Political Assassination and Monarchical Rule in the Hellenistic Period

• Applicant: Dr. Anja Busch
• Subject Area: Ancient History
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 397472831

Assassinations of politically significant persons have been a means of asserting various political interests in all eras and in all societies. The Hellenistic monarchies were particularly characterised by conflicts over the ruler's throne. These were promoted by the lack of mandatory succession regulations. Only affiliation to the dynasty was a factor in legitimate succession to the throne.Therefore, not only the monarch himself was constantly threatened by attacks from his immediate surroundings, but also all the king's relatives and people in his closer environment had to fear being eliminated by the king as a potential threat. Therefore, not only the monarch himself was constantly threatened by attacks from his immediate surroundings, but also all the king's relatives and people in his closer environment had to fear being eliminated by the king as a potential threat. The question therefore arises as to how a monarch who had secured his rule only by murdering his relatives or other persons close to him, perhaps even only by murdering his predecessor and various pretenders, could legitimise himself. In modern research, the charisma of the ruler is often referred to as the basis for the legitimation of power in Hellenism. However, charisma had first to be developed and proven. This is followed by the question of the elites and members of the court or those politically relevant social groups who, in interaction with the ruler, conceded his charisma or withdrew acceptance of it. The latter could in turn result in the ruler's death. The competition between individual courtiers for the favour of the ruler and the best possible social position at court could also be a threat to the monarch and his relatives. In the strongly hierarchical court societies there was a permanent struggle for power. The Hellenistic monarchies were therefore highly fragile systems. Politically motivated assassinations were virtually the order of the day.This project examines murder as the most extreme form of violence in the context of monarchical rule in Hellenistic times. With the help of modern sociological concepts relating to the triad of power - rule - violence (e.g. following Max Weber and Hannah Arendt) and with regard to the question of the relationship between them in the political discourse of antiquity, the project will contribute to the understanding of monarchical structures of rule and court societies in Hellenistic times.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants