Antiochus IV Epiphanes | Seleucid Empire | Animated Documentary

The sudden, violent death of Seleucus IV Philopator in 175 BC created a power vacuum, a moment of acute vulnerability for the Seleucid Empire. The legitimate heir, Seleucus's son Demetrius, was still a young man and, crucially, remained a hostage in Rome. This absence provided a golden opportunity for Antiochus, the younger brother of the deceased king, who had only recently returned from his own period of Roman captivity. Born around 215 BC, and possibly originally named Mithridates, he seized the moment with audacious speed.
With the help of King Eumenes II of Pergamon, a powerful Roman ally, Antiochus travelled swiftly from Athens, where he had been residing, through Asia Minor and reached Syria by November 175 BC. His arrival was a calculated move, designed to pre-empt any other claimants or regents. He successfully rallied enough of the Greek ruling class in Antioch to support his claim, effectively bypassing Demetrius, the rightful heir, and declaring himself king. To legitimise his usurpation, he proclaimed himself co-regent with another, even younger, son of Seleucus IV, an infant also named Antiochus. This infant co-regent would later die in 170 BC, possibly murdered by Antiochus IV, further cementing his sole grip on power.
Antiochus IV's accession was controversial from the outset, viewed by some as a blatant usurpation. This act set a destabilising trend within the Seleucid Empire that would plague subsequent generations, as an increasing number of claimants, inspired by his example, would attempt to seize the throne. Indeed, after his own death, the ensuing power struggles between competing lines of the ruling dynasty would heavily contribute to the eventual collapse of the empire. From the very beginning, Antiochus IV was a figure who defied convention, and his often eccentric behaviour and capricious actions quickly earned him a telling nickname from his contemporaries: "Epimanes," meaning "The Mad," a sardonic play on his chosen title, "Epiphanes," or "God Manifest." This duality, between self-proclaimed divine manifestation and perceived madness, would define his remarkable and tumultuous reign.


SOURCES:
https://www.worldhistory.org/
https://www.britannica.com/
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MUSIC : by Alexander Nakarada
Music: by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License

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