# Perdiccas — History of the Peloponnesian War character guide

> Perdiccas in History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0002-book-i

## Snapshot

The Macedonian king who played Athens and Sparta against each other, trading alliances whenever his northern throne or his neighbors' ambitions demanded it.

## Who they are

Perdiccas rules Macedon from the war's northern edge, a kingdom too weak to dominate Greece but strong enough to tip local balances in Chalcidice and Thrace. His loyalty shifts with circumstance, and Athenian envoys find him alternately an ally, a nuisance, and a threat to their holdings in the region. He embodies the war's wider geography, showing that the conflict's outcome would be decided as much on the periphery as in the Aegean.

## Relationships

### [Brasidas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters/brasidas)

_professional_

Brasidas, the Spartan commander, allied with Perdiccas, the Macedonian king, as a military partner against Athens, though their cooperation was often strained by Perdiccas's shifting loyalties.

## In the story

### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/ii)

King of Macedonia, initially an ally of Athens but becomes an enemy, inciting revolts among Chalcidians and Bottiaeans.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/viii)

Macedonian king who secretly sends a thousand Macedonians to support the Peloponnesians and later negotiates with Sitalces, securing a retreat through bribery.

### [XIV: Eighth and Ninth Years of the War — Invasion of Boeotia — Fall of Amphipolis — Brilliant Successes of Brasidas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/chapters/xiv)

Friend of Niconidas from Larissa, mentioned as a contact for Brasidas during his Thessalian march.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters/perdiccas
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/history_of_the_peloponnesian_war_se/characters