Princess Cynane – Alexander the Great’s half-sister and warrior Princess

Princess Cynane was the half-sister of King Alexander the Great. She was the daughter of King Philip II of Macedonia. Princess Cynane has been known in history as a warrior princess.^[1] She even went to war with her father, King Philip II, against the Illyrians and fought on the front lines.^[2] When she was fourteen years old, she even killed the Illyrian queen, Caeria.^[3] Therefore, many modern historians have long admired her for her extraordinary military feats.^[4]

In circa 357, Princess Cynane was born.^[5] She was the daughter of Prince Philip II of Macedonia and Princess Audata from Illyria. In 359 B.C.E., Prince Philip II deposed his nephew, King Amyntas IV of Macedonia and declared him too young to rule.^[6] Philip II then ascended the Macedonian throne.^[7] Princess Cynane learned her military skills from her mother, Queen Audata.^[8] Princess Cynane was the half-sister of Prince Alexander the Great, Prince Philip III, Prince Caranus, Princess Cleopatra, Princess Thessalonike, and Princess Europa.^[9]

In 343 B.C.E., Princess Cynane fought in battle with her father, King Philip II of Macedonia, against the Illyrians.^[10] She led her own armies.^[11] In one battle, she killed Caeria, the Illyrian queen, at the age of fourteen.^[12] She killed many Illyrians and helped defeat them.^[13]

King Philip II arranged for Princess Cynane to marry his nephew, the former King Amyntas IV of Macedonia.^[14] In circa 338 B.C.E., Princess Cynane bore Prince Amyntas IV a daughter named Adea (later known as Queen Adea-Eurydice). Prince Amyntas IV died in 336 B.C.E.^[15] He left Princess Cynane a widow.^[16] 

In 335 B.C.E., King Alexander the Great of Macedonia betrothed Princess Cynane to King Langarus of the Agrianians as a reward for his services.^[17] However, King Langarus fell ill and died before Princess Cynane could marry him.^[18] Princess Cynane never remarried.^[19] Instead, she focused on training her daughter, Princess Adea, in military arts.^[20]

In 323 B.C.E., King Alexander the Great of Macedonia died. He did not appoint a successor.^[21] Instead, King Alexander the Great’s Macedonian Empire was split between his intellectually disabled brother, King Philip III of Macedonia and his infant son, King Alexander IV.^[22] Princess Cynane wanted to marry her daughter, Adea, to King Philip III of Macedonia.^[23] 

In 322 B.C.E., Princess Cynane raised an army and brought her daughter, Adea, with her to Asia (where King Philip III of Macedonia resided with General Antipater).^[24] General Antipater failed to stop Princess Cynane from crossing the Strymon River.^[25] He sent General Alcetas to stop Princess Cynane and put her to death.^[26] Princess Cynane’s army met with General Alcetas’s army.^[27] 

Princess Cynane pledged to die if she did not succeed in marrying Adea to King Philip III.^[28] General Alcetas told her to stand down, but she refused.^[29] They fought, and Princess Cynane died in battle.^[30] When General Alcetas’s troops realised that Princess Cynane had been killed, they were devastated and rioted.^[31] In order to calm his troops, General Alcetas had no choice but to marry Adea to King Philip III of Macedonia.^[32] During her marriage, Adea changed her name to Eurydice, in honour of her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Eurydice I of Macedonia.^[33] Adea-Eurydice was now queen of Macedonia.^[34] In 316 B.C.E., General Cassander buried Queen Adea-Eurydice, King Philip III, and Princess Cynane and gave them a lavish funeral befitting their royal status.^[35]

Princess Cynane was known to be a formidable warrior princess.^[36] She accomplished many feats in battle and proved to be a formidable foe.^[37] She even caused trouble among King Alexander the Great’s generals, who were unwilling to let Queen Adea-Eurydice marry King Philip III.^[38] Princess Cynane died bravely in battle that befitted a noble warrior’s death.^[39] Through her death, Princess Cynane managed to fulfil her ambitions of having her daughter, Queen Adea-Eurydice, be a co-ruler of the Macedonian Empire.^[40] Many modern historians continued to be fascinated with Princess Cynane’s military accomplishments.^[41]

Sources:

Carney, E. D. (2000). Women and Monarchy in Macedonia. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.

Dunn, D. (2024). The Missing Thread: A Women’s History of the Ancient World. London, United Kingdom: Penguin Publishing Group.

Jones-Bley, K. (2024). Women and Warfare in the Ancient World: Virgins, Viragos and Amazons. Yorkshire, United Kingdom: Pen and Sword History.

Lightman, M., Lightman, B. (2008). A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women. NY: Facts On File, Incorporated.

Smith, William (1873). “Cyna’ne, Cyna”. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: John Murray. Retrieved on November 19, 2025 from https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:entry=cynane-cyna-bio-1 .

Snodgrass, M. E. (2023). Women Warriors in History: 1,622 Biographies Worldwide from the Bronze Age to the Present. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.