Cratesiclea

Cratesiclea (died 219 BC), was a Spartan queen, married to king Leonidas II of Sparta, and mother of Cleomenes III and Chilonis.^[1]^[2]

During the reign of her spouse, her foreign origin was used by the opposition of her husband, as Spartan law declared that the queens of Sparta must be Spartan. After the death of her husband, she married the Spartan Megistonoo.^[3]^[4] She was known for her active support of her son Cleomenes III.^[5]

During the Cleomenide War, she left Sparta for Alexandria in Egypt in custody of her two grandsons, to act as a hostage of her son's ally Ptolemy III of Egypt.^[6] In 222, Cleomenes III joined his mother and sons in Egypt after his deposition. When he failed to secure support with Ptolemy IV of Egypt to retake his throne, he attempted to rebel the population of Alexandria against Ptolemy IV. In retaliation, Ptolemaios IV had both him, his followers as well as his mother and two young sons executed.^[7]

Issue

In poetry

The Greek poet Constantine Cavafy dedicated two poems to Cratesyclea: "In Sparta" ^[8] and "Come, O King of the Lacedaimonians"^[9].

References

^ Plutarco, Vite Parallele: Agide, Cleomene.
^ Cross, Geoffrey Neale (August 2014). Epirus. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-45867-3.
^ Orsi, Domenica Paola (1991). L'alleanza acheo-macedone: studio su Polibio (in Italian). Edipuglia srl. ISBN 978-88-7228-076-8.
^ Fantuzzi, Martine Chantal (2020-10-26). Gli ultimi re di Sparta (in Italian). Soldiershop Publishing. ISBN 978-88-9327-675-7.
^ Herrad, Imogen (2022), Gilhaus, Lennart; Dorn, Anja; Herrad, Imogen; Meurer, Michael (eds.), "When Is Revolt Not Revolting? Rule–Breaking and Revolt in Sparta in Plutarch's Lives", Transgression and Deviance in the Ancient World, Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler, pp. 67–83, doi:10.1007/978-3-476-05873-7_5, ISBN 978-3-476-05873-7, retrieved 2024-02-29
^ McKay, John P.; Hill, Bennett D.; Buckler, John (1987). A History of Western Society: From antiquity to the Reformation. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-42411-7.
^ Gilhaus, Lennart; Dorn, Anja; Herrad, Imogen; Meurer, Michael (2022-09-26). Transgression and Deviance in the Ancient World. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-476-05873-7.
^ https://www.onassis.org/initiatives/cavafy-archive/the-canon/in-sparta
^ https://www.onassis.org/initiatives/cavafy-archive/the-canon/come-o-king-of-the-lacedaimonians

[1] Plutarco, Vite Parallele: Agide, Cleomene.

[2] Cross, Geoffrey Neale (August 2014). Epirus. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-45867-3.

[3] Orsi, Domenica Paola (1991). L'alleanza acheo-macedone: studio su Polibio (in Italian). Edipuglia srl. ISBN 978-88-7228-076-8.

[4] Fantuzzi, Martine Chantal (2020-10-26). Gli ultimi re di Sparta (in Italian). Soldiershop Publishing. ISBN 978-88-9327-675-7.

[5] Herrad, Imogen (2022), Gilhaus, Lennart; Dorn, Anja; Herrad, Imogen; Meurer, Michael (eds.), "When Is Revolt Not Revolting? Rule–Breaking and Revolt in Sparta in Plutarch's Lives", Transgression and Deviance in the Ancient World, Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler, pp. 67–83, doi:10.1007/978-3-476-05873-7_5, ISBN 978-3-476-05873-7, retrieved 2024-02-29

[6] McKay, John P.; Hill, Bennett D.; Buckler, John (1987). A History of Western Society: From antiquity to the Reformation. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-42411-7.

[7] Gilhaus, Lennart; Dorn, Anja; Herrad, Imogen; Meurer, Michael (2022-09-26). Transgression and Deviance in the Ancient World. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-476-05873-7.

[8] ttps://www.onassis.org/initiatives/cavafy-archive/the-canon/in-sparta

[9] ttps://www.onassis.org/initiatives/cavafy-archive/the-canon/come-o-king-of-the-lacedaimonians

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