Ptolemy IV Philopator

Ptolemy IV inherited Ptolemaic Egypt in 221 BC after a succession purge gutted the royal family and left real power with his courtiers Sosibius and Agathocles. The Fourth Syrian War against the Seleucids consumed his early reign, ending in 217 BC at Raphia - a decisive victory and one of the Hellenistic Age's biggest clashes. After that the grip loosened: southern Egypt broke away under the rebel pharaoh Hugronaphor, and ancient writers painted Ptolemy as a man more drawn to ceremony and luxury than to the work of ruling. He died under mysterious circumstances in 204 BC, succeeded by his young son under the same courtiers' regency. The dynasty's long decline is generally dated from his years on the throne.