Attal (commander)

Attal ( Greek: Άτταλος ; 390 BC - 336 BC ) - a noble Macedonian , military commander, close to Philip II , and then even his relative (uncle and guardian of the last wife of the king - Cleopatra ).

He provoked a quarrel between Philip and his son Alexander right at the wedding feast. This was one of the reasons for Alexander's exile first to Epirus , and then to Illyria . He had to command one of the armies sent by Philip to Persia . He was executed by Alexander shortly after the assassination of Philip, allegedly for inciting Athens to revolt against the new king. There is a version that Attal and Philip were rivals in love (they did not share a young man named Pausanias). Attal's other unseemly act is to abuse another Philip's lover - also Pausanias . This crime had terrible consequences for the king: Pausanias, not finding protection from Philip, who did not want to quarrel with a new relative, killed his former lover.

Attal was also a relative of Parmenion , another close Philip II. This fact became for Alexander, who had already become king, an additional reason at the first opportunity to get rid of Parmenion, who was very popular in the army, but in whose loyalty Alexander could not be completely sure.

Attal appears in both the Rossen film and the Stone film dedicated to Alexander the Great .