List of kings of Macedonia

, also called Macedon, was ruled continuously by kings from its inception around the middle of the seventh century BC until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 168 BC. Kingship in Macedonia, its earliest attested political institution, was hereditary, exclusively male, and characterized by dynastic politics.
Information regarding the origins of the Argeads, Macedonia's founding dynasty, is very scarce and often contradictory. The Argeads themselves claimed descent from the royal house of Argos, the Temenids, but this story is viewed with skepticism by some scholars as a fifth century BC fiction invented by the Argead court "to 'prove' Greek lineage". It is more likely that the Argeads first surfaced either as part of a tribe living near Mount Bermion who, possibly under the authority of Perdiccas, subjugated neighboring or, according to Herodotus, were of a Doric race that originally resided in Pindus. During their reign, Macedonia would not only come to dominate Greece, but also emerge as one of the most powerful states in the ancient world with the conquest of the Persian Empire under Alexander the Great. However, Alexander's untimely death in 323 BC triggered a series of civil wars and regents for his young son Alexander IV, ultimately leading to the Argead dynasty's demise.
Cassander, the ostensible regent of Macedonia, murdered Alexander IV in 310 and installed the Antipatrids as the ruling house. His dynasty was short-lived, however, as his death in 297 triggered a civil war between his sons that further destabilized the kingdom. The following decades saw a rapid and violent succession of Diadochi from various dynasties, each vying for the Macedonian throne. This chaos continued until the death of Pyrrhus in 272 and the accession of the Antigonids under Antigonus II Gonatas.
Following decades of continuous conflict, the Antigonids saw the temporary renewal of the kingdom's fortunes, but were destroyed by Rome after Perseus' defeat at the battle of Pydna in 168 BC.

Argead dynasty ( – 310 BC)

Legendary

There are two separate historical traditions relating the foundation of Macedonia and the Argead dynasty. The earlier, documented by Herodotus and Thucydides in the fifth century BC, records Perdiccas as the first king of Macedonia. The later tradition first emerged around the beginning of the fourth century BC and claimed that Caranus, rather than Perdiccas, was the founder. Aside from Satyrus, who adds Coenus and Tyrimmas to the list, Marsyas of Pella, Theopompos, and Justin all agree that Caranus was Perdiccas' father. Furthermore, Plutarch claimed in his biography of Alexander the Great that all of his sources agreed that Caranus was the founder. This unhistorical assertion, like the Argive connection, is rejected by modern scholarship as court propaganda, possibly intended to diminish the significance of the name 'Perdiccas' in rival family branches following Amyntas III accession.

Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
Caranus	Unknown	According to various ancient authors, either the son, brother, or relative of the Argive king Pheidon
Coenus	Unknown	Son of Caranus
Tyrimmas	Unknown	Son of Coenus

Historical

Herodotus mentions the names of the five kings preceding Amyntas I, but provides no other information. Consequently, the reign dates and activities of the early Argead kings can only be guessed at. By allowing thirty years for the span of an average generation and counting backwards from the beginning of Archelaus' reign in 413 BC, British historian Nicholas Hammond estimated that the dynasty began around 650 BC. Amyntas I and his son Alexander I are the earliest kings for which we have any reliable historical information, and even then, only in the context of their relationships with Achaemenid Persia and Greeks.

Antipatrid dynasty (310–294 BC)

Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
Cassander	310 – 297	Son of the regent Antipater and son-in-law of Philip II	– 297 Died of illness
Philip IV	297	Son of Cassander	Unknown – 297 Died of illness
Antipater I	297 – 294	Son of Cassander; co-ruler with Alexander until Antipater murdered their mother, Thessalonike, for favoring his brother.	Unknown – 294 Killed by his father-in-law, Lysimachus.
Alexander V	297 – 294	Son of Cassander; co-ruler with his brother Antipater.	Unknown – 294 Assassinated by Demetrius I.

Dynastic conflicts (294–272 BC)

Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
Demetrius I "Poliorcetes"	294 – 288	Proclaimed king by army in Larissa following Alexander V's assassination; son of the diadochos Antigonus and brother-in-law of Cassander through Phila	January/February 336 – 282 Surrendered to Seleucus I Nicator in 285, died of illness in captivity a few years later.
' Pyrrhus of Epirus	288 – 284	Usurped throne following joint invasion of Macedonia with Lysimachus and Ptolemy; non-dynastic.	– 272 Killed at the Battle of Argos.
Lysimachus	287 – 281	Ruled only the eastern half of the kingdom until 284 when he seized the whole of Macedonia; non-dynastic.	– 281 Killed at the Battle of Corupedium.
Ptolemy "Ceraunus"	281 – 279	Assassinated Seleucus before he entered Macedon and was proclaimed king at Lysimachia; son of Ptolemy I Soter.	– February 279 Captured and beheaded by an invading Celtic army.
Meleager	279	Elected king following the death of Ceraunus; son of Ptolemy I Soter.	Unknown Deposed by Macedonians after accusations of inadequacy
Antipater II "Etesias"	279	Elected king following Meleager's removal; nephew of Cassander	Unknown Removed by Sosthenes for failing to lead the army.
Sosthenes	279 – 277	Strategos and de facto king of Macedon, but refused royal title despite election; non-dynastic	Unknown – 277 Died of natural causes.
' Antigonus II "Gonatas"	277 – 274	Seized Macedonia by the middle of 276 in the chaos that followed the death of Sosthenes; son of Demetrius I and son-in-law of Seleucus I Nicator	319 – 239 Died of natural causes.
' Pyrrhus of Epirus'''	274 – 272	Retook Thessaly and the interior of Macedonia, but remained unable to oust Antigonus from the coastal areas	– 272 Killed at the Battle of Argos.

Antigonid dynasty (272–168 BC)

Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
' Antigonus II "Gonatas"	272 – 239	Son of Demetrius I and son-in-law of Seleucus I Nicator	319 – 239 Died of natural causes.
Demetrius II	239 – 229	Son of Antigonus II	– 229 Defeated in battle by the Dardanians, died shortly after in unknown circumstances.
Antigonus III "Doson"	229 – 221	Chosen by "leading Macedonians" to rule first as regent for Philip and, then later, as king; grandson of Demetrius I and cousin of Demetrius II	– 221 Suffering from tuberculosis, Antigonus burst a blood vessel following a battle with the Illyrians and died some months later.
Philip V	221 – 179	Son of Demetrius II	239 – 179 Died suddenly of natural causes.
Perseus I'''	179 – 168	Son of Philip V	212 – 166 Surrendered to Aemilius Paullus following defeat at Pydna and imprisoned at Alba Fucens for the remainder of his life.

Non-dynastic rebel kings (150–93 BC)

Name	Reign	Succession	Life details
Andriscus	150 – 148	Claimed to be a son of Perseus	Unknown – 146 Executed during the triumph of Caecilius Metellus; last king to rule in Macedonia.
Pseudo-Alexander	147	Claimed to be a son of Perseus	Unknown Fled to Dardania following military defeat whereafter his fate is unknown.
Pseudo-Philip/Pseudo-Perseus	143	Rose against the Romans with 16,000 men; claimed to be the son of Perseus	Unknown – 143 Defeated, and presumably executed, by Lucius Tremellius Scrofa.
Euephenes	93	Styled himself as king, but apprehended before uprising began; claimed Antigonid Heritage	Unknown