Philotas
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Philotas (in Greek, Φιλώτας, d. October 330 BC) was the eldest son of Parmenion, Alexander's most experienced and talented general. When Alexander became king of Macedonia (336 BC) with Parmenion's support (Parmenion had executed Attalus, a rival claimant to the throne), Parmenion and his relations were rewarded with offices and commissions. Philotas was promoted, from a commander of a cavalry squadron to commander of the Companions, the corps of Macedonian cavalry that also provided bodyguards and attendants to the King. (In battle, Alexander rode with and led this cavalry corps; they were, literally, his "companions," therefore the name.) Philotas, though a highly capable officer, was widely perceived as arrogant and pompous; he was never able to master the role of courtier, was often a center of conflict, and often earned the King's disfavor.
In the latter part of 330 BC, Philotas was accused of conspiring against Alexander. He had been subject to similar reports previously, though the case against him in 330 was more serious; his accusers included the commander Coenus, who was married to Philotas' sister. Philotas was tried and convicted, tortured to reveal the extent of the conspiracy, then stoned or speared to death with other convicted plotters. His death marks one of the darker moments in the King's history; the execution of Philotas necessitated the removal of Parmenion, who, while innocent of any plotting, was judged unreliable once his son and heir had been put to death. Alexander sent assassins to murder Parmenion before the news of his son's execution reached him.
[edit] In Literature
- The story of Philotas was dramatized in 1604 by the English poet and playwright Samuel Daniel. A peformance of the eponymously-named play earned Daniel the unwelcome scrutiny of the Privy Council, because of a perceived resemblance between the play's protagonist and Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, executed for rebellion and treason in 1601.
- The German dramatist and critic Gotthold Ephraim Lessing also adapted the story; his play Philotas dates to 1759.
