Ptolemy III Euergetes

Ptolemy III was born around 280 BC, eldest son of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe I. His mother's fall from grace cost him the succession in his youth, but he was restored as heir in the late 250s and took the throne without contest in 246 BC. He married Berenice II of Cyrenaica on his accession, folding her kingdom into Ptolemaic control. In the Third Syrian War (246-241 BC) he invaded Seleucid territory and won a near-total victory, only to abandon the campaign when revolt erupted back in Egypt. The aftermath pushed him closer to the Egyptian priesthood - the Canopus decree of 238 BC formalized the alliance and set the template for the dynasty's survival. His navy lost badly to the Antigonids at Andros around 246 BC, but he kept bankrolling their enemies in Greece until his death in late 222 BC, when his eldest son Ptolemy IV inherited an empire at its zenith.