pothos.org

Hi everyone,I was wondering if anyone knew if the Macedonians used any special titles to adress Philip and Alexander. Addressing an English King you might have finished your sentence with "Sire" or "your Majesty". Do you think there was a Macedonian equivalent or would someone have just used "my lord"? I'm interested because they had a monarchy so might have wanted to show more respect, but at the same time my impression is that Philip's court at least seemed pretty informal.Cheers,
Kate

A brief perusal of Plutarch yeilds only basileu - O King - even after his megalomania in the East; although Anaxarchus is reported to have called him the son of Zeus in one story (28 ii) he is a flattering Greek not a Macedonian.

I have always understood that personal names were de rigeur - as indeed it was (for the top echelons of society) in Anglo-Saxon England and even under the Norman and Angevin kings. One of the few things that really grated about the Stone movie was the way in which Philip and Alexander were both called "Your Majesty" on not a few occasions.Did you know that English kings didn't become "Majestic" until Henry VIII? So when you hear a king being called "Maj" in a film set prior to 1509, they've got it wrong!ATBMarcus

That's not to say that the 'commoners' didn't probably use some sort of honorific - we're talking here about the Companions (ie. the aristocrats). Back to the Medieval period - only the highest barons would have been able to call the king by his christian name, and they wouldn't in a public setting - for most of the period it tended to be "your grace".ATBMarcus

I once read an article that said that Philip did not pretend to be more than an ordinary Macedonian nobleman, nad in fact was coverup that he had reached an extraordinary position. The author stated that there were no inscriptions that referred to Philip as basileus. This title was introduced by Alexander; if I recall correctly, the first inscription that mentions Alexander as king is the founding inscription of the temple of Athena Polias in Priene. Unfortunately, I do not remember author and title of the article.HM

Maybe "Votre Majeste" would have been more apt?

I don't think their is any (reliable) source on how Philip and Alexander were addressed. Furthermore, the nature of Argead monarchy and everything related to it is hotly debated, but most likely no Argead ever used a title before the battle of Gaugamela, when Alexander probably styled himself king.a lot has been written about this, e.g.:R.M. ERRINGTON, 'Macedonian "Royal Style" and its Historical Significance', Journal of Hellenic Stucies 94 (1974), pp. 20-37.L. MOOREN, "The Nature of the Hellenistic Monarchy", in E. VAN 'T DACK et al. (eds.), Egypt and the Hellenistic World. Proceedings of the International Colloquium, Leuven 24-26 May 1982 (Studia Hellenistica 27), Leuven 1983, pp. 205-240.if you want I can give more references, but I don't have much time now.regards,abm

Hi again,Thanks to all for the info posted.Marcus, I did know that "Your Majesty" was a Tudor invention. In fact, I seem to remember reading somewhere that Henry VII invented it 'cos he was keen on demanding respect due to his rather shaky claim to the throne!Alexander, thanks for the refs. I will try to look them up if I get time, but as my question was prompted by sheer curiosity I don't want to delve too deeply so I don't need any more refs. thanks.Cheers,
Kate