Seleucid Dynasty > Seleucus II Callinicus
Seleucus II Callinicus
Background
Selecus II Callinicus Pogon, known in Greek as Σέλευκος Β΄ ὁ Καλλίνικος ὁ Πώγων was a ruler of the Seleucid Empire between 246 BC and 225 BC following the death of his father Antiochus. His succession was quite bloody as he was named king of the Seleucids while his mother Laodice in Ephesos used her partisans at Antioch murdered Berenice and her son Antiochus. This would start off the Third Syrian War which saw the invasion of the Seleucid Empire by Ptolemy III Euergetes who the brother of Berenice.
Seleucus would manage to maintain his empire within the interior of Asia Minor and following the retreat of Ptolemy III back to the Ptolemaic Kingdom he would recover northern Coele-Syria.
Seleucus II Callinicus PogonKing of the Hellenistic Seleucid EmpireSeleucus II Callinicus.jpgReign246 to 225 BCSuccessorSeleucus III CeraunusWifeLaodice IIIssueFive children with Laodice II: Antiochis, Seleucus III Ceraunus and Antiochus III the GreatFatherAntiochusMotherLaodiceSeleucus II Callinicus Pogon (Greek: Σέλευκος Β΄ ὁ Καλλίνικος ὁ Πώγων; the first epithet means "gloriously triumphant"; the second, which is a nickname, means "the Beard"), was a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, who reigned from 246 to 225 BC.BiographyAfter the death of his father, Antiochus, he was proclaimed king by his mother, Laodice in Ephesos, while her partisans at Antioch murdered Berenice and her son, another Antiochus.This dynastic feud began the Third Syrian War. Ptolemy III, who was Berenice's brother and the ruler of Egypt, invaded the Seleucid Empire and marched victoriously to the Tigris or beyond. He received the submission of the Seleucid Empire's eastern provinces, while Egyptian fleets swept the coast of Asia Minor.Seleucus managed to maintain himself in the interior of Asia Minor. When Ptolemy returned to Egypt, Seleucus recovered Northern Syria and the nearer provinces of Iran. However, Antiochus Hierax, a younger brother of Seleucus, was set up as a rival in Asia Minor against Seleucus by a party to which Laodice herself adhered.Coin of Seleucus II. Reverse shows Apollo leaning on a tripod. The Greek inscription reads ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ (of King Seleucus).At the Battle of Ancyra (about 235 BC) Seleucus sustained a crushing defeat and left the country beyond the Taurus to his brother and the other powers of the peninsula. Seleucus then undertook an anabasis to regain Parthia, the results of which came to nothing. According to some sources, he was even taken prisoner for several years by the Parthian king. Other sources mention that he established a peace with Arsaces I, who recognized his sovereignty.In Asia Minor, Pergamon now rose to greatness under Attalus I. Antiochus Hierax, after a failed attempt to seize his brother's dominions when his own were vanishing, perished as a fugitive in Thrace in 228 or 227 BC.About a year later, Seleucus was killed by a fall from his horse. Seleucus II married his cousin Laodice II, by whom he had five children and among them were: Antiochis, Seleucus III Ceraunus and Antiochus III the Great. He was succeeded by his elder son, Seleucus III Ceraunus, and later by his younger son Antiochus III the Great.ReferencesJump up ^ καλλίνικος, πώγων. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to Seleucus II Callinicus.Seleucus II Callinicus entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. SmithPublic Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "article name needed". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.Seleucus II CallinicusSeleucid dynastyBorn: ? Died: 225 BCPreceded byAntiochus II TheosSeleucid ruler246–225 BCSucceeded bySeleucus III Ceraunus
