Barsine

Barsine (Greek:? Βαρσινη; * 363 BC (); † 309 BC) was a mistress of Alexander the Great.

Barsine was the eldest daughter of Artabazus II, the Persian satrap of Phrygia. She was taught by high-ranking Persian and Greek scholars. In her first marriage, she married mentor, brother of Memnon of Rhodes. Because of the participation of the Artabazus on Satrapenaufstand the family had to flee to 354 BC the Macedonian court at Pella. Later Barsine was allowed to return to their homeland at the instigation of Memnon, while first mentor who was in Egypt, and later (342 BC) but was able to return to his young wife, with whom he probably had a daughter and a son. After mentor died, married Barsine Memnon, who commanded the Persian forces at the beginning of Alexander's campaign. Memnon sent Barsine as proof of loyalty to King Darius III. to Syria; in 332 BC, she fell at the capture of Damascus Alexander 's hands. This took her by his rise in the eastern provinces of Persia with him and she gave birth to him in Bactria in 327 BC, the ( illegitimate ) son of Herakles, named after the legendary hero, believed to be descended from Alexander.

As a result, Barsine withdrew with Herakles to Pergamon, where she initially remained largely undisturbed. Later, however, came too, as Alexander's wife Roxane and her son Alexander IV Aigos, in the power struggles of Diadochenkriege. Polyperchon, the regent of Macedonia, who had been deposed by Cassander tried 309 BC to use the 18 -year-old Hercules for his own purposes and use it as a Macedonian king. Polyperchon to put together an army of 20,000 men and to set against Cassander succeeded in march. This then negotiated with Polyperchon and pulled him by his side, that he entrusted him with the administration of the Peloponnese. Thus were Heracles and Barsine an obstacle. Both were assassinated on the orders of Cassander.