Alexander Helios 34 BC

Alexander Helios, a son of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII, briefly figured as a pawn in Roman-Armenian politics during the power vacuum after Antony’s downfall. In 34 BC, at the celebratory spectacle known as the Donations of Alexandria, Antony had theatrically bestowed royal titles upon his children by Cleopatra. The four-year-old Alexander Helios was proclaimed “King of Armenia, Media, and Parthia” – grandiloquent honors meant to legitimize Antony’s Eastern conquests and stake a claim over Armenia and beyond. Of course, these were aspirational titles: at the time, Armenia was under Antony’s military control (its king Artavasdes II having been captured by Antony), but Parthia remained unconquered.

Antony’s intent was to install Alexander Helios as a client monarch in Armenia, cementing the Antony-Cleopatra dynasty’s influence. However, this plan unraveled swiftly. Following Antony’s defeat by Octavian at Actium (31 BC) and the annexation of Egypt in 30 BC, the boy-king never set foot on an Armenian throne. Instead, Octavian (soon to be Augustus) took custody of the child. In 30 BC, Alexander Helios, along with his twin sister Cleopatra Selene, was paraded in Octavian’s triumph in Rome – a living trophy symbolizing the submission of the East.

After this public display, Alexander Helios disappears from recorded history. Likely, he was raised quietly by Octavian’s sister (the triumphant Octavia) and died in obscurity; he certainly never ruled any kingdom. Meanwhile, Armenia in 30–20 BC went through its own convulsions: Artaxias II, a native heir, reclaimed the throne and turned against Rome, prompting Augustus to intervene and eventually install a more cooperative Artaxiad prince (Tigranes III) by 20 BC.

Thus, Alexander Helios’ royal appointment became a historical footnote – a diplomatic fiction that was never implemented.