LYSIMACHOS~ ALEXANDER'S BODYGUARD

Lysimachos (c. 361-281 BCE) was one of Alexander the Great’s trusted bodyguards and a member of his Companion Cavalry.  Although he obtained Macedonian citizenship, his family was from Thessaly,and his father, Agathocles,came from a noble family. After Alexander’s death in 323 BCE, Lysimachos'loyalty was rewarded; he was given the province of Thrace, an area of strategic importance northeast of Macedonia,along the coast of the Black Sea.In the beginning of his rule, Lysimachos tried to keep a relative distance from the conflicts that began immediately after Alexander's death.However, he couldn't resist the idea of expanding his territories, and joined his fellow commanders in a war against Antigonus Monophthalmus (the One-Eyed) and his son Demetrius I of Macedon. 

Lysimachos as Alexander's Bodyguard

The exact year of Lysimachos' birth is not clearly known; some historians say he was born in 361 BCE, while others place his bitrh in 355 or 351 BCE. However, the earlier date seems closer to the truth since, if he had been born in 355 BCE or after that date, he would have been too young for the position of the King's bodyguard.He was definitely born in Pella, the capital of Macedonia.Educated at the royal court in Pella just like Alexander, Lysimachos rose to become a prominent member of the king’s entourage, becoming one of his bodyguards by 328 BCE. His father was a close friend of Philip the 2nd, Alexander's father. His education and military training were of royal standards, and along with his family, Lysimachos had the same privileges that noble Macedonians had.

 Although early accounts state that he accompanied Alexander in his war against the Persians and King Darius, little information exists about Lysimachos' participation in the years before the Battle of Hydaspes. It has been recorded that Lysimachos crossed the river Hydaspes with Alexander and that he took part in the siege of the Indian city of Sangala, where he was wounded. Arrian, in his work The Campaigns of Alexander, tells us:

'Throughout the siege Alexander lost a little under 100 men; the number of wounded, however, was disproportionately large – over 1,000, among them being Lysimachos, of Alexander’s personal guard, and other officers. 

For this bravery and loyalty to the king, he was rewarded with Thrace, whose importance lay in its location adjacent to the Hellespont, the bridge between Asia and Europe.'

Governor of Thrace

Alexander's epic life ends on June 10, 323 BCE, when he died in Babylon. The fact that he did not appoint a successor or heir before his demise, caused the entire empire to fall into chaos. General Perdiccas,one of the people closest to Alexander, possessed the king’s signet ring; however, the arguments were fierce and there was little hope of a consesus being reached among the commanders. While they were waiting for Alexander’s son, the future Alexander IV, to come of age, they shared the empire among themselves - Ptolemy I took Egypt,  Antigonus got parts of Asia Minor, the regent Antipater I retained Macedon and Greece, and lastly, Lysimachos received Thrace. His fellow bodyguard Lennonatas took the province of Phrygia, located across on the Asian side of the Hellespont - an arrangement that caused constant friction between the two former comrades.

For the next 30 years, alliances would be created and dissolve. Enemies became friends, and vice versa,in a constant conflict for power and territorial expansion. It had become abudantly clear that Alexander's empire would not be reunited. Cassander had the mother, wife and son of Alexander murdered. No heir from the bloodline of the Great Conqueror would have the chance to sit on the throne.
Upon arriving to Thrace, Lysimachos' first duty was to bring peace among the rivalling Thracian tribes. Although the Thracians had participated in the fight against Darius, they had always been quite antagonistic towards both Philip II and Alexander. Alexander had wasted no time in establishing himself as a King against Seuthes, the leader of a prominent Thracian dynasty. Alexander's commanders were busy fiighting one another during an era known as the Wars of Diadochi ( the Wars of the Successors). As they cared little for either Thrace or Phrygia, Lysimachos realized  how lucky he was and kept away from the conflicts.Thrace was a relatively safe place and for some time, he didn't have to deal with any outside challenges against his authority. Therefore, he focused on creating his own solid base. In 315 BCE, however, he had to suppress a rebellion by one of the coastal cities in the Black Sea.
Antigonus was the ruler of numerous lands in Asia Minor- however, he had his attention fixed on Thrace as well. He sent aid to the city which had revolted and tried to provoke the local tribes. Finally, in 311 BCE, Lysimachos maintained the control of the hostile city and estalished peace. Nevertheless, he no longer had the luxury of being uninvolved in the conflicts that had been taking place for so long; so, he formed an alliance with Cassander of Macedon, Ptolemy, and Seleucus I. In order to safeguard the area and secure the Dardanelles, he built a new city in 309 BCE, called Lysimachia, on the Gallipoli peninsula.

Wars of the Diadochi

Lysimachos was crowned King in 305 BCE. As the attack of Antigonus on his territories was still quite recent, Lysimachos decided to expand his Kingdom to Asia Minor. He joined forces with Seleucus and Cassander against Antigonus and his son Demetrius at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE; a battle that caused the defeat and death of Antigonus. According to the terms of peace, Lysimachos received additional lands in Asia Minor to the south of the Taurus Mountains, Seleucus took Syria, and Cassander’s position was established securely in Macedonia and Greece. 

The affluence of the areas around Pergamon along the Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor, helped Lysimachos to expand his territory even further. After the death of Cassander in 297 BCE,he started to think about attacking Macedonia. Having Pyrrhus, King of Epirus as his ally, Lysimachos crossed the borders and drove Demetrius out of his Kingdom. Demetrius and his army moved across the Hellespont and into Asia Minor, confronting the forces of Seleucus. The former ruler of Macedonia was captured and eventually died in captivity in 283 BCE. Lysimachos’ambitions for more territoty were abruptly blocked when he was captured  by Dromichaites, the king of Getae in 292 BCE. He had to buy his freedom and give away a part of his Trans-Danubian lands. Ten years lated, Seleucus decided to claim the lands of Lysimachos, his former ally and comrade, in Asia Minor. Lysimachos confronted his enemy in battle at Corupedium, in 281 BCE. The former bodyguard of Alexander fell during this battle- and having produced no heir until his demise, his own small part of the empire quickly fell into disarray. 

EDITED FROM: Ancient History Encyclopedia