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Early Successor

Early Successors

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Historical Overview Section


When Alexander the Great died he left behind a huge empire which was composed of many essentially independent territories. Alexander's empire stretched from his homeland of Macedon itself, along with the Greek city-states that his father had subdued, to Bactria and parts of India in the east. It included Anatolia, the Levant, Egypt, Babylonia, and Persia.

Upon Alexander's untimely death, there was almost immediately a dispute among his generals as to who his successor should be. Meleager and the infantry supported the candidacy of Alexander's half-brother, Arrhidaeus, while Perdiccas, the leading cavalry commander, supported waiting until the birth of Alexander's unborn child by Roxana. A compromise was arranged - Arrhidaeus (as Philip III) should become King, and should rule jointly with Roxana's child, assuming that it was a boy (as it was, becoming Alexander IV). Perdiccas himself would become Regent of the entire Empire, and Meleager his lieutenant. Soon, however, Perdiccas had Meleager and the other infantry leaders murdered, and assumed full control.

The other cavalry generals who had supported Perdiccas were rewarded in the partition of Babylon by becoming satraps of the various parts of the Empire. Ptolemy received Egypt; Laomedon received Syria and Phoenicia; Philotas took Cilicia; Peithon took Media; Antigonus received Phrygia, Lycia and Pamphylia; Asander received Caria; Menander received Lydia; Lysimachus received Thrace; Leonnatus received Hellespontine Phrygia; and Neoptolemus had Armenia. Macedon and the rest of Greece were to be under the joint rule of Antipater, who had governed them for Alexander, and Craterus, Alexander's most able lieutenant, while Alexander's old secretary, Eumenes of Cardia, was to receive Cappadocia and Paphlagonia.

In the east, Perdiccas largely left Alexander's arrangements intact - Taxiles and Porus ruled over their kingdoms in India; Alexander's father-in-law Oxyartes ruled Gandara; Sibyrtius ruled Arachosia and Gedrosia; Stasanor ruled Aria and Drangiana; Philip ruled Bactria and Sogdiana; Phrataphernes ruled Parthia and Hyrcania; Peucestas governed Persis; Tlepolemus had charge over Carmania; Atropates governed northern Media; Archon got Babylonia; and Arcesilas ruled northern Mesopotamia.

Meanwhile, the news of Alexander's death had inspired a revolt in Greece, known as the Lamian War. Athens and other cities joined together, ultimately besieging Antipater in the fortress of Lamia. Antipater was relieved by a force sent by Leonnatus, who was killed in action, but the war did not come to an end until Craterus's arrival with a fleet to defeat the Athenians at the Battle of Crannon on September 5, 322 BC. For a time, this brought an end to Greek resistance to Macedonian domination. Meanwhile, Peithon suppressed a revolt of Greek settlers in the eastern parts of the Empire, and Perdiccas and Eumenes subdued Cappadocia.

First War of the Diadochi, 322-320 BC
Soon, however, conflict broke out. Perdiccas' marriage to Alexander's sister Cleopatra led Antipater, Craterus, Antigonus, and Ptolemy to join together in rebellion. The actual outbreak of war was triggered by Ptolemy's theft of Alexander's body, and diversion of it to Egypt. Although Eumenes defeated the rebels in Asia Minor, in a battle at which Craterus was killed, it was all for nought, as Perdiccas himself was murdered by his own generals Peithon, Seleucus, and Antigenes during an invasion of Egypt.

Ptolemy came to terms with Perdiccas's murderers, making Peithon and Arrhidaeus regents in his place, but soon these came to a new agreement with Antipater at the Treaty of Triparadisus. Antipater was made regent of the Empire, and the two kings were moved to Macedon. Antigonus remained in charge of Phrygia, Lycia, and Pamphylia, to which was added Lycaonia. Ptolemy retained Egypt, Lysimachus retained Thrace, while the three murderers of PerdiccasSeleucus, Peithon, and Antigeneswere given the provinces of Babylonia, Media, and Susiana respectively. Arrhidaeus, the former Regent, received Hellespontine Phrygia. Antigonus was charged with the task of rooting out Perdiccas's former supporter, Eumenes. In effect, Antipater retained for himself control of Europe, while Antigonus, as leader of the largest army east of the Hellespont, held a similar position in Asia.


Second War of the Diadochi, 319-315 BC
War soon broke out again, however, following the death of Antipater in 319 BC. Passing over his own son, Cassander, Antipater declared Polyperchon his successor as Regent. A civil war soon broke out in Macedon and Greece between Polyperchon and Cassander, with the latter supported by Antigonus and Ptolemy. Polyperchon allied himself to Eumenes in Asia, but was driven from Macedonia by Cassander, and fled to Epirus with the infant king Alexander IV and his mother Roxane. In Epirus he joined forces with Olympias, Alexander's mother, and together they invaded Macedon again. They were met by an army commanded by King Philip Arrhidaeus and his wife Eurydice, which immediately defected, leaving the king and Eurydice to Olympias's not so tender mercies, and they were killed (317 BC). Soon after, though, the tide turned, and Cassander was victorious, capturing and killing Olympias, and attaining control of Macedon, the boy king, and his mother.

In the east, Eumenes was gradually driven back into the east by Antigonus's forces. After great battles at Paraitacene in 317 BC and at Gabiene in 316 BC, Eumenes was eventually betrayed and murdered by his own troops in 315 BC, leaving Antigonus in undisputed control of the Asian territories of the Empire.

Third War of the Diadochi, 314-311 BC
In this war, Antigonus, who had grown too powerful for the other rulers to tolerate him, faced Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Cassander. Antigonus invaded Syria, under Ptolemy's control, and besieged Tyre for more than a year. Antigonus allied himself to Polyperchon, who still controlled part of the Peloponnese, and proclaimed freedom for the Greeks to get them on his side. But although Cassander was tempted to conclude peace with Antigonus, in Asia the war turned against the one-eyed general, with Ptolemy invading Syria (and defeating Antigonus' son, Demetrius Poliorcetes, in the Battle of Gaza, 312 BC) and Seleucus securing control of Babylon, and thus, of the eastern reaches of Alexander's empire. Although Antigonus now concluded a compromise peace with Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and Cassander, he continued the war with Seleucus, attempting to recover control of the eastern reaches of the Empire. Although he went so far as to enter Babylon in 310 BC, the Babylonian War (311-309) ended in Antigonus' defeat.


User-contributed links about this army:

Keraunos DBA Figure Gallery for this army - from Fanaticus

Using the army under FoG

  • Even though pike deal well with mounted, it may be worth having some elephants to scare mounted and keep them away from the flank of the pikes.

Allied Contingents

  • Galatian : Date restrictions From 277 BC Book: Immortal Fire Page: 51 - Don’t dismiss this - the Galatians can be "cheap" protected imitation legions from 62 BC, and you also get up to 8 armoured cavalry


UK Tourney Results

2 / 22 Early Successor Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)
4 / 22 Early Successor Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)
6 / 22 Early Successor Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)
8 / 25 Early Successor Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
12 / 25 Early Successor Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
13 / 25 Early Successor Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
17 / 25 Early Successor Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
18 / 25 Early Successor Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army

You can see some of the figures in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site


Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army

Name of Army / Date
Allied Seleucid/Lysimachid army at 798 AP.

  • 1 Javelinmen LF Unprotected Average Drilled Javelins light spear - 6
  • 2 Cretins LF Unprotected Superior Drilled Bow - - 6
  • 3 Archers LF Unprotected Average Drilled Bow - - 6
  • 4 Light Cavalry LH Unprotected Average undrilled Javelins light spear - 4
  • 5 Medians LH Unprotected Average undrilled Bow - - 4
  • 6 Thracians MF Protected Average Undrilled - Offensive Spearmen - 8
  • 7 Thracians MF Protected Average undrilled - Heavy Weapon - 8
  • 8 Phalanx HF Protected Average Drilled - Pikemen - 8
  • 9 Phalanx HF Protected Average Drilled - Pikemen - 8
  • 10 Phalanx HF Protected Average Drilled - Pikemen - 8
  • 11 Phalanx HF Protected Average Drilled - Pikemen - 8
  • 12 Xystophoroi Cv Armoured Superior Drilled - Lancer Swordsmen - 4
  • 13 Xystophoroi Cv Armoured Superior Drilled - Lancer Swordsmen - 4
  • 14 Xystophoroi Cv Armoured Superior Drilled - Lancer Swordsmen - 4
  • 4 x TC

Plenty of pikes and lancer cavalry, enough Thracians to fill RGo, some skirmishers to lurk and shoot - very solid, very hard to beat at 800 AP
Remember to leave a line before you copy the above section as a template for your own list

eBay Listings


UK Bookstore



Created by admin. Last Modification: Tuesday 12 of November, 2019 19:00:13 GMT by admin. (Version 17)
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