What if Hephaestion had lived ?

[susan]

A question for those interested in the Wars of Succession : Suppose Hephaestion had not died in 324. When Alexander died in June 323, he would have handed his ring to Hephaestion, not Perdiccas. Would Hephaestion have managed any better than Perdiccas at keeping the empire together ? My feeling is that it would have been more-or-less the same outcome - what do other people think ?
Susan

[stavros]

i thought Hephaistion was a softie? indicating someone who is not strong enough to take control of the Hellenistic empire after the king's death.

[agesilaos]

I think Alexander summed it up when he told him 'Without me you are nothing'. I doubt he would have been long in following Alexander to the grave.

[neneh]

Greetings,I don't think history would've changed much if Hephaistion would have been alive when Alexander died. I think the key is the difference between "philalexandros" compared to "philobasileus"- i.e. Hephaistion was mainly the friend of Alexander the person, as opposed to Alexander the king, and his military/governing ability was secondary to that of his role as Alexander's closest friend. So I must say I don't think Alexander would have handed the ring to Hephaistion. Kindest regards,Neneh

[sandraa]

Well, as far as I think he was more diplomat than warrior. And on this ground I would like to say that maybe he could be able to keep the empire united- with the exception of India.

[marcus]

My view is that Alexander *would* have named Hephaistion as his successor. Hephaistion would then have been killed very quickly by the other marshals, or if he survived for a bit longer then the others would have been more cohesive until he *was* got rid of... and then it would have panned out pretty much as things did.All the bestMarcus

[chris]

HiI think he would have been despatched before the night was out. Chris

[h1bs]

I think Alexander would have appointed him
his successor
Mainly to try & assure that his mother , wife
child AND HIS FRIEND would not be murdered
by a new hegemony.
He would have had nothing to lose by annointing
his friend and who knows maybe we underestimate Hephaestion.

[neneh]

I agree that Hephaistion is sometimes underestimated and just thought of as someone with limited military ability who shouldn't have been where he was. I think he was good at what he was doing and he was more than the king's toyboy.
But he was also subject to a lot of jealousy, envy and controversy, and I think that _if_ Alexander would have named him as his successor, Hephaistion would've been dead sooner rather than later.Regards,Neneh

[susan]

I've always seen Hephaestion as an Alistair Campbell-like figure - that is, Alexander's spin-doctor. I think that Alexander would have given his ring to him - he was chiliarch after all, but Hephaestion would have known his limitations and have set up some power-sharing arrangement with the major generals very quickly. However, in the long run it would probably have worked out much the same - he would have lost power and probably his life.He may have been able to protect the Persian royal family better, as they were closely allied in marriage to him. It would have been interesting to see which way his loyalties lay.Susan

[gb]

"I've always seen Hephaestion as an Alistair Campbell-like figure - that is, Alexander's spin-doctor."Now there's a slur on his reputation... Actually, I get the impression he probably _didn't_ have the same kind of political instincts as good old AC (and likeable as Campbell is outside of the political arena I count that as a compliment to Hephaestion). And even Cambell got removed as a liability by Blair's "friends" (ie partymembers) in the end.If Hephaestion had been stronger, he could have helped put in place a better structure of government whil Alexander was still alive, which in turn might have made him more secure after Alexander's death.

[jan]

This question intrigued me because I believe had Hephaestion lived, then so would Alexander have continued to live, and they would all have gone on to conquer Saudia Arabia and made a return to Pella.HOwever, having read so many comments, I must say that had Hephaestion survived beyond Alexander that he would have been the one to whom Alexander would have designated leader as he was second to Alexander.I believe that the deaths of the two men are interrelated as some believe that each was a part of one another. Arthur Weigall has called Hephaestion Alexander's twin soul.

[alexanders desciple]

This post ties in with my conclusion that Alexander was murdered.Had Hephaestion survive Alexander and prosphered in his oen right, I am sure he would have continued where Alexander left off, he would be regent and protector of the legitimate heir to the throne Alexanders infant son.I am sure he was dedicated to Alexander and am sure Alexander would have been aware of the mans loyalty and left his ring to him.
It ties into my murder theory in that if Alexander was to be killed then so had his most trusted friend to be sure Alexanders wishes were irradicated, both these men died in similar unexplained ways.it dont take a genious to think that some one wanted them both out of the way,then the kingdom of Macedonia would be claimed by those who had no right, with Hephaestion and Alexander dead then the rest of Alexanders kin could be got rid of as they actually were.Cassander and Antipater had no legitamate claim to Macedonia,they were regents and as such obliged to keep it safe for the time when Alexanders son the true heir to the throne come to power, not in any way sshape or form have the ckild killed.regardsAlexes desciple

[marcus]

I don't think that either Hephaistion's or Alexander's deaths were 'unexplained' in any way. We might not know exactly what caused them, but that's after 23 centuries with no primary sources. Of course there are many viewpoints, but my own belief is that there was nothing sinister in either death.Anyway, Hephaistion died some months before Alexander. If they were both murdered by the same people/faction, then that indicates a tremendous amount of planning... but anyway, why kill Hephaistion first? There was no guarantee that he would be named Alexander's successor (although it seems likely), and once Alexander was dead his enemies would not have required much subterfuge to get rid of him.All the bestMarcus

[dean]

Hi,
Excellent what if scenario... and may I also thank you for drawing my attention to your synopsis of the documentary on discovery channel that appeared in another thread.Here is my 50 cents worth.I think that as Renault has pointed out, Hephaestion was never defeated. He was a very capable commander and not Alexander's second in command just out of being best mates.My opinion is he would not have enlarged the empire and yet I think that he would have done far more to hold it all together.Best regards,
Dean.