Eumenes has to be a very interesting person among all the generals during Alexander the Greats time. He was secretary to his father and later accountant/general to Alexander. He seems very capable to catch the eye of Phillip and seems like an intelligent person during his life and seems important enough to be mentioned in Plutarchs Parallel Lives and met a sad ending.
I have a few questions about him and also what Alexnader himself mightve thought of him.
What Ive been reading, mostly wiki and google searches, that while Alexander was alive he was on conflicting odds with Hephaestion. Do we know why?
After Alexanders death he allied with Perdiccas, regent of the empire, and was war with Craterus, one of Alexanders body guards and generals. This seems he was very strategically and tactically knowledgeable to take on such a veteran. Did this cause any tension between Eumenes and his troops who might be wondering why their fighting their own generals or were they considered traitors for seeking their own power.
After Perdiccas is assassinated by his own troops, Eumenes allies with the next regent, Polyperchon. Were these power moves or was he really actually trying to restore power to the royal family? A just cause I think but what seems to be a vain attempt considering the many enemies.
Ive read he was cunning foe and borrowed money from enemies and allies alike, which secured his position as if he died they wouldnt be paid back. His track record at also defeating previous generals of Alexanders and also able to not sustain a grevious defeat while on the run from much large foes for years seems he was capable in many ways but was betrayed by incompetence and duplicity. Given up by his own men and captured by Antigonus.
Do we have any reliable sources about these battles and any of his other achievements in detail up until his death?
What would have Alexander thought of him as a secretary and general?
EG Bear
I've been doing some reading on this period this summer and have some input.
I'd probably start with Plutarch's Life of Alexander just to provide context and then read his Life of Eumenes. Some people may find it pretty dense, but I find his moral commentary great fun and they're both short.
The book I came to recommend is 'Ghost on the Throne' by J. Romm. This is a great book on the period right after the death of Alexander. It's a really gripping read and Eumenes is mentioned a lot throughout the work.
Finally, I'm wrapping up this period with 'The Hellenistic Age' by Peter Green. This is only ~100 pages and deals with the 300 years after the death of Alexander. I have a feeling it will be a nice coda to all the material noted above.
FYI - He wrote a much larger book called 'Alexander to Actium' which is probably the best english language history of this period. But at 1,000 pages I fear I would never finish it.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to Dan Carlin and the Hardcore History podcast - who produced an episode called the Macedonian Soap Opera a few years ago which dealt specifically with this topic. He's always great. It's for sale for like $2.
Enjoy