When Alexander the Great took over Persian empire, he officialy married Darius's daughter Stateira II in 324 BC at Susa. It was a great wedding ceremony, where many officers of Alexander were married to noble Persians. Alexander's favorite Hephestion had as his bride Drypetis, sister of Stateira II.
Later, in 327 BC Alexander also married a Bactrian noble Roxana from Balkh province. Alexander professed his love for Roxana and took his new wife to accompany him during his military campaign in India.
After the end of campaign Hephestion died leaving Drypetis a widow. Within eight months after his death Alexander died too. Roxana was pregnant when king died and soon gave birth to posthumous son Alexander IV Aegus. The empire that Alexander built started collapsing, his generals were successfully tearing it apart. Thus Roxana and her son became the pawn in the intrigues of the generals.
In her own turn Roxana mercilessly murdered Stateira II and her sister Drypteis and ordered to throw their bodies into a well. For a while Alexander's mother Olympias managed to protect both Roxana and her son in Macedon. Yet soon Olympias were assassinated by the orders of Cassander in 316 who were seeking kingship over Macedon. In the end the surviving Alexander's generals signed the peace treaty recognized Alexander IV's rights and explicitly stated that when he came of age he would succeed Cassander as ruler.
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