In out final installment of the Seleucus series, we will follow Seleucus to kingship, and his eventual death.
In the year 305 B.C., Seleucus declared himself as βασιλεύς (king). Seleucus' decleration of his kingship was forced in direct response to Antigonus' decleration of himself asking. In 301 B.C., a coalition of the armies of Seleucus, Lysimachus and Cassander partook in the battle of Ipsus against Antigonus and Demetrius in modern day Western Turkey. The battle of Ipsus ended with a victory for the coalition armies with Seleucus' new Indian elephants being used with devastating effect. The battle saw the collapse of the Antigonid kingdom following Antigonus' death during the battle. Seleucus went opn to clim much of Antigonus' former realm and his lands now expanded from the Taurus mountains to Mount Sinai, however Ptolemy had already laid claims to Phoenicia and Palestine as spoils, this would go on to create the staging ground for the future Seleucid-Ptolemeic wars known as the Syrian Wars. Seleucus then went on to marry Demetrius’ daughter Stratonice to neutralise Demetrius’ naval threat. By 294 B.C., Seleucus seized Cilicia from Demetrius. Demetrius retook Cilicia in 286 B.C., to only have Seleucus retake it shortly after, Demetrius was held a captive and died two years later.
(The aftermath of the battle of Ipsus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ipsus#/media/File:Diadochen1.png)
In 291 B.C., Seleucus appointed his son Antiochus the first as his co-king to rule predominantly in the east of his empire, whilst he furthered his campaigns into Thrace against Lysimachus. The final military campaign of Selecus' life was against the last remaining of the diadochoi, Lysimachus. In the year 281 B.C., Seleucus fought Lysimachus and triumphed with Lysimachus following in the style of Antigonus and falling in battle. Due to recent death of Ptolemy in Egypt, Seleucus was left as the only remaining successor and the last living contemporary of Alexander the Great. Seleucus now held the majority of Alexander's former empire following his conquests of Asia Minor. However, he did not control his homeland of Macedon or the Greek peninsula, in 281 B.C. Seleucus crossed the Chersonese where he was then assassinated by Ptolemy Keraunus, the son of Seleucus' trusted friend and ally, Ptolemy.
Arrian describes Seleucus as “the greatest king of those who succeeded Alexander, of the most royal mind, and ruling over the greatest extent of territory, next to Alexander himself.”
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