“The First War Between Women”: Olympias and Adea Eurydice

The earth turned on its axis the day Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE) died. Notorious for his unrestrained aggressivity and hard drinking, it should have come as no surprise to the Greeks that Alexander the Great would not live to see old age. Yet when the warrior king died at the age of thirty-two, it left a power vacuum the likes of which the ancient world had never seen, resulting in widespread unrest and turmoil throughout Alexander’s vast empire. His son, Alexander IV, by Roxane, his first wife, was born posthumously; thus, at the time of Alexander’s death, his gender was unknown, and Alexander’s half-brother—Arrihidaeus—was cognitively impaired, therefore permanently considered a minor and his next closest male heir.

Due to the absence of a designated heir and the widely held belief that the Great Conqueror’s dying wish was to leave the empire “to the strongest,” chaos enveloped both the Macedonian court and his troops in Babylon. It was inevitable that his generals, who were formally Alexander’s “Successors,” would quarrel with one another over which of them should lead. This series of conflicts to control portions of Alexander’s empire was an era known as the War of the Diadochi (Successors) and lasted from 323 BCE-281 BCE. Eventually, the Successors grudgingly backed Alexander’s son (if he were to have one), but the Macedonian soldiers wanted Arrhidaeus to be king and threatened mutiny if the Successors disagreed. Before the empire was carved into what would become several major kingdoms, the notorious “Compromise of Babylon” was proposed where two kings—neither of them a fully functional adult—reigned.

The death of Alexander the Great by Karl von Piloty. (Public Domain)

As a consequence of this implausible arrangement, two women—Olympias (375-316 BCE) and Adea Eurydice (337-317 BCE)—each representing separate branches of the hallowed Argead dynasty—engaged in an improbable battle for sovereignty. Because succession passed through the male line, in Macedonia women wielded power only through proxy. While women might influence choices and hold important offices, their authority was reliant on their male relatives. Due to the lack of male heirs, Argead women often played key roles behind the scenes, forming strategic alliances through marriage and kinship to ensure their voices were heard and their interests protected in a realm that sought to marginalize them. By harnessing their intelligence and political savvy, Olympias and Adea Eurydice sought to secure their lineage’s claim to the throne and maneuver within the constraints of a male-dominated society where they were unable to take on direct leadership roles, such as military command. In what Greek historian Duris calls ” the first war between women,” this article delves into the unlikely circumstances surrounding a battle in which two female leaders commanded opposing armies in a struggle for sovereignty. Some history about these two women is required before exploring the powerplay behind this clash.

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Top image: AI image of mythological queen Hera.    Source: byerenyerli / Adobe Stock

By Mary Naples