Queen Ada I of Caria- The adopted mother of Alexander the Great




Reconstruction of a skull possibly belonging to Ada (Photo: Dosseman - CC BY-SA 4.0)

Queen Ada I of Caria was the last ruler of the Hecatomnid Dynasty.[1] She co-ruled with her brother, King Idrieus. After his death, she became queen regnant. Queen Ada I of Caria lost the throne to her younger brother, King Pixodarus. However, she became the adopted mother of Alexander the Great, who restored her throne.

In circa 380 B.C.E., Queen Ada I of Caria was born. She was the daughter of Prince Hecatomnus of Caria, the founder of the Hecatomnid Dynasty that ruled in the fourth century B.C.E.[2] She had three brothers named Prince Mausolus, Prince Idrieus, and Prince Pixodarus.[3] She also had an older sister named Princess Artemisia (who would later become Queen Artemisia II of Caria).[4] 

Princess Ada married her brother, Prince Idrieus.[5] After Queen Artemisia II’s death in 351 B.C.E., Prince Idrieus became King of Caria.[6] Ada became Queen and co-ruler of Caria.[7] During their reign, King Idrieus and Queen Ada I continued to strengthen the Carian empire.[8] In 344 B.C.E., King Idrieus died. Queen Ada I succeeded him to the throne of Caria and became queen regnant.[9]

Queen Ada I’s reign lasted three years. Her younger brother, Prince Pixodarus, was upset that he did not inherit the throne of Caria from King Idrieus.[10] In 340 B.C.E., Pixodarus ousted Queen Ada I from the throne.[11] He became King of Caria. However, Queen Ada I managed to gain support from people who lived in the countryside of Caria.[12] With their support, she managed to keep Alinda (which was the strongest fortress in Caria).[13]

In 334 B.C.E., King Pixodarus died. The throne of Caria was passed to his son-in-law, Orontobates.[14] Orontobates had married King Pixodarus’s daughter, Ada II.[15] King Orontobates and Queen Ada II became joint rulers of the Carian empire.[16] However, their reign was weak.[17] They could not send troops to the Persian army to fight against Alexander the Great’s army.[18]

In 334 B.C.E., Alexander the Great entered Caria. Queen Ada I surrendered the Alinda fortress to him.[19] She even adopted Alexander the Great as her son.[20]Alexander the Great restored her to the throne of Caria.[21] However, he still had to conquer the capital of Halicarnassus.[22] He managed to take the living quarters at Halicarnassus.[23] He left a garrison to continue the war.[24] A year later, his army managed to defeat King Orontobates and Queen Ada II.[25] The fate of King Orontobates and Queen Ada II is unknown.[26] Queen Ada I remained queen regnant of Caria until her death in 326 B.C.E.[27]  In 1989, Turkish archaeologists believed that they had found her tomb.[28] They sent her bones to the Archeological Museum of Bodrum.[29]

Queen Ada I reigned Caria twice. She proved to be a brilliant military strategist by maintaining the Alinda fortress.[30] She also made a clever ploy in adopting Alexander the Great.[31] By adopting him, Queen Ada I of Caria was restored to her position as queen regnant, where she ruled uncontested until her death.[32] Even though Queen Ada I failed as ruler during her first reign, she managed to prove herself as a capable and successful queen.[33]

Sources:

Fabre-Serris, J. & Keith, A. (2015). Women and War in Antiquity. Baltimore: John Hopkins Press.

Lendering, J. (27 April, 2019). “Ada”. Livius.org. Retrieved on June 1, 2024 from https://www.livius.org/articles/person/ada/.


[1] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[2] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[3] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[4] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[5] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[6] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[7] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[8] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[9] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[10] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[11] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[12] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[13] Lendering, 27 April 2019; Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[14] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[15] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[16] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[17] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[18] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[19] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[20] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[21] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[22] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[23] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[24] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[25] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[26] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[27] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[28] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[29] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[30] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[31] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015

[32] Lendering, 27 April 2019

[33] Fabre-Serris and Keith, 2015






About Lauralee Jacks 223 Articles
I am a former elementary teacher in Tennessee. I have a bachelor’s degree in Liberal and Civic Studies from St. Mary’s College of California, a master’s in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the College of Saint Mary. Because my family are from East Asia, I have a passion for historical Chinese and Korean television shows. I always wanted to separate fact from fiction in dramas. Writing articles from History of Royal Women gives me a chance to dig deeper and explore these royal women as they might have been in real life. Also, it gives me a chance to look at the history and culture of where my family originated. I love researching East Asian royalty because they rarely get enough attention in the West often being overshadowed by European royalty. I find these royal women to be just as fascinating and their stories deserve to be told. Thus, I am excited to write for History of Royal Women!

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