Cratesipolis ( meaning "conqueror of the city") was the ruler of

Sicyon Sicyon (; ; ''gen''.: Σικυῶνος) or Sikyōn was an ancient Greek city state situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day regional unit of Corinthia. The ruins lie just west of th ...

and

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

in 314-308 BC. She was the wife of

Alexander (son of Polyperchon) Alexander (; killed 314 BC) was a son of Polyperchon, the regent of Macedonia, and an important general in the diadochi, Wars of the Diadochi. Alexander in Athens Antipater, on his death in 319 BC, had left the regency to Polyperchon, to the excl ...

and was highly distinguished for her beauty, talents, and energy. Her name may have been a nickname earned through her conquest of Sicyon. In 314 BC when her husband was assassinated at

, she assumed command of his forces, with whom her kindness had made her extremely popular. When the Sicyonians, hoping for an easy conquest over a woman, attacked the garrison to attempt to establishing an independent government, she quelled the sedition and crucified thirty of the rebels. Her victory held the town firmly in subjection under

Cassander Cassander (; ; 355 BC – 297 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia from 305 BC until 297 BC, and '' de facto'' ruler of southern Greece from 317 BC until his death. A son of Antipater and a contemporary of Alexander the ...

. However in 308 BC she was induced by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

, the ruler of

Ptolemaic Egypt Ptolemaic is the adjective formed from the name Ptolemy, and may refer to: Pertaining to the Ptolemaic dynasty * Ptolemaic dynasty, the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter *Ptolemaic Kingdom Pertaining ...

, to surrender

and

. When Ptolemy took control of Corinth and Sicyon, Cassander's only remaining city in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

was

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Cratesipolis was at Corinth at the time and she knew that her troops would never consent to the surrender, so she sent some of Ptolemy's forces into the town instead, pretending that they were a reinforcement that she ordered from Sicyon. She then withdrew with her troops to

Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek language, Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaḯa'', ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwest ...

, where she was living. In 307 BC she had met with

Demetrius Poliorcetes Demetrius I Poliorcetes (; , , ; ) was a Macedonian Greek nobleman and military leader who became king of Asia between 306 and 301 BC, and king of Macedon between 294 and 288 BC. A member of the Antigonid dynasty, he was the son of its founder, ...

with whom she had a mutual admiration. Prior to this casual meeting, Demetrius pitched a tent near the city of Patras so that Cratesipolis could arrive unseen. Anti-Antigonid forces, however, were aware of Demetrius’ presence in the area and attacked, forcing Demetrius to flee the area. This the last mention of Cratesipolis in any source.

References

* Smith, William (editor); ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

'', ,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, (1867)

Notes

---- {{SmithDGRBM Women in Hellenistic warfare 4th-century BC queens regnant Ancient Greek female tyrants