Perdikkas; 355BC – 320BC) was a Macedonian general and bodyguard (somatophylax) of Alexander the Great, and the regent of Alexander's empire after his death. When Alexander was dying, he entrusted his signet ring to Perdiccas, initially the most pre-eminent of the successors due to being second-in-command. Perdiccas effectively ruled Alexander's increasingly unstable empireBesides Macedon and Greece, which were held by Antipater. from Babylon for three years until his assassination.
Perdiccas was born to Macedonian nobility. A supporter, (bodyguard) and (elite cavalry commander) of Alexander, he took part in Alexander's campaign against the Achaemenid Persian Empire, distinguishing himself at the battles of Thebes and Gaugamela, and followed Alexander into India. When Alexander died in 323BC, Perdiccas rose to become supreme commander of the imperial army, as well as regent for Alexander's vast empire, ruling on behalf of Alexander's intellectually disabled heir, King Philip III Arrhidaeus, and Alexander's infant son, King Alexander IV of Macedon.
Perdiccas gained supreme power as guardian of the two kings, but also inherited the problems of Alexander's quickly conquered and unstable empire. To consolidate power and retain authority, Perdiccas crushed numerous revolts, like that of Ariarathes, and assassinated rivals, like Meleager. Perdiccas' position as regent was never fully secure, however, and his authority was repeatedly contested by other high officers. His attempt to marry Cleopatra of Macedon, Alexander's sister, which would have given him claim to the Macedonian throne, angered critical generals—including Antipater, Craterus and Antigonus—who decided to revolt against the regent in the First War of the Diadochi. In response to this formidable coalition and a provocation from another general, Ptolemy, Perdiccas invaded Egypt, but his soldiers mutinied and killed him in 320BC when the invasion foundered.
Family background and early life
According to the 2nd-century historian Arrian, Perdiccas was the son of the Macedonian nobleman Orontes, a descendant of the independent princes of the Macedonian province of Orestis. While Perdiccas' actual date of birth is unknown, he would seem to have been of a similar age to Alexander; historian Tristan Hughes estimated that he was born around 361BC and historian Waldemar Heckel described him as younger than Ptolemy, son of Lagus. He had a younger brother called Alcetas and a sister, Atalante, who married Attalus. Perdiccas may have had, through some distant relation, blood of the Argead royal family.
Little is known of Perdiccas' youth, but he was probably brought to the Macedonian court in Pella to serve as page like many other young nobles alongside Alexander. In 336BC, when Pausanias assassinated King Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, Perdiccas was among those who chased the assassin down and killed him.
An anecdote reports that Perdiccas once went into the cave of a lioness who had recently given birth, and stole two of its cubs. Another tells a story of his fondness for exercise, along with his fellow Orestian and successor, Craterus.
Career under Alexander
Compared to other companions and boyhood friends of Alexander, Perdiccas earned an "early promotion" when he was appointed the commander of a battalion of the Macedonian phalanx (heavy infantry). In 335BC, Perdiccas fought in the Balkan campaigns of Alexander against the Illyrian peoples located northwest of Macedon. In the same year, he distinguished himself during the conquest of Thebes, which had rebelled against Macedon following the death of Philip II. He was heavily wounded during the fighting, but the sources differ on Perdiccas's exact role at Thebes. According to Diodorus Siculus, Perdiccas led a contingent which stormed the rear gate of the city on the orders of Alexander; Arrian instead reported that the battalion commander organized an unsanctioned assault on the Theban defenses, breaking through and allowing Alexander to exploit the breach. Historian Alexander Demandt argued that Perdiccas' assault disrupted Alexander's attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution with Thebes.
Afterward, Perdiccas accompanied Alexander on his campaigns against the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Sources generally agree that Perdiccas was a loyal soldier of Alexander. For example, the ancient historian Plutarch reports the following conversation between the two prior to the Battle of Granicus (the first encounter between Alexander and the Persians), when Alexander was allotting lands and properties to his followers:
Perdiccas led his battalion at the battles of Granicus, Issus, and Gaugamela, where he again distinguished himself and was wounded. Perdiccas became a () of Alexander following this, and his influence probably grew steadily thereafter. Perdiccas' battalion was used by Alexander to flank and win the Battle of the Persian Gate in 330BC. When Philotas, the son of Parmenion and an important general in Alexander's army, was held in suspicion by the king, Perdiccas was among the close companions who joined Alexander in discussing what should be done. When a drunk Alexander attempted to kill another of his companions, Cleitus the Black, in 328BC, Perdiccas was among those who held Alexander back before he ultimately succeeded.
Subsequently, he held an important command in the Indian campaigns of Alexander. Perdiccas and Hephaestion, Alexander's closest companion, were generally compatible and seemed to have got along well, as both were selected by Alexander to ford the Indus River (a task which required coordination) and did so without issue. This contrasts Hephaestion's known quarrels with other prominent generals of Alexander, such as Craterus and Eumenes of Cardia. Alongside their compatibility, Perdiccas was attached to Hephaestion likely due to his superior military experience. Perdiccas was part of the cavalry under Alexander's control at the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326BC and crossed the river with him in said battle. Perdiccas later plundered around Sangala, and assaulted and sacked the Mallian towns. Alexander was wounded in this campaign, having been shot in the chest with an arrow that penetrated his armor; some traditions say Perdiccas was the one who cut the arrow out with a sword and saved the king's life.
In 324BC, at the nuptials celebrated at Susa, a prominent Persian city, Perdiccas married the daughter of the Persian satrap of Media, Atropates. Perdiccas' wife's name is not known and he likely divorced her following Alexander's death. When Hephaestion unexpectedly died the same year, Perdiccas was appointed his successor as commander of the Companion cavalry and chiliarch, effectively becoming Alexander's second-in-command. He was also entrusted with the responsibility of transferring Hephaestion's corpse to Babylon for burning and burial. As Alexander lay dying in his bed, he gave his signet ring to Perdiccas. Although Alexander's intention with this action is not clear, it is probable that he wanted Perdiccas to reign as regent until his children came of age.
Succession and crisis
Following the death of Alexander the Great on 11 June 323BC in Babylon, his generals met to discuss succession and next steps. Perdiccas was very influential at this point, as a close friend of Alexander, his second-in-command, the foremost of the generals, and also because he possessed the signet ring Alexander had given to him.
Debate for leadership The debate around who would succeed Alexander led to a divide in the Macedonian army; on one side were the aristocratic cavalry officers (generals), and on the other side were the infantry soldiers. The infantry, also wanting to listen to the discussion, broke into the room where Perdiccas and the other generals were speaking. Perdiccas, having placed the ring he had received from Alexander on the throne, along with the royal robes and diadem, proposed that a final decision could wait until Alexander's wife Roxana, who was pregnant, had given birth. If the unborn child (the future Alexander IV of Macedon) was a boy, then Perdiccas proposed that the child be chosen as the new king.
This meant Perdiccas would be the regent and effectively the ruler of Alexander's empire until Roxana's unborn child was old enough to rule. Though his later actions would show Perdiccas had ambitions to be king, during the assembly, when Aristonous, a fellow bodyguard, proclaimed Perdiccas should be made king and the suggestion was met with significant approval, Perdiccas hesitated to accept the position, and the moment was lost. Another of Alexander's companions, Ptolemy, proposed a joint board of generals to rule the Empire, perhaps as a slight against Perdiccas as such a scheme would greatly decrease his current authority. Other proposals were considered, but despite misgivings amongst the other generals, most accepted Perdiccas' proposal of waiting until Roxana gave birth. The agreed upon interim arrangement was Perdiccas and Leonnatus overseeing Asia, and Craterus and Antipater ruling Macedonian-controlled Europe.
However, the infantry commander Meleager disagreed with Perdiccas' plans. Meleager argued in favour of Alexander's intellectually disabled half brother, Philip III Arrhidaeus, whom he considered first in succession. The infantry supported this proposal with Meleager's troops willing to fight in favour of Philip III, who they crowned. The infantry began to riot, and the generals united under Perdiccas' authority. After a brief scuffle, Perdiccas ordered a tactical retreat and the generals fled Babylon, but Perdiccas remained for a time hoping to regain the allegiance of the infantry. Meleager sent assassins to kill him. Despite only having page boys with him, Perdiccas met the assassins openly, and taunted and terrified them into fleeing.
Siege of Babylon Perdiccas joined the generals outside of Babylon and put the city to siege, cutting off the supply lines. Meleager's powerbase began to diminish, and he was eventually convinced by Eumenes of Cardia, Alexander's former secretary, to reconcile with the generals, perhaps in collusion with Perdiccas. Perdiccas announced Philip III and the unborn child of Alexander's wife Roxana, the future Alexander IV of Macedon, would be recognised as joint kings to placate Meleager. While the general Craterus was officially declared "Guardian of the Royal Family", Perdiccas effectively held this position, as the joint kings were with him in Babylon. Antipater was confirmed as viceroy of Macedon and Greece. To formalize the reconciliation between the generals and infantry, Perdiccas announced a lustration (a religious purification ritual) and review of the army, convincing Meleager and the infantry to attend.
When the infantry accepted and marched outside Babylon, Perdiccas held a clear military advantage as he controlled all the cavalry and could threaten the infantry with a flanking maneuver. He then sent Philip III to order the capture of the rebellious leaders of the infantry, except for Meleager. Perdiccas had these 30 men (sometimes reported as 300) killed by having them trampled upon by his war elephants. Soon afterward, having cowed the infantry, Perdiccas had Meleager executed as well. Though successful in securing his supreme power again, the incident left the chiliarch and regent Perdiccas untrusting of the other generals, who were also suspicious of him now.
Regent of Alexander's empire