Demetrius I (king of Macedon)

Demetrius I (Demetrius Poliorcetes) (dĬmē´trēəs pŏl´ēôrsē´tēz), c.337–283 BC, king of Macedon. The son of Antigonus I, he proved himself a very able commander in his father's wars, particularly against Ptolemy I. Though Ptolemy defeated him at Gaza in 312 BC, Demetrius was able to expel Cassander from Athens; he then defeated Ptolemy off Salamis and took Cyprus. Although he had huge armaments, including new weapons of assault, he failed (305 BC) to take Rhodes by sea. When Cassander, Seleucus I, and Lysimachus, fearing the power of Antigonus, allied themselves against him, Antigonus and Demetrius were badly defeated in the battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, and Antigonus was killed. Demetrius later became reconciled with Seleucus I and regained Athens for himself in 295 BC In order to obtain the throne of Macedon he murdered his competitors, including the sons of Cassander, and succeeded (294 BC) to the throne. He had his father's ambition to conquer all Asia, but his enemies united against him, and when Lysimachus and Pyrrhus invaded Macedonia he was forced (285 BC) to take refuge with Seleucus, who held him until he died. His son, Antigonus II, made good his claim to the throne of Macedon.

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Publication information: Article title: Demetrius I (king of Macedon). Encyclopedia title: The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. © 2012 The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. Used with the permission of Columbia University Press. All Rights Reserved. Publisher: The Columbia University Press. Place of publication: Not available. Publication year: 2013.

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