Antingonus the One-eyed

[lesbiassparrow]

The only thing I like about Alexander's successors is that they all have such exciting names: Antingonus the One-eyed, Demetrius the Besieger, Ptolemy the Saviour, etc. However, seeing as they all go to war with each other every five minutes I cannot keep them straight. But I read this about the Battle of Ipsus (301 BCE), (notable because it may be the one battle in which elephants are actually useful and because it spells the end of any chance of Alexander's kingdom ever being reunited), and it struck me as terribly, terribly poignant. Maybe they were all terrible bastards but still they loved their children:

"But the old King Antigonus still kept his post, and when a strong body of the enemies drew up to charge him, and one of those about him cried out to him, 'Sir, they are coming upon you,' he only replied, 'What else should they do? But Demetrius will come to my rescue.' And in this hope he persisted to the last, looking out on every side for his son's approach, until he was borne down by a whole multitude of darts, and fell. His other followers and friends fled, and Thorax of Larissa remained alone by the body." Plutarch, Life of Demetrius

Comments

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

Hee! I think my two favorite monarchs ever are probably Basil the Bulgar Slayer (because that’s just a great name!) and an Elector of Saxony who’s name was “Friedrich der Gebissene” (who bit him? Why? How? Was this the most memorable thing that ever happened to him? I really want to know!) closely followed by “Irontooth” who was a Kurfürst of Brandenburg. (With the exception of Basil, I know nothing of these people except their names!)

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Basil the Bulgar Slayer! So wonderful...but what is a bulgar? And why would you slay it?

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

Hee! In Greek, I believe the name was "Bulgaroktonos" :) The Bulgars (not to be confused with what you put in the tabbouleh salad!) were the inhabitants of then Bulgaria, and when they invaded the Byzantine Empire, Basil defeated them. He blinded all of the survivors of the battle, leaving one man in ten (or a hundred, accounts differ) with ONE eye so they could find their way back home. Needless to say, there was no more trouble from THAT quarter for a while!