Neoptolemus II of Epirus: A Molossian King of the Aiakid Dynasty

Introduction

Neoptolemus II of Epirus was a Molossian king of the Aiakid dynasty who ruled Epirus from 302 until his death in 297 BC. He was the son of Alexander I of Epirus and Cleopatra of Macedon, and thus a maternal grandson of Philip II and Olympias; his maternal uncles included Alexander the Great and Philip III.

He returned to the throne in 302 BC after the overthrow of his cousin Pyrrhus; sources attribute Pyrrhus’s removal variously to Macedonian intervention under Cassander and to internal Molossian conspirators. As monarch Neoptolemus governed in a manner that alienated much of the populace, a reputation described in the sources as tyrannical and harsh. When Pyrrhus returned in 297 BC with Ptolemaic support, the two agreed to share power, but Neoptolemus then plotted to kill his rival during public festivities. The conspiracy was betrayed, and Pyrrhus had Neoptolemus murdered at a banquet; his death ended his rule and allowed Pyrrhus to regain sole control of Epirus.

Neoptolemus’s brief reign is recorded chiefly for the factional struggles that brought him to power, his polarizing conduct as king, the failed assassination plot against Pyrrhus, and his violent removal in 297 BC; these events left his rule remembered in the sources for instability and intra-dynastic conflict.