The Murder Of Philip

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The Murder Of Philip
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THE EVENTS OF THE MURDER

• Philip was attending the wedding of his daughter
  
• Cleopatra (daughter of Olympias) to Alexander
  King of Epirus
• the wedding took place in the old Macedonian
  capital of Aegae.
• Philip entered the theatre escorted by his son
  Alexander (the Great) and his future son-in-law
  Alexander (of Epirus).
• his bodyguards stood off at a distance.
• a man, Pausanias rushed up to Philip and
  stabbed him in the
  chest.
• Pausanias ran for the gates where a horse
  was waiting
  but he tripped on a root.
• as he tried to stand up he was speared by
  a group
  of pursuing bodyguards.

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Who was pausanias ?

• Pausanias of Orestis was
• A Macedonian noble.
• A bodyguard of King Philip.
• Philips ex-lover.

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What was pausanias motive?

• Pausanias (of Orestis) was
  Philips lover.
• A new Pausanias began attracting the Kings
  attention.
• So, Pausanias (A) insulted
  Pausanias (B).

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• Upset, Pausanias (B) committed suicide by placing
  himself in front of the King during a battle.
• Attalus knew the real reason
  for his suicide.
• Attalus invited Pausanias to
  dinner, got him drunk, then
  had him assaulted.

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• Pausanias went to Philip demanding justice.
• Angry though Philip was he did nothing. Attalus
  was a relation and was important.
• Philip offered Pausanias
  gifts and a promotion
  but it didnt work.

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So

• Pausanias decided to kill Philip when he asked a
  philosopher Hermocrates how to become famous. He
  replied
• By killing someone who
  
  
• had done famous deeds

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ANY OTHER SUSPECTS?

• ANTIPATER
• disaffected Macedonian noble.
• PERSIAN KING
• knew Philip was planning an invasion.
• GREEKS OUTSIDE MACEDONIA
• who hoped to get out from under Macedonian rule.
• OLYMPIAS
• Supplanted by Cleopatra as Philips first wife.
• ALEXANDER
• Alientate by his father and feared a new son of
  Philip.

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ALEXANDER IS GUILTY.

• he had quarrelled with Philip.
• he could lose the throne to Cleopatras heir.
• the bodyguards were all friends of Alexander.
• the bodyguards made no attempt to take Pausanias
  alive.
• the army were on hand to provide a quick
  election.
• his supporters were very prompt in putting
  Alexander forward.

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ALEXANDER IS NOT GUILTY.

• he went out of his way to find the guilty.
• Antipater (Philips chief general and friend)
  immediately supported Alexander.
• it was unlikely that he would have selected such
  a public moment (his sisters wedding) for murder.
• because of his deeply religious upbringing
  patricide would have been seen as a dreadful
  crime.
• a more likely suspect would have been Darius (the
  King of Persia) who knew of the planned invasion.

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• You be the judge.