Thessalonike of Macedon (352 BC-295 BC) was the daughter of King Philip II of Macedon, the younger half-sister of Alexander the Great, and the wife of Cassander. She was murdered by her son Antipater II of Macedon after she showed favor to her younger son Alexander V of Macedon during the succession dispute which followed Cassander's death.
Biography[]
Thessalonike's death
Thessalonike was born in 352 BC, the daughter of King Philip II of Macedon by his Thessalian wife Nicesipolis. In the same year as her birth, her father defeated Phocis and Athens at Crocus Field in Thessaly, so he decided to name his daughter "Thessalian victory" in honor of his victory. When she was six years old, her brother Alexander the Great began his campaign to conquer the Persian Empire, and her interactions with him were minimal. In 315 BC, during the Wars of the Diadochi, she and the royal family took shelter in the fortress of Pydna on the advice of Cassander. After the fall of Pydna and the execution of her stepmother Olympias, Thessalonike was married to Cassander to make him an heir to the Argeads. Cassander founded the city of Thessaloniki in her honor, and it became one of the most populous and wealthy cities of Macedonia. On her husband's death in 297 BC, she favored her younger son Alexander over her elder son Antipater, and she split the kingdom between them. Antipater was not satisfied with this, and he had his mother murdered in 295 BC and took over the entire country.