Lanassa (wife of Pyrrhus)

Lanassa (c. 300s BC) was a Greek princess and the first wife of Pyrrhus, King of Epirus. She was the daughter of Agathocles, the tyrant of Syracuse, and his wife, Theoxena.

Lanassa's marriage to Pyrrhus was politically motivated. Agathocles sought an alliance with Pyrrhus to strengthen his position in Sicily and against the Carthaginians. The marriage brought with it the island of Corcyra (modern Corfu) as her dowry, a strategically important possession for Pyrrhus.

Lanassa bore Pyrrhus two sons: Alexander II and Helenus.

The marriage was not to last. Lanassa, reportedly dissatisfied with Pyrrhus' polygamous lifestyle and his frequent absences on military campaigns, left him. She fled to Corcyra and then offered herself and the island to Demetrius Poliorcetes, King of Macedon. Demetrius accepted, took control of Corcyra, and married Lanassa.

The date of Lanassa's death is unknown. She played a significant, though brief, role in the power struggles of the Hellenistic period. Her actions demonstrate the influence and agency that some women, even in antiquity, could wield within the context of political alliances and royal marriages.