Nicanor (; ''Nīkā́nōr''; executed 317 BC) was a

Macedon Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...

ian officer who served the Diadochus

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 ...

and the son in law of

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

. He campaigned on Cassander's behalf in

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

and

Hellespont The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey t ...

during the early

Wars of the Diadochi The Wars of the Diadochi (, Romanization of Greek, romanized: ', ''War of the Crown Princes'') or Wars of Alexander's Successors were a series of conflicts fought between the generals of Alexander the Great, known as the Diadochi, over who would ...

, but was executed by Cassander after the latter suspected him of plotting a coup.

Career

According to A.B. Bosworth (Professor of Classics and Ancient History,

The University of Western Australia University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UWA was established in 1911 by ...

), Nicanor was a son of

Balacrus Balakros (), also Balacrus, the son of Nicanor of Macedon, Nicanor, one of Alexander the Great's "Somatophylakes" (bodyguards), was appointed satrap of Cilicia after the Battle of Issus, 333 BC. He succeeded to the last Achaemenid Empire, Achaem ...

and Phila, making him both the son in law and adopted son of

. During the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

of 324 BC, Nicanor acted as the representative of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

reading a proclamation that ordered Greek city states to welcome back people they had sent into exile. During the

, Nicanor served as an officer of

who dispatched him immediately on the death of

Antipater Antipater (; ; 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general, regent and statesman under the successive kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collapse of the Argead house, his son Cassander ...

in 319 BC to replace Menyllus as commander of the Macedonian garrison at Munychia in Attica. He arrived to

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 ...

shortly after the regent of the Macedon,

Polyperchon Polyperchon (sometimes written Polysperchon; ; b. between 390–380 BC – d. after 304 BC,Heckel, W., 'The Marshals of Alexander's Empire' (1992), p. 204 possibly into 3rd century BC),Billows, R., 'Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hel ...

, issued a decree blaming

for the problems faced by the Greek city states and ordering the return of exiles who opposed him. The decree spurred many Athenians to get rid of the Macedonian garrison in Munychia and Nicanor. When Nicanor took part in an assembly of the Athenians in

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...

, Athenian general Dercylus proposed arresting Nicanor but the latter's friend

Phocion Phocion (; ''Phokion''; c. 402 – c. 318 BC), nicknamed The Good (, was an Athens, Athenian wikt:statesman, statesman and strategos, and the subject of one of Plutarch's ''Parallel Lives''. Phocion was a successful politician of Athens. He beli ...

intervened on his behalf. When the Ecclesia ordered Phocion to dislodge Nicanor from Munychia he delayed taking any action. Nicanor used this connections to begin negotiations with the Athenians, who demanded the withdrawal of the Macedonian garrison from Munychia, in line with the decree that had been issued by Polyperchon. Nicanor deluded the Athenians with false hopes. Instead of surrendering Munychia, he took the opportunity to surprise the inhabitants of

, occupying it with a strong garrison. Nicanor declared his intention to hold both fortresses for Cassander. Alexander the Great's mother,

Olympias Olympias (; c. 375–316 BC) was a Ancient Greeks, Greek princess of the Molossians, the eldest daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the sister of Alexander I of Epirus, the fourth wife of Philip of Macedon, Philip II, the king of Macedonia ...

, at this time on friendly terms with the regent, commanding Nicanor to withdraw his troops, but with no success. Similarly,

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

, the son of Polyperchon, who arrived in Attica the following spring (318 BC), at the head of a considerable army, was ineffective in persuading Nicanor to withdraw from the fortresses. Polyperchon accused Phocion of being a traitor and he was sentenced to death along with his supporters in May 318 BC. An assault on Pireaus by Polyperchon was repelled. Shortly afterwards, Cassander arrived with a fleet of ships given to him by his ally

Antigonus Antigonus or Antigonos (), a Greek name meaning "comparable to his father" or "worthy of his father", may refer to: Rulers * Three Macedonian kings of the Antigonid dynasty that succeeded Alexander the Great: ** Antigonus I Monophthalmus (382� ...

, and Nicanor gave him possession of Piraeus and Munychia. Nicanor was quickly dispatched by Cassander with the fleet to the

, where he was joined by the forces of Antigonus, while Polyperchon was campaigning in the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

. In July 317 BC, Nicanor was defeated by Cleitus, Polyperchon's admiral, in a

naval battle Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. The armed forces branch designated for naval warfare is a navy. Naval operations can be broadly d ...

in the

Bosporus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

. However, during the night Antigonus crossed the straits into Europe and at dawn attacked and destroyed Cleitus' army while Nicanor surprised the enemy fleet and also gained a complete victory by destroying or capturing almost all of the enemy's fleet (see:

Battle of Byzantium The Battle of Byzantium (Byzantion) was a 317 BC engagement between the generals Antigonus Monopthalmus and Cleitus the White, during the Second War of the Diadochi. Fought over the course of two days, near Byzantium at the Hellespont, it resu ...

). Polyperchon suffered another devastating defeat at

Megalopolis A megalopolis () or a supercity, also called a megaregion, is a group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and so on. They are integrated enough ...

and his allies began defecting to Cassander. Cassander captured

Aegina Aegina (; ; ) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina (mythology), Aegina, the mother of the mythological hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and became its king. ...

, Salamina and the Panaktos fort, gradually encircling Athens. In the summer of 317 BC, the Athenians now under

Demetrius of Phalerum Demetrius of Phalerum (also Demetrius of Phaleron or Demetrius Phalereus; ; c. 350 – c. 280 BC) was an Athenian orator originally from Phalerum, an ancient port of Athens. A student of Theophrastus, and perhaps of Aristotle, he was one of the ...

allied themselves with Cassander.

Death

After these events, Nicanor's influence grew to the extent that he incurred Cassander's suspicion that he was aiming to take power for himself. As a result, Cassander decided to rid himself of Nicanor. Cassander succeeded by treachery in capturing Nicanor. Cassander then arranged to have Nicanor put to death, after undergoing a form of trial before the Macedonian Army.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicanor Hellenistic generals Antipatrid generals 4th-century BC Macedonians 317 BC deaths Ancient Macedonians in Athens People who died under the regency of Polyperchon Year of birth unknown