Heracles of Macedon (c. 327 – 309 BCE)

Heracles of Macedon (c. 327 – 309 BCE) was reputedly Alexander the Great's illegitimate son by Barsine, the daughter of Artabazus of Phrygia. He was named after the Greek mythological hero of the same name, from whom the Macedonian royal house claimed descent. 

Predictably, his parentage is a matter of some controversy.

Plutarch and Justin both mention Heracles and his mother, but Arrian's Anabasis mentions neither. According to Plutarch, Alexander took Barsine as his mistress in Damascus.

Earlier, Barsine had married her uncle Mentor of Rhodes and, after his death, his brother Memnon. She and her children had been sent to Damascus as hostages to ensure her second husband's remained loyal to the Persian king. She would have fallen into Alexander's hands when Damascus fell to the Macedonians.

However, there is no record of Barsine accompanying Alexander on his march through the Middle East. Nor was there an immediate no claim by Barsine or her powerful family that she had borne him a son. Of course, given the circumstances, she and her husband may have preferred to maintain a discreet silence. 

In another twist to the story, Alexander's admiral, Nearchus, had married Barsine's daughter by her first husband at the mass wedding in Susa. As Barsine's son-in-law, it seems logical for Nearchus to have advocated for Heracles as Alexander's heir. According to Curtius, Nearchus suggested him as a possible successor at the first Babylonian conference (Historiae Alexandri Magni, X.6.10-12). However, Curtius, writing in the second half of the 1st century CE, a good four hundred and fifty years after the events he describes. On the other hand, while the author's identity is uncertain, the most likely suspect spent time on the staff of the Quaestor of Africa and would have been able to consult the Library of Alexandria.

In any case, twelve years after Alexander's death, a seventeen-year-old boy with a physical resemblance to Alexander appeared. Cassander had recently ordered the murder of Alexander's posthumous son by Roxana.

However, Heracles' age meant he must have been born five years after Alexander allegedly met his mother in Damascus. 

Alexander later married Stateira, a.k.a. Barsine in Greek sources, which must have helped launch the boy's claim to the Macedonian throne. 

However, a child born in his lifetime by a near-royal mother would have been an obvious successor. 

So, Alexander named cities after his horse and dog but ignored his only son? Unlikely.

Since the boy would have been Alexander's only living son when he died, one presumes he would have immediately figured in the succession disputes.

Instead, he was passed over in favour of Alexander's father illegitimate son, Philip Arrhidaeus. 

In any case, Heracles lived in obscurity until Alexander IV's murder by Cassander in 310 BC or 309 BC. 

At that point, Polyperchon, the regent of Macedon who preceded Cassander, began championing Heracles as Alexander's true heir and began forming an army. Instead of fighting, Cassander negotiated with Polyperchon and persuaded him to murder Heracles. 

Sources:

Wikipedia

© Ian Hughes 2017