Alexander the Great is renowned as one of history‘s most successful military commanders, but few know the story of what befell his empire in the years following his untimely death in 323 BC at the age of 32. The stability of Alexander‘s vast domains, stretching from Greece to India, depended not just on his strategic brilliance but also on the loyalty and skill of his inner circle of elite generals who served as his seven personal bodyguards. United under their king, these men were unmatched on the battlefield, but with Alexander‘s sudden demise, they turned against one another in a ruthless power struggle that would ultimately shatter the empire they had fought so hard to build.
The Rise of the Somatophylakes
The seven bodyguards, also known as the somatophylakes, were some of Alexander‘s closest companions since youth. They were chosen not only for their military prowess but also for their unwavering loyalty to the king. As Plutarch notes in his Life of Alexander, "he considered that he should not entrust the guard of his person to men who were not connected with him by the ties of friendship and affection" (Plut. Alex. 51.1).
The seven somatophylakes who survived Alexander were:
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Perdiccas – A noble from the Orestian dynasty, Perdiccas served as the commander of the elite Companion Cavalry and was one of Alexander‘s most trusted generals.
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Ptolemy – The son of a Macedonian nobleman named Lagus, Ptolemy distinguished himself as a skilled diplomat and administrator during Alexander‘s campaigns.
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Peithon – Known for his cunning and ruthless ambition, Peithon rose through the ranks to become one of Alexander‘s most feared generals.
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Peucestas – A member of the royal bodyguard, Peucestas saved Alexander‘s life during a siege in India and was later appointed as the satrap (governor) of Persia.
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Aristonous – A loyal friend of Alexander since childhood, Aristonous served with distinction in the Companion Cavalry.
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Leonnatus – Another noble Macedonian, Leonnatus was known for his bravery and martial skill.
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Lysimachus – The son of a Thessalian nobleman, Lysimachus served as one of Alexander‘s most capable military commanders.
These men fought alongside Alexander in some of his most famous battles, from the decisive victory over the Persian king Darius III at Gaugamela in 331 BC to the hard-fought campaigns in Bactria and India. They were more than just bodyguards – they were Alexander‘s closest confidants and advisors, privy to his most intimate thoughts and plans.
The Struggle for Succession
When news of Alexander‘s sudden death in Babylon reached the generals, they were faced with a crisis of succession. Alexander had left no clear heir, and his only living son, the future Alexander IV, was just an infant. The bodyguards convened a council to decide on a way forward, but tensions quickly escalated as each man jockeyed for power.
Perdiccas, as the highest-ranking officer present, initially claimed the regency in the name of Alexander‘s half-brother Philip III Arrhidaeus and the infant Alexander IV. However, he faced immediate opposition from Ptolemy and the other bodyguards, who were unwilling to accept his authority. As the historian Diodorus Siculus records, "Ptolemy, Lysimachus, and their party were not pleased with the decision…and began to plot against Perdiccas" (Diod. 18.2.4).
The resulting power struggle, known as the Wars of the Successors or the Diadochi Wars, would consume the Hellenistic world for the next four decades. The bodyguards formed shifting alliances and turned their military might against one another in a series of bloody civil wars that stretched from Greece to the borders of India.
The Partition of Babylon and Triparadisus
The first major attempt to divide Alexander‘s empire came at the Partition of Babylon in 323 BC, just months after the king‘s death. The bodyguards and other leading generals met to carve up the satrapies (provinces) of the empire amongst themselves. Perdiccas, as the regent, retained control of the royal army and the guardianship of the two kings, while the others were granted governorships in various regions:
| Bodyguard | Satrapy |
|---|---|
| Ptolemy | Egypt |
| Lysimachus | Thrace |
| Leonnatus | Hellespontine Phrygia |
| Peithon | Media |
| Peucestas | Persia |
| Aristonous | Bactria and Sogdiana |
However, this initial settlement did not last long. Perdiccas‘ attempts to assert his authority and centralize power led to open rebellion among the other bodyguards. In 321 BC, they convened a new council at Triparadisus in Syria to redistribute the satrapies and check Perdiccas‘ growing influence. The result was a new power-sharing arrangement that further divided the empire:
| Bodyguard | Satrapy |
|---|---|
| Ptolemy | Egypt and Libya |
| Lysimachus | Thrace |
| Antipater | Macedon and Greece |
| Antigonus | Phrygia, Lycia, Pamphylia |
| Seleucus | Babylonia |
| Peithon | Media |
| Peucestas | Persia |
Notably absent from this list is Perdiccas, who had been assassinated by his own troops during an invasion of Egypt earlier that year. His death marked the first, but certainly not the last, of Alexander‘s bodyguards to fall victim to the vicious power struggle that had engulfed the empire.
The Wars of the Successors
The fragile peace established at Triparadisus soon collapsed as the bodyguards resumed their scheming and jockeying for power. Over the next two decades, they would fight a series of wars against each other that would reshape the political landscape of the Hellenistic world.
One of the most significant battles of this period was the Battle of Gabiene in 316 BC, which pitted Antigonus, the satrap of Phrygia, against Eumenes, a loyal supporter of the Argead dynasty. Eumenes had been appointed by Perdiccas to govern Cappadocia and had rallied the remnants of the royal army to his cause. The two armies met on the plains of Gabiene in modern-day Iran, with Antigonus commanding a force of 28,000 infantry and 10,600 cavalry against Eumenes‘ 35,000 infantry and 6,100 cavalry (Diod. 19.40.1).
The battle was fierce and closely fought, but in the end, Antigonus emerged victorious. Eumenes was captured and executed, effectively ending any hope of preserving a unified Macedonian empire. The wars continued, however, as the remaining bodyguards vied for supremacy.
Another major conflict was the Battle of Gaza in 312 BC, which saw Ptolemy and Seleucus, the satrap of Babylonia, join forces against Antigonus‘ son Demetrius. The two sides clashed outside the city of Gaza in southern Palestine, with Ptolemy and Seleucus commanding an army of 18,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry against Demetrius‘ 11,000 infantry and 2,900 cavalry (Diod. 19.80.4). Despite being outnumbered, Demetrius fought bravely and managed to retreat with most of his forces intact.
The wars reached their climax at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, which pitted Antigonus and Demetrius against a coalition of Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Cassander, the son of Antipater. The two armies met on the plains of Ipsus in central Anatolia, with Antigonus commanding a force of 70,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry against the coalition‘s 64,000 infantry and 10,500 cavalry (Plut. Demetr. 28.2).
The battle was a decisive victory for the coalition, with Antigonus being killed in the fighting and Demetrius fleeing the field. The result was a final partition of Alexander‘s empire into three main successor states: the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in Asia, and the Antigonid Dynasty in Macedon.
The Fates of the Bodyguards
The Wars of the Successors took a heavy toll on Alexander‘s former bodyguards, with most of them meeting violent ends. Perdiccas, as mentioned earlier, was assassinated by his own troops in 321 BC while attempting to invade Egypt. Peithon, known for his cunning and ruthless ambition, was executed on the orders of Antigonus in 316 BC after being accused of plotting against him.
Leonnatus, who had been granted the strategic satrapy of Hellespontine Phrygia, died in battle against Greek rebels in 322 BC. Aristonous, meanwhile, remained fiercely loyal to Alexander‘s mother Olympias and died defending her during a civil war in Macedonia in 316 BC.
Peucestas, who had been rewarded with the satrapy of Persia for saving Alexander‘s life in India, initially thrived in his new role. He adopted Persian dress and customs and became immensely popular with the local nobility. However, he was later stripped of his power by Antigonus and faded into obscurity.
The two bodyguards who fared the best in the long run were Ptolemy and Lysimachus. Ptolemy, who had seized control of Egypt and Libya, used his wealth and strategic location to build a powerful dynasty that would rule Egypt for nearly three centuries. He also legitimized his rule by acquiring Alexander‘s embalmed corpse and interring it in a magnificent tomb in Alexandria.
Lysimachus, meanwhile, spent nearly two decades consolidating his control over Thrace and the surrounding regions. He bided his time and avoided direct confrontation with the other bodyguards until the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, when he joined forces with Seleucus and Cassander to defeat Antigonus. The victory left Lysimachus as the dominant power in the western half of the empire, a position he would maintain until his death in battle against Seleucus in 281 BC at the age of 80.
Conclusion
The story of Alexander the Great‘s seven bodyguards is one of tragedy, ambition, and the failure of even the strongest personal bonds in the face of political necessity. These men, who had fought alongside each other for years and forged an empire with their blood and sweat, ultimately turned against one another in a vicious power struggle that would consume the Hellenistic world for nearly half a century.
Their inability to maintain a united front after Alexander‘s death was a testament to the king‘s unique ability to inspire loyalty and keep even the most ambitious of men in check. Without his guiding hand, the empire he had built quickly crumbled into a patchwork of warring successor states.
In the end, perhaps the greatest legacy of Alexander‘s bodyguards was the role they played in shaping the political and cultural landscape of the ancient world for generations to come. The Hellenistic kingdoms they founded would endure for centuries, spreading Greek culture and learning throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. Their struggles, both on and off the battlefield, would echo through history as a cautionary tale about the perils of unchecked ambition and the difficulties of succession in even the most powerful of empires.
As the historian Diodorus Siculus wrote, "the Macedonians who had served under Alexander, after his death became involved in great conflicts and continuous wars. They drenched virtually the whole civilized world in blood, and they made war on each other although they were kinsmen and brothers, in some cases even those who were united by ties of marriage" (Diod. 18.1.4). It was a brutal and tragic end to one of the greatest military adventures in history, and a reminder of the fragility of even the mightiest of empires.
