Irlandos at 14:33, January 31, 2008

2008-01-31T14:33:38Z

Irlandos: New page: '''Eumenes of Cardia''' (Greek: Ευμένης, ca. 362 BC—316 BC) was a Greek general and scholar. He participated in the wars of the Diadochi ...

2008-01-31T14:32:59Z

New page: '''Eumenes of Cardia''' (Greek: Ευμένης, ca. 362 BC—316 BC) was a Greek general and scholar. He participated in the wars of the Diadochi ...

New page

'''Eumenes of Cardia''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Ευμένης, ca. [[362 BC]]—[[316 BC]]) was a [[Greeks|Greek]] general and scholar. He participated in the wars of the [[Diadochi]] as a supporter of the [[Macedon]]ian [[Argead dynasty|Argead]] royal house.

He was a native of [[Cardia (Thrace)|Cardia]] in the Thracian Chersonese. At a very early age he was employed as private secretary by [[Philip II of Macedon]], and, after the death of Philip II, by [[Alexander the Great]], whom he accompanied into Asia. After Alexander's death
([[323 BC]]), Eumenes took command of a large body of Macedonian and Greek soldiers fighting in support of Alexander's son, [[Alexander IV of Macedon|Alexander IV]]. In the ensuing division of the empire, Cappadocia and Paphlagonia were assigned to Eumenes; but as they were not yet subdued, [[Leonnatus]] and [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]] were charged by [[Perdiccas]] with securing them for him. Antigonus, however, ignored the order, and Leonnatus vainly attempted to induce Eumenes to accompany him to Europe and share in his far-reaching designs.

Eumenes joined Perdiccas, who installed him in Cappadocia. When [[Craterus]] and [[Antipater]], having subdued Greece in the [[Lamian War]], determined to pass into Asia and overthrow the power of Perdiccas, their first blow was aimed at Cappadocia. Craterus and [[Neoptolemus (general)|Neoptolemus]], satrap of Armenia, were completely defeated by Eumenes in a battle somewhere near the [[Hellespont]] in [[321 BC]]. Neoptolemus was killed, and Craterus died of his wounds.

After the murder of Perdiccas in Egypt by his own soldiers ([[320 BC]]), the Macedonian generals condemned Eumenes to death, assigning Antipater and Antigonus as his executioners. Eumenes, betrayed to them by one of his own officers, fled to Nora, a strong fortress on the border between Cappadocia and [[Lycaonia]], where he held out for more than a year, until the death of Antipater threw his opponents into disarray. Antipater had left the [[Regent|regency]] to his friend [[Polyperchon]] instead of his son [[Cassander]]. Cassander therefore allied himself with Antigonus and [[Ptolemy I Soter|Ptolemy]], while Eumenes allied himself with Polyperchon. He was therefore able to escape Nora, and his forces were soon threatening Syria and Phoenicia.

In [[318 BC]] Antigonus marched against him, and Eumenes withdrew east to join the satraps of the provinces beyond the Tigris River. After two indecisive battles at [[battle of Paraitacene|Paraitacene]] ([[317 BC]]) and [[battle of Gabiene|Gabiene]] ([[316 BC]]), Eumenes was betrayed to Antigonus by his own soldiers.

According to [[Plutarch]] and [[Diodorus]], Eumenes had won the battle but lost control of his army's baggage camp. This baggage was all the loot which the Macedonian veterans (called the ''Argyraspids,'' or Silver Shields) had accumulated over 30 years of successful warfare. It contained not only gold and gems but the Greeks' women and children. Antigonus sent a message to the Silver Shields saying he would give back all their baggage if they gave him Eumenes. The Silver Shields handed over Eumenes. Antigonus, after some consideration, had his enemy executed.

The Macedonians in his army were openly skeptical of Eumenes. Despite his undeniable skills as a general, he never commanded their full allegiance and died as a result. He was an able soldier who did his utmost to maintain the unity of Alexander's empire in Asia; but his efforts were frustrated by the generals and satraps, who hated and despised him as a non-Macedonian general and mere secretary. Eumenes is a tragic figure, a man who seemingly tried to do the right thing but was overcome by a more ruthless enemy and the treachery of his own soldiers.

==See also==
*Historie, a manga based on Eumenes' life.

==References==
*[[Plutarch]] - the main surviving biography of Eumenes is by Plutarch. Plutarch's parallel Roman life was the life of [[Sertorius]].
*[[Diodorus]] - Eumenes is a significant figure in books 16-18 of Diodorus's history

==External links==
*[http://40.1911encyclopedia.org/E/EU/EUMENES_OF_CARDIA.htm 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica on Eumenes of Cardia]
*[http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/eumenes.html The Life of Eumenes by Plutarch]
*[http://classics.mit.edu/Diodorus/diod.9.html The Historical Library by Diodorus]

{{Credit wikipedia}}

[[Category:362 BC births]]
[[Category:316 BC deaths]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek generals]]
[[Category:Alexander the Great]]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 Eumenes joined Perdiccas, who installed him in Cappadocia.  When [[Craterus]] and [[Antipater]], having subdued Greece in the [[Lamian War]], determined to pass into Asia and overthrow the power of Perdiccas, their first blow was aimed at Cappadocia. Craterus and [[Neoptolemus (general)|Neoptolemus]], satrap of Armenia, were completely defeated by Eumenes in a battle somewhere near the [[Hellespont]] in [[321 BC]]. Neoptolemus was killed, and Craterus died of his wounds.
-After the murder of Perdiccas in Egypt by his own soldiers ([[320 BC]]), the Macedonian generals condemned Eumenes to death, assigning Antipater and Antigonus as his executioners. Eumenes, betrayed to them by one of his own officers, fled to Nora, a strong fortress on the border between Cappadocia and [[Lycaonia]], where he held out for more than a year, until the death of Antipater threw his opponents into disarray.  Antipater had left the [[Regent|regency]] to his friend [[Polyperchon]] instead of his son [[Cassander]].  Cassander therefore allied himself with Antigonus and [[Ptolemy I Soter|Ptolemy]], while Eumenes allied himself with Polyperchon.  He was therefore able to escape Nora, and his forces were soon threatening Syria and Phoenicia.
+After the murder of Perdiccas in Egypt by his own soldiers ([[320 BC]]), the Macedonian generals condemned Eumenes to death, assigning Antipater and Antigonus as his executioners. Eumenes, betrayed to them by one of his own officers, fled to Nora, a strong fortress on the border between Cappadocia and Lycaonia, where he held out for more than a year, until the death of Antipater threw his opponents into disarray.  Antipater had left the regency to his friend [[Polyperchon]] instead of his son [[Cassander]].  Cassander therefore allied himself with Antigonus and [[Ptolemy I Soter|Ptolemy]], while Eumenes allied himself with Polyperchon.  He was therefore able to escape Nora, and his forces were soon threatening Syria and Phoenicia.
 In [[318 BC]] Antigonus marched against him, and Eumenes withdrew east to join the satraps of the provinces beyond the Tigris River. After two indecisive battles at [[battle of Paraitacene|Paraitacene]] ([[317 BC]]) and [[battle of Gabiene|Gabiene]] ([[316 BC]]), Eumenes was betrayed to Antigonus by his own soldiers.

Eumenes - Revision history

Irlandos at 14:33, January 31, 2008

Irlandos: New page: '''Eumenes of Cardia''' (Greek: Ευμένης, ca. 362 BC—316 BC) was a Greek general and scholar. He participated in the wars of the Diadochi ...