Name Antiochus Cyzicenus Died 96 BC | Children Antiochus X Eusebes | |
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Spouse Cleopatra IV of Egypt, Cleopatra Selene I Parents Antiochus VII Sidetes, Cleopatra Thea Similar People Cleopatra Thea, Antiochus XIII Asiaticus, Cleopatra Selene I, Cleopatra III of Egypt, Ptolemy VIII Physcon | ||
Grandchildren Antiochus XIII Asiaticus | ||
Antiochus IX Eusebes ("pious") Cyzicenus ("from Cyzicus"), ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom, was the son of Antiochus VII Sidetes and Cleopatra Thea.
Contents
Biography
The son of Antiochus VII Sidetes and Cleopatra Thea, upon the death of his father in Parthia and his uncle Demetrius II Nicator's return to power (129 BC), his mother sent him to Cyzicus on the Bosporus, thus giving him his nickname.
After the death of his mother Cleopatra Thea ca. 118 BCE, Antiochus IX Cyzicenus challenged his half-brother, Antiochus VIII Grypus, for power of Syria.
He returned to Syria in 116 BC to claim the Seleucid throne from half-brother/cousin Antiochus VIII Grypus, with whom he eventually divided Syria, with the right to rule half of the Seleucid Kingdom granted to him in 116 BCE.
Antiochus IX Cyzicenus was first married to Cleopatra IV, who was then killed in 112 BC by her sister and rival Syrian Queen Tryphaena, wife of King Grypus. After the death of Grypus and capturing the capital, Antiochus IX Cyzicenus married Cleopatra Selene I, the sister of his former wife Cleopatra IV.
He was killed in battle by the son of Grypus, Seleucus VI Epiphanes in 96 BC.
Legacy
Beginning his reign in 95 BC, the son of Antiochus IX Antiochus X Eusebes' first achievement was to defeat his double half-cousin/second cousin Seleucus VI Epiphanes, thus avenging the recent death of his father Antiochus IX Cyzicenus. The epithets he took tell much of his story: Eusebes (being a title of his father) and also Philopator (father-loving) both honoured his father. After that, he ruled Antioch and its surroundings, fighting endlessly against the four brothers of Seleucus VI, the Nabataeans and the Parthian Empire.