CASSANDER was the son of Antipater, to whom Macedonia was allotted on the division of the Macedonian empire after the death of Alexander. Antipater dying, B.C. 318, appointed Polysperchon to succeed him. [ANTIPATER.] Casaander bore this exclusion with indig nation ; but finding his party too weak for successful opposition, be fled to Asia, and sought the assistance of Antigonua and Ptolemmus. Antigonus gave him 4000 men, with whom he sailed to Athena, and was received by Nicanor, the Macedonian governor of the port and fortress of Munycbia, who had recently, by a sudden attack, obtained possession of the chief part of Pirmus also. Polyaperchon lost no time in conducting an army to besiege him, but was soon obliged, by scarcity of provisions, to draw off the greater part of his troops into Peloponnesns, leaving only an army of observation in Attica. Almost the whole of Peloponnesus favoured Polyspercbon ; Megalopolis how ever remained firm to the party of Caseander, and defended itself with such resolution that his rival was compelled to retreat from under its walls with mortification and disgrace. Parties were so balanced in Greece, that a slight thing was enough to turn the scale in favour of one or tho other. "Polysperchon falling into disgrace through this failure (says Diodorus, xviii. 74), most of the Greek cities went over to Cassander ; ' and, among the rest, Athens, seeing no chance of recovering possession of its porta by force of arms, B.C. 317.
In the following year, Casaander marched into Macedonia against Polysperchon, who, with the view of strengthening his party among the Macedonians, had associated with himself Olympias, the mother of Alexander. Leaving Callas, his general, to oppose Polyeperchon, Casaander himself blockaded Olympias in Pydna during the winter. That town yielded on capitulation early in the year B.C. 315, when Olympias, in express contravention of the terms of surrender, was put to death through his agency. Having now gained possession of Mace donia, with the power, though not the name, of a king, he took to wife Theasalonice, the daughter of Philip and half-sister of Alexander, in hope of confirming his own ascendancy by the powerful associa tions connected with the royal blood. In the same year he founded
the flourishing city of Cassandria, in I'allene, which was formerly known by the name of Potidma, and commenced the restoration of Thebes, twenty years after its destruction by Alexander. Soon after he joined the combination of Ptolemmus, Lysimachus, and Seleucus, ogainet Antigonus. The war which ensued was concluded, n.c. 311, on condition, so fir as related to Cassander, that be should be military governor (crrpenrybs) of Europe, till the son of Rexene by Alexander should attain his majority. This limitation Cassander made of no avail by immediately putting to death both the young prince and his mother, B.C. 309. Polysperchon set up another rival to him, in the person of Hercules, the only surviving eon of Alexander by Barsine; but he agreed to put Hercules to death on condition of Pelopouneaus being given up to him. Hercules was accordingly murdered, but Polyeperchou was not able to take possession of Peloponnesus, which was the stipulated price of his treachery.
No part of history is more complicated, and less interesting, than that which relates to the wars of Alexander's immediate successors. We therefore pass over the constant employment given to Cassander by the confirmed enmity of the jEtolians, and by the disturbances continually fomented in Greece by Antigonus.
During the Median war (Asrrmosrus), Cassander regained much influence in Greece, which he had lost by the intrigues of Antigonus and the military successes of his son Demetrius. But after the siege of Rhodes was raised, Demetrius again repaired to Greece, and, in the year RC. 302, became master of the greater part of Peloponnesus. The danger in which Antigonus was involved by the second con federacy of Ptolemmus, Seleucus, &c., recalled Demetrius to Asia ; and the death of Antigonus at the battle of 'pus, n.c. 301, removed Cassander's most formidable enemy. From that time forwards, he held secure possession of Macedonia, though Demetrius retained considerable influence? in Greece. Ho died B.C. 296 (Clinton), leaving the character of an ambitious, able, unscrupulous man, of whom the best that can be said is, that his rivals were no better than himself. He was succeeded in Macedonia by Philip, his eldest son.