Laodice (sister-wife of Mithridates VI of Pontus)
Encyclopedia
Laodice was a beautiful Pontian Princess and Queen
who was first wife and sister-wife to King Mithridates VI of Pontus
.
She was a monarch of Persian
and Greek Macedonian ancestry
. Laodice was the second daughter and among the children born to the Pontian Monarchs Laodice VI
and Mithridates V of Pontus
(reigned 150 BC-120 BC), thus she was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus
.
Her father was assassinated in about 120 BC in Sinope
poisoned by unknown persons at a lavish banquet which he held. In the will of her father, Mithridates V left the Kingdom to the joint rule of her mother and her brothers: Mithridates VI and Mithridates Chrestus
. The brothers of Laodice were both under aged to rule and their mother retained all power as regent. Laodice VI’s regency over Pontus was from 120 BC-116 BC (even perhaps up to 113 BC). Laodice VI favored Mithridates Chrestus over Mithridates VI. During her mother’s regency, Mithridates VI had escaped from the plotting of their mother and had gone into hiding.
Mithridates VI between 116 BC-113 BC returned to Pontus from hiding and was hailed King. He was able to remove their mother and brother from the Pontian throne, thus Mithridates VI became the sole ruler of Pontus. Mithridates VI showed clemency towards their mother and brother, by imprisoning them both. Laodice VI died in prison of natural causes, however Mithridates Chrestus could have died in prison from natural causes or was tried for treason and was executed on his orders. When they died, Mithridates VI gave his mother and brother a royal funeral.
When Mithridates VI became the sole ruler of Pontus, Laodice and her brother were practicable strangers. The last time Mithridates VI saw Laodice, she was a little girl in the nursery who was spoiled. Sometime after Mithridates VI became sole King of Pontus, Mithridates VI had married his sister Laodice. Mithridates VI married Laodice to preserve the purity of their blood-line; as a wife to rule with him as a sovereign over Pontus; to be the mother of his legitimate children to ensure their succession and to claim his right as a ruling monarch. Through marriage, Laodice became a Queen of Pontus and Mithridates VI gave her the title of Queen.
Laodice bore her brother four sons: Mithridates, Arcathius
, Machares
, Pharnaces II of Pontus
and two daughters: Cleopatra of Pontus
and Drypetina (her name is a diminutive form of Drypetis and was Mithridates VI’s most devoted daughter. When she was born her baby teeth never fell out, so she had a double set of teeth.)
At some point Laodice and Mithridates VI, set about to establish good relations with the citizens of Athens
and the Greek island of Delos
. Laodice and her brother-husband made benefactions to the Athenians and the Delians. The exact nature of their benefactions and their voluntary donations are unknown. On Delos, honorific statues have survived that have been identified to be of Mithridates VI and Laodice.
During one time of the absence of Mithridates VI, Laodice began to have affairs with the friends of her brother-husband. Through one of his friends, Laodice became pregnant and gave birth to her son. To conceal her unfaithfulness to Mithridates VI, Laodice deceived a report of his death and on his return, plotted to have Mithridates VI’s life taken by poison.
At this time Mithridates VI, returned to Pontus without warning and suddenly; and caught Laodice with her lovers. Her brother-husband and his companions were shocked and distressed to see this at Sinope
. The child that Laodice gave birth too was not his and he had been gone for too long for the child to be his. He hid his rage and embraced Laodice and visited his harem nursery to count his children. Festive banquets were prepared to welcome him back.
Prior to the feast, Mithridates VI’s servants warned him of Laodice’s plots, at the feast and they also named Laodice’s co-conspirators. Feeling betrayed, he cursed his late mother for raising such a treacherous daughter, so he had Laodice and her collaborators executed immediately. Laodice’s new born son was spared by Mithridates VI and allowed him to live.
After the execution of Laodice, Mithridates VI never wanted to marry a Queen by that name which spelt trouble. Laodice’s fate was common knowledge and due to her treachery, Mithridates VI found it very difficult to make any future wife his official queen.
of Laodice and Mithridates. The painting is titled Mithridates poisons Laodice, his wife/sister; Mithridates wins a duel.
In The Grass Crown
, the second in the Masters of Rome
series, Colleen McCullough
, the Australian writer, describes in detail the various aspects of his life - the murder of his sister-wife Laodice, his experiments with poison, and his fear and hatred of Rome. The aging Gaius Marius
meets Mithridates in the palace of Ariarathes
in Eusebeia Mazaca
, a city in Cappadocia
, and the former Roman Consul, quite alone and surrounded by the Pontic army, orders Mithridates to leave Cappadocia immediately and go back to Pontus - which he does.
Kingdom of Pontus
The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a state of Persian origin on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by Mithridates I in 291 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC...
who was first wife and sister-wife to King Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
.
She was a monarch of Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
and Greek Macedonian ancestry
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
. Laodice was the second daughter and among the children born to the Pontian Monarchs Laodice VI
Laodice VI
Laodice VI was a Greek Seleucid Princess and through marriage was a Queen of the Kingdom of Pontus....
and Mithridates V of Pontus
Mithridates V of Pontus
Mithridates V Euergetes ; also known as Mithridates V of Pontus, Mithradates V of Pontus and Mithradates V Euergetes, was a Prince and seventh King of the wealthy Kingdom of Pontus.Mithridates V was of Greek Macedonian and Persian ancestry...
(reigned 150 BC-120 BC), thus she was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus
Kingdom of Pontus
The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a state of Persian origin on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by Mithridates I in 291 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC...
.
Her father was assassinated in about 120 BC in Sinope
Sinop, Turkey
Sinop is a city with a population of 36,734 on İnce Burun , by its Cape Sinop which is situated on the most northern edge of the Turkish side of Black Sea coast, in the ancient region of Paphlagonia, in modern-day northern Turkey, historically known as Sinope...
poisoned by unknown persons at a lavish banquet which he held. In the will of her father, Mithridates V left the Kingdom to the joint rule of her mother and her brothers: Mithridates VI and Mithridates Chrestus
Mithridates Chrestus
Mithridates Chrestus was a Prince and co-ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus....
. The brothers of Laodice were both under aged to rule and their mother retained all power as regent. Laodice VI’s regency over Pontus was from 120 BC-116 BC (even perhaps up to 113 BC). Laodice VI favored Mithridates Chrestus over Mithridates VI. During her mother’s regency, Mithridates VI had escaped from the plotting of their mother and had gone into hiding.
Mithridates VI between 116 BC-113 BC returned to Pontus from hiding and was hailed King. He was able to remove their mother and brother from the Pontian throne, thus Mithridates VI became the sole ruler of Pontus. Mithridates VI showed clemency towards their mother and brother, by imprisoning them both. Laodice VI died in prison of natural causes, however Mithridates Chrestus could have died in prison from natural causes or was tried for treason and was executed on his orders. When they died, Mithridates VI gave his mother and brother a royal funeral.
When Mithridates VI became the sole ruler of Pontus, Laodice and her brother were practicable strangers. The last time Mithridates VI saw Laodice, she was a little girl in the nursery who was spoiled. Sometime after Mithridates VI became sole King of Pontus, Mithridates VI had married his sister Laodice. Mithridates VI married Laodice to preserve the purity of their blood-line; as a wife to rule with him as a sovereign over Pontus; to be the mother of his legitimate children to ensure their succession and to claim his right as a ruling monarch. Through marriage, Laodice became a Queen of Pontus and Mithridates VI gave her the title of Queen.
Laodice bore her brother four sons: Mithridates, Arcathius
Arcathius
Arcathius was a Prince from the Kingdom of Pontus. He was a prince of Persian and Greek Macedonian ancestry. Arcathius was among the sons born to King Mithridates VI of Pontus and his sister-wife Laodice...
, Machares
Machares
Machares was a Pontian prince and son of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and Queen Laodice. He was made by his father ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom after Mithridates, for the second time, reduced that country, after the short war with the Roman Murena, in 80 BC....
, Pharnaces II of Pontus
Pharnaces II of Pontus
Pharnaces II of Pontus, also known as Pharnaces II was a prince, then King of Pontus and the Bosporan until his death. He was a monarch of Persian and Greek Macedonian ancestry. Pharnaces II was the youngest son and child born to King Mithridates VI of Pontus from his first wife, his sister Queen...
and two daughters: Cleopatra of Pontus
Cleopatra of Pontus
Cleopatra of Pontus was a Pontian Princess, who was one of the daughters of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and Queen Laodice. Cleopatra is sometimes known as Cleopatra the Elder, to distinguish her from her sister of the same name and was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus...
and Drypetina (her name is a diminutive form of Drypetis and was Mithridates VI’s most devoted daughter. When she was born her baby teeth never fell out, so she had a double set of teeth.)
At some point Laodice and Mithridates VI, set about to establish good relations with the citizens of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and the Greek island of Delos
Delos
The island of Delos , isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece...
. Laodice and her brother-husband made benefactions to the Athenians and the Delians. The exact nature of their benefactions and their voluntary donations are unknown. On Delos, honorific statues have survived that have been identified to be of Mithridates VI and Laodice.
During one time of the absence of Mithridates VI, Laodice began to have affairs with the friends of her brother-husband. Through one of his friends, Laodice became pregnant and gave birth to her son. To conceal her unfaithfulness to Mithridates VI, Laodice deceived a report of his death and on his return, plotted to have Mithridates VI’s life taken by poison.
At this time Mithridates VI, returned to Pontus without warning and suddenly; and caught Laodice with her lovers. Her brother-husband and his companions were shocked and distressed to see this at Sinope
Sinop, Turkey
Sinop is a city with a population of 36,734 on İnce Burun , by its Cape Sinop which is situated on the most northern edge of the Turkish side of Black Sea coast, in the ancient region of Paphlagonia, in modern-day northern Turkey, historically known as Sinope...
. The child that Laodice gave birth too was not his and he had been gone for too long for the child to be his. He hid his rage and embraced Laodice and visited his harem nursery to count his children. Festive banquets were prepared to welcome him back.
Prior to the feast, Mithridates VI’s servants warned him of Laodice’s plots, at the feast and they also named Laodice’s co-conspirators. Feeling betrayed, he cursed his late mother for raising such a treacherous daughter, so he had Laodice and her collaborators executed immediately. Laodice’s new born son was spared by Mithridates VI and allowed him to live.
After the execution of Laodice, Mithridates VI never wanted to marry a Queen by that name which spelt trouble. Laodice’s fate was common knowledge and due to her treachery, Mithridates VI found it very difficult to make any future wife his official queen.
Arts & Literature
There is a painting on display at the Bibliothèque nationale de FranceBibliothèque nationale de France
The is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
of Laodice and Mithridates. The painting is titled Mithridates poisons Laodice, his wife/sister; Mithridates wins a duel.
In The Grass Crown
The Grass Crown (novel)
The Grass Crown is the second historical novel in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series.The novel opens shortly after the action of The First Man in Rome...
, the second in the Masters of Rome
Masters of Rome
Masters of Rome is a series of historical fiction novels by author Colleen McCullough set in ancient Rome during the last days of the old Roman Republic; it primarily chronicles the lives and careers of Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompeius Magnus, Gaius Julius Caesar, and the early...
series, Colleen McCullough
Colleen McCullough
Colleen McCullough-Robinson, , is an internationally acclaimed Australian author.-Life:McCullough was born in Wellington, in outback central west New South Wales, in 1937 to James and Laurie McCullough. Her mother was a New Zealander of part-Māori descent. During her childhood, her family moved...
, the Australian writer, describes in detail the various aspects of his life - the murder of his sister-wife Laodice, his experiments with poison, and his fear and hatred of Rome. The aging Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
meets Mithridates in the palace of Ariarathes
Ariarathes
Ariarathes was the name of ten kings of Cappadocia in Anatolia, between the 4th and 1st century BC. They are:*Ariarathes I of Cappadocia, ruled 331 BC or 330 BC–killed 322 BC, son of the Cappadocian satrap Ariamnes I...
in Eusebeia Mazaca
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
, a city in Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
, and the former Roman Consul, quite alone and surrounded by the Pontic army, orders Mithridates to leave Cappadocia immediately and go back to Pontus - which he does.
Sources
- A. Mayor, The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome’s deadliest enemy, Princeton University Press, 2009
- M. Getzel, Hellenistic settlements in Europe, the islands and Asia Minor, Cohen University of California Press, 1995
- http://ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1827.html