The conspiracy against Alexander the Great took place in 330 BC, it aimed to assassinate the famous commander.
New orders
During the period of the conquering eastern campaign of Tsar Alexander, democratic Greek and Macedonian customs smoothly replaced at his court with solemnly magnificent Persian ceremonies. Persians, who came to the king, usually bowed before him, then kissed, expressing the peak of their reverence, the tips of their fingers, and then prostrated themselves. Alexander the Great began to lobby for this ceremony among the freedom-loving and friendly Greeks and Macedonians. The king received in a huge luxurious tent, sat on an impressive golden throne. In turn, the tent was ideally guarded. Now Alexander's friends had to ask for an audience and participate in the royal reception, which turned into a magnificent but humiliating spectacle for them. Also, Alexander did not confine himself to attempts to force the Greeks and Macedonians to heed Persian customs,he contributed to the introduction of Greek customs in Persia. So he, having selected 30 thousand boys, ordered to teach them Greek letters and Macedonian military techniques. The children of Darius III, the last king of free Persia, also received education of such a vector.
Discontent of subjects
The Greeks who surrounded the king believed that Alexander turns into a Persian and forces the Greeks and Macedonians to become Persian-barbarians; and the fact that he turns into an oriental despot and wants to make free Greeks and Macedonians his slaves. The deification of Alexander also caused outrage, which created a deep chasm between him and his Greco-Macedonian entourage.
In this regard, both in the army and among Alexander's friends, discontented people appear who did not want to change their way of life. Among the most famous is the Crater, which deliberately remained faithful to the customs of the homeland. In turn, Alexander had information about fermentation in the army and was worried about it.
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Uncovering a conspiracy against Alexander
There was a conspiracy against Alexander, who quickly became known to him. It was revealed due to the excessive talkativeness of one of the participants, Dimna, who revealed the secret of his existence to his beloved Nicomachus. Dimn told Nikomakh that in three days Alexander would be killed, he himself took part in this plan, and noble men were also listed there. With threats and persuasion, Dimn obtained from the frightened Nikomakh a promise to be silent and join the conspiracy, at the same time, immediately after the meeting, Nikomakh went to his brother Kebalin and told him everything about what had happened, the brothers agreed that Nikomakh would stay in the tent, so that the conspirators would not do anything suspected. Kebalin decided to enter the tsar's tent, but decided not to wait for the first person he met. Such was Philotus, who stayed with Alexander. Kebalin told him about everything and asked him to immediately report to the king, Filota again went to Alexander, at the same time he said nothing and did not fulfill the request. Soon after meeting Filota Kebalin asked if he had fulfilled his request, to which Filota replied that “Alexander didn’t have time.” The next day, everything was repeated, and the behavior of Filota seemed suspicious to Kebalin, after which he went to Metron, who was in charge of the arsenal. Metron hid Kebalin at home, then immediately reported to Alexander (who was in the bathhouse) about the incident. Alexander immediately sent bodyguards to seize Dimna, he himself went to the arsenal for a personal conversation with Kebalin. Having received the information that Kebalin had at his disposal, Alexander asked how many days had passed since Nikomakh told about the conspiracy, and when he learned that the information was already the third day,he suspected something unkind and ordered the arrest of Kebalin. To which the arrested man began to assure that, having learned about the impending atrocity, he immediately rushed to Philotus. Alexander asked Kebalin about Philot for a long time and then, raising his hands to heaven, began to complain about the ingratitude of his once close comrade. At this time, Dimn either committed suicide or was killed by the prisoners. Standing over the dying man, Alexander asked:
Then came the proceedings with Filota and his father Parmenion. Alexander accused Parmenion of opposing the rise of absolutism.
Also, Alexander did not accept the beginning of his surveying with Philota, who, after defeating the Persians, began to wage feuds that were directed against the course of Alexander. Immediately after the death of Dimna, Alexander summoned Filota to him and invited him to refute the accusation, to which Filota decided to laugh it off:
Alexander pretended to accept the explanation, but immediately after Filota left, he summoned friends, into whose circle Filota was not invited this time. The prosecutor was Crater, a hater of Parmenion, according to his position, it was decided that one of the founders and the ideological inspirer of the conspiracy was Filota. Then the investigation began, about which Alexander ordered everyone to be silent.
Consideration of the case of Filota
The next day they announced a campaign; Filota, as if nothing had happened, was invited to the royal feast, and Alexander had a friendly conversation with him there. Meanwhile, all the exits from the camp and the roads were occupied by soldiers. In the middle of the night, Alexander's friends - Hephaestion, Crater, Ken (Philota's son-in-law), Erygius, as well as Perdiccas and Leonnatus, who belonged to the detachment of bodyguards - appeared in the royal tent. To arrest his "friend" Alexander sent a detachment of 300 men under the command of Atarius, the son of Deinomen. They took Philota in bed and chained, with his head closed, took him to Alexander's tent.
The next morning, Alexander ordered all his soldiers to be summoned with weapons: he decided, in accordance with Macedonian custom, to present the case of Philota to the army. With the assembled army, Alexander directly accused Parmenion and Filota of organizing a conspiracy, his position was also supported by the authoritative Aminta and Ken. Then Philota spoke, who could not skillfully defend himself. The soldiers demanded the execution of Filota.
At night, at the request of Hephaestion, Craterus and Ken, Filota was tortured, during which Filota said that in Egypt, when Alexander's divinity was declared, Parmenion and Hegeloch (who died in the battle of Gaugamela) agreed to kill Alexander, but only after Darius III is destroyed, then Filota was forced to take part in the conspiracy. Now it is difficult to judge to what extent the testimony, beaten out under the most severe torture, corresponded to reality. Plutarch called the accusations against Filota "myriads of slander." At the same time, Philotus did not inform the king about the impending conspiracy, and therefore he had every reason to execute both Philotus and his father Parmenion.
Alexander was personally present at the torture of Filota. He lay behind the curtain, listened to the testimony and said "being so cowardly, Filota, and a coward, are you encroaching on such things?"
The next day, at a meeting of warriors, where they brought Filota, who himself could no longer walk because of the multiplicity and severity of the tortures carried out on him, his testimony was read out. After that, Demetrius, also accused of complicity, was presented to the court of the army. Demetrius stubbornly denied all charges and demanded torture for himself. Exhausted Filota, fearing that the executioners would torment him again in order to knock out information about Demetrius's participation in the conspiracy, began to call Kalis, who was standing nearby. Calis refused to answer, after which Filota said: "Will you really allow Demetrius to lie, and I would be tortured again." Surprised gazes were directed at Calis, and suddenly, unable to withstand the tension, he confessed: both he and Demetrius were plotting the murder of Alexander.
Results, consequences
A meeting of soldiers sentenced the accused to death; according to Macedonian custom, all of them, including Filota, were stoned and thrown with darts by the soldiers. Also executed was the Lynxian Alexander, who had been imprisoned for three years before. Amynta, son of Andromenes, a friend of Filota, because of this, involved in the conspiracy process, was acquitted and then released from custody. Then, already in Media, Parmenion was brutally killed by Alexander's order, and his head was sent to Alexander.
By removing Filota, Parmenion and other participants in the conspiracy, the king partially achieves the goal. The opposition was intimidated for some time, but unnecessary fermentation began in the army.