Argaeus II ( grc, Ἀργαῖος, Argaios) was a

pretender A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term is often used to suggest that a claim is not legitimate.Curley Jr., Walter J. P. ''Monarchs-in-Waiting'' ...

to the Macedonian crown. He may have been a Lynkestian ruler.

War with Amyntas III

Argaeus II was a son of Archelaus I (ruled 413–399 BC). With the assistance of the

Illyrians The Illyrians ( grc, Ἰλλυριοί, ''Illyrioi''; la, Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, a ...

, Argaeus II expelled King

Amyntas III Amyntas III (Greek: Αμύντας Γ΄ της Μακεδονίας) (420 – 370 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia in 393 BC and again from 392 to 370 BC. He was the son of Arrhidaeus and grandson of Amyntas, one of the sons ...

from his dominions in 393 BCE and kept possession of the throne for about a year. With the aid of the

Thessalia Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thess ...

ns, Amyntas III later succeeded in expelling Argaeus II and recovering a part of his kingdom in 392 BCE.

Again pretender?

35 years later, in 359, another Argaeus or Argeus appeared as a pretender to the throne; he may have been the same person as Argaeus II of Macedon. This Argaeus had persuaded the

Athenians Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

to support his claim to the Macedonian throne, but Philip II, who had just succeeded to the regency of the kingdom, persuaded the Athenians to remain inactive. With a force of mercenaries, some Macedonian exiles and a number of Athenian troops (who were permitted to join the Macedonians by their general, Manlias), Argaeus made an attempt to take Aegae, but was repulsed. On his retreat to Methone, he was intercepted by Philip and defeated. Argaeus was either killed in the battle or executed afterward.Iain Spence, ''Historical dictionary of ancient Greek warfare'', 2002, p. 62.

References

Bibliography

* 4th-century BC Macedonian monarchs 4th-century BC rulers People who died under the reign of Philip II of Macedon Pretenders of Macedonia (ancient kingdom) Executed royalty of Macedonia (ancient kingdom) Old Macedonian kingdom {{AncientGreece-bio-stub