Alexander The Great’s Mom Was A Fearsome Snake Handler, And Even In Exile, She Tirelessly Worked To Help Her Son Ascend To The Throne
You’ve heard of Alexander the Great and all he’s accomplished, but little is mentioned of his mother. The woman who gave birth to one of the greatest known military figures has been obscured from history herself. Yet, she was a force of nature in her own right.
Olympias was the fourth wife of Philip II of Macedonia. She was a fearsome, ambitious, and violent ruler in ancient Greece.
She was born around 375 B.C.E. to a Greek king named Neoptolemus I of Epirus. Her family had a lot of power in ancient Greece as they claimed to be descendants of the Greek hero Achilles.
Olympias was also known as Polyxena, Myrtale, and Stratonice. It is believed she chose to go by the name Olympias to pay tribute to her husband’s victory in the Olympic Games.
She was famed and feared for her skill of handling snakes. Some historians think she belonged to the Cult of Dionysus, which worshipped the god of wine, fertility, and religious ecstasy.
In 357 B.C.E., Olympias married Philip II as a political arrangement. She bore two children, Alexander and Cleopatra.
They were about two years apart. She immediately began advocating for her son as the heir, forming connections with important people to keep him in the court’s favor.
This was easy at first because Philip was often away dealing with political affairs. After being married for 20 years, Philip married again, this time to a young noblewoman of Macedonia named Cleopatra Eurydice. It was then that the tension between Olympias and Philip came to a head.
At the wedding feast, Alexander was insulted by the new bride’s guardian. He demanded that his father defend his honor, but Philip appeared to pull his sword on Alexander before passing out in a drunken state.
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A scandal broke out, causing Alexander and his mother to be exiled.
During their exile, Olympias never stopped working to ensure that her son would ascend to the throne. She established herself as a member of the powerful temple of Dionysus and made alliances. Meanwhile, Alexander was sent away to be tutored by Aristotle and trained in the arts of war.
Eventually, Olympias was able to return to Philip’s side. Shortly after, Alexander was welcomed back to Macedonia and greeted by his father with open arms. He was reinstated as Philip II’s successor. Still, the tension between them remained.
At the wedding of Alexander’s sister, Cleopatra, Phillip II was assassinated. Olympias was rumored to have been behind his death. She was also alleged to have killed Philip’s new wife and baby by dragging them over a bronze vessel filled with fire.
With his rivals out of the way, Alexander was able to claim the throne of Macedonia. In 334 B.C.E., he set out from Macedonia with an army, leaving Olympias in charge of the kingdom.
As he cut through the Middle East and into Asia, securing victory after victory, he sent home treasures to his mother.
She was very involved as a ruler and loved to wield her power, so much so that Alexander had instructed her to stop meddling in his affairs more than once. Even after his death, Olympias continued to exercise Alexander’s power and influence.
In 317 B.C.E., she wore wild furs into battle, fighting at the head of an army to ensure that Alexander was succeeded by the general of her choosing.
Soon, she was blockaded and captured by a nemesis. Olympias was stoned to death by the families of people she had killed. Her body was disposed of as trash instead of receiving a proper burial.
No matter how legendary Alexander was, it is clear that his mother was his greatest asset and advisor as the pressure started to build. Olympias lives on in our minds as a mother who would do anything for her son.
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