Olympias was born around 371 BC. C. in the Molossian kingdom of Epirus, on the borders of present-day Albania. He was about fourteen years old when he met King Philip of Macedon at a mystery cult festival in Samothrace. Philip is said to have immediately fallen in love with her, however this is probably too romantic a version of reality for her.
Philip had been a very astute and successful ruler who had united the various tribes of Macedonia into one recognizable kingdom. He had led his kingdom to victory against the other Greeks, especially Thebes, Sparta, and Athens. He had already started an effective empire that filled the void left after thirty years of Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens in the 5th century BC. After Sparta defeated Athens, both city-states seemed to have been depleted to the point that the Macedonians were able to move around Greece incorporating the city-states under Macedonian authority.
Philip’s political awareness led him to perform a series of political marriages. The Macedonian kings practiced polygamy, so Olympias was not Philip’s only wife, however she was his only queen. Philip was married seven times, the order of the marriages being as follows: Phila, Audata, Philinna, Olympias, Nikesipolis, Meda, and finally Cleopatra in 337 BC. It is notable that Olympias managed to become queen, as Philip had older marriages that it would be reasonable to suggest would have been more established. Olympias must have made some impression on Philip in order to attain the status of queen.
Olympias became pregnant with Alexander shortly after their marriage, and he was born in 356 BC. He had another child, Cleopatra later. She was an avid worshiper of the god Dionysus and ancient writers suggest that she had an interest in using serpents in the worship of her favorite god. The writer Plutarch says that Philip once saw her asleep with a snake in her bed and after this time he distanced himself from her wife. Plutarch says that Philip later took other wives which incited jealousy at Olympia. The final breaking point came when Attalus, one of Philip’s men, toasted Philip at his wedding party with Attalus’s niece Cleopatra, saying that everyone should pray that Cleopatra would produce a legitimate successor to the throne. Alexander showed his rage and threw a cup at Attalus. Philip sided with Attalus. Alexander and Olympias left Macedonia for Epirus.
Olympias did not help in such incidents and somehow added fuel to the fire. Her intense and dangerous character meant that, in a superstitious age, she could seem more in league with the gods than with mortals. She is said to have told Alexander that he was the son of Zeus, not Philip, and Alexander was inspired by the hero Achilles, who had a mother goddess.
Olympias understood how power worked during the 4th century BC. This was a time when men dominated politics and where women gained power through the men around them. Aspasia, the wife of Pericles, the 5th-century Athenian politician, had gained authority through her husband (and may have written some of his speeches), and centuries later the young Agrippina would try to gain power (disastrously for her) through her husband. through Nero, his son.
Olympias is said to have poisoned Arrhidaeus, the son of another wife. This son was older than Alexander and thus in line for the throne before Alexander. Arrhidaeus survived the poisoning, however, he suffered brain damage and was unable to succeed to power. Cleopatra, the younger wife, fulfilled Attalus’s wish to have a son and an heir for Philip and gave birth to a son. Plutarch says that shortly after Philip’s last son was born, Pausanias, a disgruntled Macedonian, murdered him. Plutarch suggests that Olympias used Pausanias to assassinate Philip in revenge for his marriage to Cleopatra. Most likely it was a joint venture between Olympias and Alexander to allow Alexander to seize power before his rival was old enough to fight in his own corner. As soon as Philip was deposed, Alexander became king of Macedonia at the age of twenty. Olympias had Cleopatra and her young son executed.
Alexander spent most of his reign on a campaign that extended his empire eastward into India. Olympias remained in contact with Alexander, however he had no political influence. This changed when her brother died and she became regent of Epirus in 330 BC. Alexander died in 323 BC. C. and the Macedonian kingdom was ruled by a regency. This situation was unstable with the passing of the regency among Alexander’s former generals and finally resulting in civil war.
Olympias became involved in this war in an attempt to secure the power of her grandson Alexander IV. She backed Polypercon as regent of Macedonia, however Cassander, the son of a previous regent, battled Polypercon for power and was ultimately victorious. Olympias had killed many of Cassander’s supporters in an attempt to weaken him. When he came to power, Olympias surrendered to her forces. She promised her safety. As soon as she could, she framed her for the murders she had committed against her allies. Olympias herself was executed by Cassander in 316 BC.
Olympias lived with dangerous people and was a dangerous woman herself. Her single-minded cruelty allowed Alexander to become one of the most successful leaders and empire builders in history. He also led to his own execution.