Séleucos Ier

Séleucos (or Séleucus ) Ier Nicator , in Greek old Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ / Seleukos Nikatôr (“the Winner”), born with Europos in Macedonia towards 358 before J. - C., dead close to Lysimacheia in 280, general of Alexandre Large the, satrap of Babylonia then king of Syria (305 with 280), it founds the dynasty of the Séleucides.

Biography

Diadoque

Wire of Antiochos, general of Philippe II, Séleucos accompany Alexandre in the conquest by the Asia in the capacity as officer in the cavalry of the Companions. After being itself in particular distinguished in India in 326, it is named, with died of Alexandre in 323, Hipparque of the cavalry, prestigious command which exerted before him Héphaistion and Perdiccas. Member of the entourage of the Chiliarque Perdiccas of which it orders the cavalry, it belongs to the plot of the officers who assassinate it in 321 at the time of the countryside in Egypt against Ptolémée. At the time of the second division of the empire which follows the same year, it receives the satrapie Babylonia, succeeding Archon in place since the agreements of Babylon (323).

In 318 - 317, Séleucos takes party for Antigone One-eyed the in the conflict which opposes it to Eumène de Cardia, strategist of the regent Polyperchon. Eumene fights battle to him on banks of the Euphrate and seizes the citadel of Babylon. Eumene tries thereafter to cross the Tigre but Séleucos makes flood the passage by breaking the dams of a channel. Fearing that its satrapie is not occupied, Séleucos ends up proposing a truce with Eumène. Winner of this last, Antigone occupies Babylonia in 316, posting the ambition to reconstitute with his profit the empire of Alexandre. Séleucos flees then in Egypt and forms a coalition with Ptolémée, Cassandre and Lysimaque. The defeat inflicted by Ptolémée with Démétrios (wire of Antigone), with Gaza in 312, enables him to reconquer its satrapie and to launch out in the conquest of the Iranian provinces. Antigone is definitively pushed back in 308; Séleucos benefits from it to extend its domination of high the satrapies of Asia (Perse, Médie, Susiane, Drangiane, Sogdiane, Arie, etc), until the India (between 310 and 308). From 308, it engages against the Indian prince Chandragupta Maurya a long conflict which is regulated by a peace treaty in 303: Séleucos must give up the Indian satrapies empire (Gandhâra), as well as the oriental parties of the Arachosie and the Gédrosie, but he manages to preserve the Bactriane. This exchange of territories is accompanied by an alliance sealed by a marriage between a princess séleucide (not identified) and the emperor Maurya. Séleucos also sends Mégasthènes in embassy to the court of Pataliputra and receives a quota of 500 of the elephants of war. It is traditionally at this period that one locates the beginning of the formation of the Empire Séleucide.

Basileus Nikatôr

According to the example of Antigone and other Diadoques, Séleucos takes the title of king ( Basileus ) towards 305 and turning désorme its ambitions in the west. As of 304, it joint with the coalition joining together Ptolémée, Lysimaque and Cassandre against Antigone which intends to establish its domination on the Greece and the Aegean Sea. In 301, he manages to gather his forces with those of Lysimaque in Phrygie. Antigone is overcome with the Bataille of Ipsos; the 500 elephants received by the treaty with Chandragupta Maurya made it possible Séleucos to gain a decisive victory. The kingdom of Antigone is divided between the winners; Séleucos receives the oriental party of Asia Mineure (the major part of Asia Mineure returning in Lysimaque) and especially the Syria. This division is at the origin of the Guerres of Syria between Lagides and Séleucides for the possession of the Cœlé-Syria. Séleucos, become Nikatôr , is then with Ptolémée most powerful Diadoque. It creates a general government of the Eastern satrapies of which it entrusts the direction to his son Antiochos (already present at Ipsos), that it names 294 viceroy in .

In 286, Démétrios Poliorcète, driven out Macedonia, carries out a forwarding in Asia Mineure. It fails and fall between the hands from Séleucos which assigns it with residence and treats it with the respect due to its row: Séleucos indeed married his/her daughter Stratonice in 300. It begins again to him nevertheless takes again its fortified towns of Phénicie and Asia Mineure. Then in 282, it enters in war against Lysimaque, encouraged by Ptolémée Kéraunos, taken refuge at the court séleucide since the murder of Agathoclès, the heir to Lysimaque (and brother-in-law of Ptolémée Kéraunos) put at died by his own father. Séleucos indeed fears the ambitions of Lysimaque which occupies Macedonia since 288 and forms an alliance with Ptolémée II Philadelphe. Séleucos invades Asia Mineure and obtains the rallying of Philétairos, governor of Pergame. Séleucos overcomes Lysimaque which finds death with the battle of Couropédion (in Lydie) to the beginning of the year 281. Eager to reign on Macedonia and of - perhaps - reconstituting the empire of Alexandre, it crosses the Hellespont, walk against Macedonia, but it is assassinated in 280, close to Lysimacheia (in Chersonèse of Thrace), by Ptolémée Kéraunos. Ultimate survivor of Diadoques, Séleucos leaves the Empire of Alexandre between the hands of the Épigone S.

At the time of the weddings of Suse in 324, Séleucos married, according to the will of Alexandre, the girl of Spitaménès, Apama. She gives rise to two girls, Apama and Laodice, and with two boys, Antiochos, heir to the throne, and Achaios. Antiochos is thus only Epigones with being of Iranian ascent. With died of Apama towards 300, Séleucos marries Stratonice, girl of Démétrios Poliorcète, then 17 years old. Of this union born a girl, Phila II. Learning by the doctor Érasistrate that his son dies of love for Stratonice, Séleucos separates some and lets Antiochos marry it in 294.

King founder

Between 311 and 306, Séleucos founds, in the middle of the Mésopotamie, Séleucie of the Tiger (close to current the Baghdad) and makes some, temporarily, its capital. It quickly becomes a large commercial city, supplanting declining Babylon.

Extending its empire to the Syria after the victory of Ipsos, Séleucos bases on the Oronte, principal river of ancient Syria, the city of Antioche like port, Séleucie de Piérie, in the objective to compete with the hegemony of Alexandria in the Eastern Mediterranean. Created by Synœcisme several villages neighbouring and populated gréco-Macedonians families moved of Antigonie, Antioche makes fast demographic great strides to become one of the big cities of the hellenistic time. Anticoche and Séleucie de Piérie form, in a planned unit, the Tetrapolis with the towns of Laodicée and Apamée that Séleucos refondé. Transferred from Séleucie of the Tiger to Séleucie de Piérie towards 300, the capital seems to be installed definitively in Antioche at the end of the reign. Séleucos also makes build through its empire about fifteen others Antioche, of less importance, followed in that by Antiochos which continues the work of his/her father. Séleucos also establishes city-fortresses and garrisons in more moved back areas, like that of Doura Europos (of the name of its native city), colonized by veterans greco-Macedonians.

The foundation of cities of the Greek type in the rectilinear plan (known as hippodamien) is characteristic of the large sovereigns of the hellenistic time who take again the example of Alexandre thus. Séleucos intends to legitimate its capacity and to affirm its recent royal statute. It must also found new cities for the population Greek brought in Mésopotamie and Syria by the conquests of Alexandre.