Critola
Encyclopedia
Critola was a Libya
n Greek
Princess of Cyrenaica
and its capital Cyrene
and was a member The Battiads dynasty. She was the daughter of Arcesilaus I
the second king of Cyrenaica, while her mother is unknown. Her paternal grandfather was the first King Battus I
and her brother Battus II
would be future Cyrenaean King. Critola was the paternal aunt and mother-in-law of future Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus II
.
Little is known on her. According to Plutarch
, Critola was renowned for her great dignity and was highly respected by all citizens. Critola married a Greek Cyrenaean
nobleman, however his name is unknown. Her eldest child and first son was called Polyarchus and her youngest child was her only daughter called Eryxo
. Plutarch states that Critola by her husband had other sons, however the historian doesn’t mention their names. Eryxo would become a future Cyrenaean Queen and would be the mother of future Cyrenaean King Battus III.
Her husband around 550 BC was murdered by Learchus
, a rival to her nephew Arcesilaus II. Critola’s husband had died a short time before Eryxo
and Polyarchus had plotted to kill Learchus, who also had murdered Arcesilaus II. When Learchus was murdered, her grandson Battus III was proclaimed king by Polyarchus.
Critola supported Polyarchus who travelled to apologise to Egypt
ian Pharaoh
Amasis II
in order to save Cyrenaica. Plutarch states that she still lived when Battus III
(reigned 550 BC-530 BC) became king and also states then she was an old woman.
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
Princess of Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
and its capital Cyrene
Cyrene, Libya
Cyrene was an ancient Greek colony and then a Roman city in present-day Shahhat, Libya, the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region. It gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times.Cyrene lies in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar...
and was a member The Battiads dynasty. She was the daughter of Arcesilaus I
Arcesilaus I of Cyrene
Arcesilaus I or Arcesilaus I of Cyrene was the second Greek king of Cyrenaica and the second king of the Battiad dynasty.-Ancestry:...
the second king of Cyrenaica, while her mother is unknown. Her paternal grandfather was the first King Battus I
Battus I of Cyrene
Battus I of Cyrene was the founder of the Greek colony of Cyrenaica and its capital, Cyrene. He was the first king of Cyrenaica, the first Greek king in Africa, and the founder of the Battiad dynasty.-Background:...
and her brother Battus II
Battus II of Cyrene
Battus II of Cyrene, sometimes called Eudaimon or the Latin equivalent Felix, was the third Greek king Cyrenaica and Cyrene and a member of the Battiad dynasty.-Ancestry:...
would be future Cyrenaean King. Critola was the paternal aunt and mother-in-law of future Cyrenaean King Arcesilaus II
Arcesilaus II of Cyrene
Arcesilaus II of Cyrene or Arcesilaus II also known as Arcesilaus II The Oppressor, The Tough, The Severe or The Harsh. Arcesilaus was the fourth Greek Cyrenaean King and was a member of the Battiad dynasty...
.
Little is known on her. According to Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, Critola was renowned for her great dignity and was highly respected by all citizens. Critola married a Greek Cyrenaean
Cyrene, Libya
Cyrene was an ancient Greek colony and then a Roman city in present-day Shahhat, Libya, the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region. It gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times.Cyrene lies in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar...
nobleman, however his name is unknown. Her eldest child and first son was called Polyarchus and her youngest child was her only daughter called Eryxo
Eryxo
Eryxo was a Greek woman, who was a Queen of Cyrenaica and was a member of The Battiads dynasty, the family that ruled Cyrenaica and Cyrene...
. Plutarch states that Critola by her husband had other sons, however the historian doesn’t mention their names. Eryxo would become a future Cyrenaean Queen and would be the mother of future Cyrenaean King Battus III.
Her husband around 550 BC was murdered by Learchus
Learchus (regicide)
Learchus was an adviser in the government of the Kingdom of Cyrenaica during the reign of king Arcesilaus II. Learchus is best known for perpetrating the murder of this very same Arcesilaus II.-Early life:...
, a rival to her nephew Arcesilaus II. Critola’s husband had died a short time before Eryxo
Eryxo
Eryxo was a Greek woman, who was a Queen of Cyrenaica and was a member of The Battiads dynasty, the family that ruled Cyrenaica and Cyrene...
and Polyarchus had plotted to kill Learchus, who also had murdered Arcesilaus II. When Learchus was murdered, her grandson Battus III was proclaimed king by Polyarchus.
Critola supported Polyarchus who travelled to apologise to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Amasis II
Amasis II
Amasis II or Ahmose II was a pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries at Sais. He was the last great ruler of Egypt before the Persian conquest.-Life:...
in order to save Cyrenaica. Plutarch states that she still lived when Battus III
Battus III of Cyrene
Battus III of Cyrene or Battus III, surnamed The Lame was the fifth Greek Cyrenaean king and a member of the Battiad dynasty....
(reigned 550 BC-530 BC) became king and also states then she was an old woman.
Sources
- http://www.bostonleadershipbuilders.com/plutarch/moralia/virtues_of_women.htm
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: Abaeus-Dysponteus, edited by Sir William Smith
- Plutarch, Moralia, p531 Bravery of Women, (Part 2 of 2)