ALEXANDER, tagus or despot of Pherae in Thessaly, ruled
from 369 to 358 B.C. His tyranny caused the Aleuadae of
Larissa to invoke the aid of Alexander II. of Macedon, whose
intervention was successful, but after his withdrawal Alexander
treated his subjects as cruelly as before. The Thessalians
now applied to Thebes; Pelopidas, who was sent to their
assistance, was treacherously seized and thrown into prison
(368), and it was necessary to send Epaminondas with a large
army to secure his release. Alexander's conduct caused renewed
intervention; in 364 he was defeated at Cynoscephalae by the
Thebans, although the victory was dearly bought by the loss
of Pelopidas, who fell in the battle. Alexander was at last
crushed by the Thebans, compelled to acknowledge the freedom
of the Thessalian cities and to limit his rule to Pherae, and
forced to join the Boeotian league. He was murdered by his
wife's brother at her instigation. Ancient accounts agree in
describing Alexander as a typically cruel and suspicious tyrant.
Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed