Alexander 14: "Just the [Three] Of Us"

Alexander tried to become “Persian.” He adopted the Persian religion and mores, as he sought to unify his empire. Alexander wanted to form a deep and lasting bond between the Persian Empire, which he had conquered, and the Greek empire, which he had established. Blending the two cultures seemed to him to be the best way to ensure enduring unity and, thus, his grip on power. To this end, Alexander forged a marriage of political convenience, while marrying another woman for a different reason.

Roxane, Alexander’s first wife, was the daughter of a Sogdian chief. Oxyartes, Roxane’s father, accepted Alexander as the Persian king and offered him his friendship. Plutarch tells us that Alexander first saw Roxane when she danced at a banquet to which he was invited. Shortly thereafter, in 327 BCE, the pair married. Roxane’s character was similar to that of Alexander’s mother. Hot tempered, jealous, and politically cunning, Roxane quickly alienated some of Alexander’s Macedonian friends.

Alexander married his second wife, Darius’ daughter Barsine, in 324 BCE, to form a political alliance between the Greek and Persian empires. Alexander married her at the same time that he arranged for thousands of marriages between Greek soldiers and Persian women. Arrian’s Anabasis describes how Alexander sought to unify the two great powers through these marriages as a means to form a lasting bond between the cultures.

Alexander the Great...Dad?

Alexander fathered at least two children; however, his sons had even shorter lives than their father. The first child was a boy named Herakles. His mother was Alexander's mistress Barsine, the daughter of a Persian satrap named Artabazus. Born around 326-7 BCE, Herakles lived with his mother in Asia Minor until he was brought to Macedonia in 309 BCE. Since at that time he was the last remaining member of Alexander's bloodline, Herakles could have been a possible heir to the throne. Because of this, Cassander, the man who seized power after Alexander's death, had the young man strangled at a dinner party when he was just 17 years old.

Alexander's wife Roxane also bore him a son. This child, Alexander IV, was born just a few months after his father's death. In the political turmoil following Alexander's death, the infant was recognized as the future leader but had regents appointed to rule until he became old enough. Cassander had Alexander IV and Roxane murdered around 310 BCE in order to solidify his claims to power.