Antipater Etesias

Who is Antipater Etesias?

Antipater Etesias was the son of Cassander's brother Phillip. He became king after the death of Ptolemy Keraunos and the ousting of Meleager. His reign lasted only a period of 45 days. The Macedonians gave Antipater the name Etesias, because the etesian winds blew during the short time that he was king. He failed as the leader of the army and was deposed by Sosthenes, possibly an officer in the army of Lysimachus in the 280's or 279 BC. Despite this he still had a following in some parts of Macedon and was defeated by Antigonus II Gonatas. After this he fled to Egypt where he is mentioned 20 years later, encouraged by the king Ptolemy III Euergetes as a potential rival claimant to the Macedonian throne.