Demetrius

Demetrius
Demetrius I Philopater is the current King of the Syrians and ruler of the Antigonid Empire. One of the Diadochi he is considered one of the richest, most powerful and most influential men in the world.

Early Life
Demetrius's father Antigonus had been a Macedonian officer in the forces of Alexander the Great, eventually rising to become Satrap of Phrygia. Antigonus carved out a sizable chunk of Asia into his own empire after the death of Alexander with the assistance of his son and heir. By 308 BC the Antigonid Empire stretched from the Propontis to the Sinai peninsula and from the Aegean to the Tigris and contained some of the richest cities of the East inside it's borders.

Prince Demetrius spent his late twenties serving as a governor and millitary commander. His handsome looks and easy charm earned him a (somewhat deserved) reputation as ladykiller, though he remained unmarried, prefering to travel across the Empire with a band of similarly young, rich and idle nobles as they drank, gambled and womanised their way through Western Asia.

All this changed with the Battle of Attica. The experience of command, his ghastly injuries and the reaction of his father had a profoud effect on the young prince, who lapsed into severe depression and self loathing. The death of Antigonus, following close on the heels of Attica nearly broke Demetrius, but he eventually rallied through a combination of his innate sense of duty and a religous experience.

Nevertheless Demetrius was now a much changed man.

King
Demetrius situated his capital at the newly rebuilt city of Halicarnassus (Antigonus had favoured Pergamum). The new capital soon grew into a large and vibrant polis as the King designed a city fit for a great Empire, in beauty as well as size and wealth. He also dedicated his city to the "goddess Chryse", Chryse being an obscure name for the goddess worshipped in Syria as Astarte and in the Hellenistic world as Aphrodite. "Aprodite of Halicarnassus" as she was soon known was similar to the Greek deity, being a goddess of beauty, passion and love but additionally seen as fierce warrioress with bow and spear.

Demetrius pious worship of Aphrodite proved very popular in Syria, where many locals dedicated statues to their King as the "Consort of Astarte." Demetrius, while encouraging worship of the goddess, was silent on this matter

The Cartel and the Invasion of Rhodes
The Hellenic League had not forgiven the Antigonid Empire for it's role in the Macedonian-Hellenistic War and Demetrius found his ports under effective boycott. Trade, the lifeblood of the Antigonid Empire threatened to dry up entirely.

It was to help secure what trade routes he had that Demetrius moved to attack Rhodes in early 307 BC. The Antigonid Army being as it was one of the best armies in the world, the island of Rhodes stood little chance against the Antigonid Empire. The Antigonid-Rhodian war was justified by Demetrius as reasserting the old Carian claim to the island (Halicarnassus had been the capital of Caria and Demetrius considered himself heir to that kingdom). It was also to keep open the vital artery that kept the Antigonid ports alive in the face of overwhelming overseas pressure.

The war was short but bloody, ending up with the annexation of Rhodes by Demetrius. In the dying days of the campaign Demetrius would meet two important women: Queen Chryse of Crete and Nausicaa.

The Judean Revolt and the War with Egypt
Judea had exchanged hands more than once after the death of Alexander the Great but as 307 BC was firmly in the hands of Demetrius, or at least so it seemed.

In fact a cadre of Judean malcontents under the leadership of Solous were plotting revolt against the Antigonids. Ptolemy II of Egypt had secretly allied - both with Solous and with Seleucus, though this would turn sour soon. In any case Demetrius suddenly found himself dealing with a full blown revolt and a foreign invasion.

The Judean War would eventually see the annexation of Cypus by the Antigonid Empire, the creation of an independent Kingdom of Judea under Queen Maya as an Egyptian client state and shaky relationship between Ptolemy and Demeti. Indeed the war might have gone on much longer but for the start of the First Selucid War that forced both parties to attend to their own borders.

At the peace it was arranged that Demetrius marry Laodice, Ptolemy's sister and Ptolemy marry Antigone, Demetrius's sister but this provision was never actually enacted.

The Seluecid-Antigonid War
The great fear of Demetrius reign was a two front war against Seleucus and Ptolemy. Luck had narrowly prevented such a conflict, but Demetrius still found himself facing two kings - Seleucus had gained a new ally in Arminius, the ambitious King of Armenia.

The Seluecid-Antigonid War, also known as the War of the Three Kings did not last very long, and ended in a return to the status quo, but it rattled the Antigonid Court. Seleucus would be back, and Demetrius had reason to believe it would be sooner rather than later.

Recent Developments
Demetrius attended the 306 BC Olympiad early in the year, but did not personally compete. While attending he encountered Kratesipolis of Corinth and reluctantly agreed to join the Cartel. He also formed a tentative friendship with Leonida of Sparta, with whom he felt a kindred spirit.

The same year also saw a moment of personal and public prestige when Demetrius placed his sister Antigone on the newly vacant throne of Crete. The Antigonid Dynasty now ruled in two countries.

The collapse of Bithynia ended a brief period of peace as Demetrius, found himself entangled in the Bithynian War.