Eurydice II of Macedon

Eurydice (Greek: Εὐρυδίκη Eurydike; c. 337- 317 BC), often referred to as Adea Eurydice, was the Queen of Macedon, wife of Philip III and daughter of Amyntas IV (son of Perdiccas III) and Cynane (daughter of Philip II and his first wife Audata Eurydice). Early life The exact year of Eurydice's birth is unknown, but as her uncle Alexander the Great killed her father shortly after Philip II's assassination, it is unlikely that she was born after 335 BCE. There are varying arguments surrounding Cynane's age and year of marriage, with the earliest possible year of Eurydice's birth being 342. Eurydice's birth name was Adea. She was brought up by her mother Cynane. She accompanied her mother on her daring expedition to Asia to meet Alexander the Great's troops after his death, with the hope of marrying Eurydice to Philip III. Although Cynane was successful in swaying the troops to follow her instead of Alcetas, either he or Perdiccas murdered her. However, the discontent expressed by the troops, and the respect with which they looked on Eurydice as one of the surviving members of the royal house, induced the imperial regent, Perdiccas, not only to spare her life, but to give her in marriage to King Philip Arrhidaeus, Alexander the Great's half-brother and successor to the throne of Macedon. Sources hint that this was an unequal marriage, because the king was disabled mentally. Furthermore, although Philip Arrhidaeus was king of Macedon, this did not make him the imperial successor to Alexander; Alexander had won his empire by law of conquest, and the Asian portion of the empire (more than nine-tenths of the whole) was not part of the people of Macedon. Upon her marriage, Adea changed her name to Eurydice, possibly as a sort of royal title. This name references her maternal grandmother, Audata Eurydice, Philip II's mother, Eurydice I of Macedon, and Perdiccas's mother, reminding the Macedonians of her strong Argead heritage. Queen of Macedon The sources are again silent as to Eurydice during the life of Perdiccas. After his death in 321 BC, Eurydice, likely still a teenager, again bid for power: she demanded that the new regents of Macedon, Peithon and Arrhidaeus, grant her a share of the regency. Eurydice established herself as the representative of the legitimate line of succession, due to her descent from Philip II and Perdiccas and marriage to Philip III.