Seleukos II

Seleukos II (306 - 233 BC) was the son of Antiochos I. He was succeeded by his son Onomastos I.

Family
Seleukos was the son of Antiochos I and married his aunt, and father's sister, Isidora. At a banquet Neoptolemos, son of Achaios, tried poisoning Herophilos in an effort to advance his own claim to the throne.

Antiochos' war against the Antigonids
Antiochos I died while on campaign against the Antigonids, leaving it to Seleukos to finish the war. Not much of a man for war, prefering to indulge himself in court life, his support the war was waivering until his advisors convinced him to continue the war after the Battle of Apameia Orontou, and successfully claimed the Antigonid cities along the Phoenician coast.

Domestic policies
The war against the Antigonids supplied the Seleukids with a huge number of slaves taken during the campaigns. A large portion of these were sent to work the quarries of Garamea to supply Seleukos with the marble and stone for his grandiose building plans for Seleukeia.

Under Antiochos I the empire had seen a large population growth, largely due to excellent weather. By Seleukos' reign the bumper crops had ended and the population explosion was taking its toll. Seleukos' reign would see frequent famines around the empire. A structural sollution could not be found, partly because resources were needed elsewhere. A program to improve farming across the realm was implemented, as was a program to stimulate trade between food rich and food deficit regions was implemented. However hunger would remain a problem during Seleukos' reign.

The grand expense of all his building problems resulted in regular shortfalls, slowing down construction.

The Plot against Seleukos
Relations between Antiochos' wife Zosime and Seleukos were tense, as she saw in him an obstacle for her own children to inherent. In the late 260s BC she hatched a plot to have him poisened. While the plot was discovered and she was imprisoned, she was successful in having Seleukos poisoned. He manage to survive the attempt, though it took years for him to recover.