Athens was forced to renounce her democratic constitution and restrict political decision-making to the richer citizens (Antipater felt that the Athenian mob had been led to rebel by a populist demagogue called Demosthenes – who committed suicide at this time – and that they did not have the judgement necessary to make sound decisions in their city’s true interests).eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'timemaps_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_5',115,'0','0'])); In the power vacuum which followed Alexander’s death it was inevitable that the Successors, who now controlled different parts of Alexander’s empire, should fall to fighting one another. By this time, however, a new power was beginning to cast its shadow over Macedonia and Greece. Pyrrhus expanded his kingdom into southern Illyria and absorbed several provinces such as Amphilochia, Parauaea, and Tymphaea which bordered with Macedonia. He also made a large donation to the Aetolians, Pyrrhus' main allies in Greece. "[36][37] While his army was being transported by ship to mainland Italy, Pyrrhus' navy was destroyed by the Carthaginians at the Battle of the Strait of Messina, with 98 warships sunk or disabled out of 110. Pyrrhus became king of the Molossians and leader of the Epirote confederacy for the second time, and acted as Ptolemy's watchdog in Europe, guarding the Egyptian interests against Cassander of Macedonia. For three more years, Pyrrhus waged war on the Greek mainland – fighting various foes such as Macedonia, Sparta and Argos. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pyrrhus, Pyrrhus - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). In 310 BCE Cassander had Alexander the Great’s son, Alexander IV, and his widow, Roxanne, murdered, bringing to a brutal end the royal dynasty which had ruled Macedonia for so many centuries. At this point, Samnite and Tarentine envoys reached Pyrrhus and informed him that of all the Greek cities in Italy, only Tarentum had not been conquered by Rome. They then withdrew. Following his victory at Ausculum, Pyrrhus found himself without many of the key officers and soldiers who had ventured with him from Epirus barely two years earlier – men whose quality could not be matched by his allies in southern Italy. While Pyrrhus had been campaigning against the Carthaginians, the Romans had rebuilt their army by calling up thousands of fresh recruits. Plutarch has Pyrrhus retort to a friend’s congratulations on his victory, "One more victory like that over the Romans will destroy us completely!" – All the World’s history, at your fingertips –. A little later Pyrrhus’s son, Alexander II, repeated his father’s feat of almost occupying Macedonia, but was soon expelled.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'timemaps_com-box-4','ezslot_1',116,'0','0'])); Thereafter Antigonus was secure in his rule of Macedonia. He would go down in history as Alexander the Great.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'timemaps_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',114,'0','0'])); Alexander died unexpectedly in Babylon, in 323 BCE. Lysimachus started a propaganda campaign in which he appealed to the patriotism of the Macedonians serving Pyrrhus. In his Life of Pyrrhus, Plutarch records that Hannibal ranked him as the greatest commander the world had ever seen, though in the Life of Titus Quinctius Flamininus, Plutarch writes that Hannibal placed him second after Alexander the Great. At first Pyrrhus reigned with a kinsman, Neoptolemus, but soon he had his colleague assassinated. [25], In 285 BC, Demetrius was defeated by Seleucus. Cassander sent an army under his brother Philip who defeated Aeacides in two battles. The Athenians thanked Pyrrhus, they erected a bust to him and allowed him into the city for the celebrations. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/pyrrhus/. He was opposed by men like Cassander of Macedonia, Seleucus of Babylonia, and Ptolemy of Egypt, who were attempting to gain independence. Once Carthage had been decisively defeated, the Romans prepared for a more substantial reckoning. Pyrrhus invaded Macedonia in 294 and restored the balance of power between the two brothers. Sooner or later, the Greek cities in southern Italy would have to face this new power. Please support Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation. Pyrrhus tried to wrest Campania from the Romans, but was thwarted in this by the reinforced army of Laevinus. Sparta, under its remarkable king Cleomenes III (reigned 235-222 BCE), had undertaken a root and branch reform of its institutions which enabled it to rebuild its military strength. Thank you! Both successes were widely lauded for Pyrrhus’ military ability. For two months he launched unsuccessful assaults on the city, until finally he realized he could not mount an effective siege without blockading it from the sea as well. When the mutineers arrived in Epirus they caused a rebellion against their absent king and Aeacides was dethroned. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 15 Mar 2016. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Aeacides was a cousin of Olympias, making Pyrrhus a second-cousin-once-removed to Alexander the Great. In 281 Tarentum (in southern Italy) asked for Pyrrhus’s assistance against Rome. Meanwhile, in Greece, many of the city-states were banding themselves together into leagues to defend themselves against the marauding armies of the Successors. In 298, Cassander had died, leaving the throne to his son Philip IV, who had died within two months (of natural causes). In 317 BC, when Pyrrhus was only two, Olympias requested Aeacides' support yet again and he marched on Macedon a second time. Mark is a history writer based in Italy. What if Pyrrhus had gone to Macedonia and took the throne in 280 BCE instead of going to Sicily? Pyrrhus personal enmity against Demetrius might have played an additional role in his decision to join the allies. With his camp overrun, the loss of most of his elephants, and an enemy able to withstand enormous losses and still take the field again, it was time for Pyrrhus to leave Italy.

In its place they set up four republics. 6 Key Battles in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Pyrrhus sailed back to Greece having lost two-thirds of the army he had first taken to Italy. From a classical Greek point of view, the northwest of Greece was inhabited by a bunch of barbarian tribes, in which the fifth-century sources are nor really interested. Pyrrhus (also Pyrrhos or Phyrrhus, c. 319 - 272 BCE ) was the king of Epirus in northern Greece between 306 and 302 BCE and again between 297 and 272 BCE.

After a brief foray into Macedonia where he infamously looted the tombs at Aegae, in 273 BCE he made his base in the Peloponnese from where he hoped to wrest the throne of Macedon from Antigonas II Gonatas. Pyrrhus commanded 40,000 troops at best. Pyrrhus would establish his reputation as a great commander not via the complicated machinations of the Successor Wars but through his victories against the Mediterranean’s rising new power - Rome. After returning to his army in mainland Greece, Demetrius planned to invade Epirus. Pyrrhus in Macedonia – Notes, Tess Lambert, 2018 Page 2 of 8 4 Diadochi or Successor Wars – by which 4 generals gain control over Alexander’s Empire – for 4 years. Furthermore Pyrrhus made himself very unpopular in Macedon by allowing his Gauls to plunder the tombs of the Macedonian kings at Aegae.[41]. Due to the large losses suffered during his battles he has famously given his name to the expression a ‘Pyrrhic victory’ which refers to any military success which comes at a high cost to the victor. Various battles throughout the ages have come to be defined as Pyrrhic victories – perhaps most famously the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American War of Independence. When the Macedonian army heard their homeland was being overrun by Pyrrhus they turned on Demetrius. When the Sicilians became unhappy about these contributions he had to resort to compulsory contributions and force to keep them in line. His second wife Lannasa, daughter of Agathocles the self proclaimed king of Sicily, deserted him. Pyrrhus launched a new campaign in Greece before he had finished Antigonus off, and this enabled Antigonus to reoccupy Macedonia. Unable to replenish his Epirote losses, Pyrrhus soon left southern Italy without any permanent gains against Rome. © 2020 TimeMaps Ltd. All Rights Reserved. He already controlled many Greek cities, had added Macedonia, and obtained Thessaly and several states in Central Greece in 293. In the end, the Romans lost 6,000 men and Pyrrhus 3,500 including many officers. How Did Mercia Become One of the Most Powerful Kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. Antigonus’ son, Demetrius II (239-229 BCE), however, defeated an alliance of the Leagues soon after his accession, and conducted an aggressive policy of expansion in those parts of Greece not under the control of the Leagues. [40] He then waited for an opportunity to reclaim his kingdom while Pyrrhus was already looking for another war to fight. This eventually provoked rebellion and Pyrrhus fled back to the Italian mainland. The campaign was successful.

In these battles Pyrrhus employed several innovations. [39], Antigonus managed to hold on to a number of coastal cities. Pyrrhus' family fled north and took refuge with Glaukias of the Taulantians, one of the largest Illyrian tribes.

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