Scerdilaidas
Encyclopedia
Scerdilaidas was an Illyria
n king of the Ardiaean Kingdom. Before taking the throne Scerdilaidas was commander of the Illyrian armies and played a major role in the Illyrian Wars
against the Romans.
Scerdilaidas was one of the youngest brothers of Agron and father of Pleuratus III
and grandfather of Gentius. Scerdilaids took part in many expeditions in the Ionian and Aegean
with Demetrius and his brother-in-law Amyna
. During his early reign Scerdilaidas was an ally of Rome. In 217 BC Scerdilaidas later adopted Roman rule and became an enemy of Macedonia for parleying with Rome. With the Romans preoccupied in their war with the Carthage
, Philip V of Macedon sought to take southern Illyria
from Skerdilaidas and made several advancements into the Ardiaean State from 214 BC
to 210 BC. However, Philip had more than just the Romans to worry about.
Macedon was a hated presence in the Mediterranean and so the Aetolians and the Dardanians under Longarus
joined with Skerdilaidas to defeat Philip V in 208 BC
. With no chance of victory, the Macedonian king accepted peace in 205 BC. Unlike most other Illyrian kings of which there is only sparse data, Scerdilaidas is mentioned in the writings of the historian Appian
, Livy
and Polybius
, and in their chronicles of the Roman and Greek wars.
. He was one of the leading supporters of Queen Teuta when she took under the regency of Pinnes. He played a determining role in the plans of Teuta to create an Adriatic front against Rome. Under the reign of Teuta, Scerdilaidas was the commander a large land force of 5,000 during the invasion of Epirus
in 230 BC. Scerdilaidas marched south through the pass at Antigoneia to assist Teuta's forces at the Epirote capital of Phoenice
. News that Scerdilaidas was on his way caused the Epirotes to send part of their forces north to secure the city. After initial Illyrian success, Epirus begged assistance from the Greek Leagues, while Teuta's army, having joined up with the force under Scerilaidas, marched inland to Halicranum deep in the heart of Epirus,in the plain of modern Ioannina
. Scerdilaidas chose a good position and prepared the army for battle against the Leagues the next day which they believed would win. Orders to withdraw arrived from Teuta because some of the revolting Illyrians within the Ardiaean State had joined the influential Dardanian State under Longarus
who wanted to invade the northern regions of Teuta's state. Scerdilaidas was forced to return backwards and secure the Araeian State's northern borders from Longarus. As Scerdilaidas marched north Teuta secured a peace treaty in favor of the Aradaeian State. While still in Epirus Scerdilaidas lead a fleet of lembi in the Ionian and swept through Corfu and Onchesmos and intercepted and plundered some merchant vessels of Rome
.
After the defeat of Teuta during the First Illyrian War in 228 BC, young Pinnes
, formally a ruler of the state under Teuta's regency, was confirmed to remain king of a limited Ardiaean State by the victorious Romanans. Soon the regency was taken over by Demetrius of Pharos
, who married Pinnes's mother, Triteuta
, the divorced wife of his brother Agron. This happened most probably without consent of Rome, even if Demetrius was its ally.
Demetrius and Scerdilaidas made a joint expedition in down the Ionian coast to the Peloponnese
with ninety lembi, and thus Demetrius violated the treaty with Rome. After an assault on Pylos
in the western Peloponnese had failed they separated their forces, Demetrius taking his chances in plundering the Cyclades while Scerdilaidas returned north. They then separated their forces, Demetrius with fifty ships sailed on a raiding expedition in the Aegean
, while Scerdilaiads with the remaining forty ships agreed to support the Aetolians in an invasion of the Achaean League. On putting in at Naupactus, Scerdilaidas was encouraged by his broth-in-law Amynas, king of the Athamanes, to join the in the planned invasion of Achaea
. Scerdilaidas and his allies also attacked but failed to take Cleitor. While Scedilaidas collaborated with the Aetolians, Demetrius was persuaded to assist the Macedonian cause against Aetolia on his return via the Isthmus of Corinth
. Demetrius returned to the Ardiaean State and began to revive Illyrian power however he was beaten by the Romans in 219 BC during the Second Illyrian War.
at the time, did not intervene. In 220 BC Scerdialias entered into an alliance with Philip V
of Macedon in that year. Scerdilaidas had aided Philip during the Social War
against the Spartans but this produced little profit for him. Scerdilaidas' support for Macedon against the Aetolians was curtailed by 'plots and conflicts' caused by rulers of various cities.
In 217 BC
, Scerdilaidas ceased his support of Philip V, maintaining that a promised subsidy was unpaid and long overdue. He dispatched 15 ships, ostensibly to collect and escort the payment, but at the island of Leucas
south of Corcyra his forces killed two of Philip's Corinth
ian friends and seized their four ships. Scerdilaidas' fleet then sialed south and began to plunder shipping around Cape Malea in the southern Peloponnese. In response Philip prepared a strong naval force of twelve deched-ships, eight open vessels and thirty hemioliae, which headed south at full speed to deal with Scerdiliadas. This counterattck by Philip was two slow and missed it's targets. Scerdilaidas went on to march into Dassaratia, takings several cities and invading parts of western Macedonia. He looted Pissaeum in Pelagonia and overran some frontier districts of Philip.Before the winter Philip had occupied the area of Lyncesta, cutting of direct route from Illyria
, and extended his power to Dassaretia. Philip was planning an invasion of Illyria, however there he would face not only the lembi of Scerdilaidas but also the heavier warships of the Roman navy.
. Influenced by Demetrius, Philip's first target was the Illyrian coast. In 216 BC he had built a fleet of one hundred light warships, using Illyrian shipwrights. He led his fleet around the Peloponnese into the Adriatic, gambling that Rome, deep in the Hannibal crisis, would not intervene. Scerdilaidas appealed for help and the Romans sent ten heavy quinqueremes from Sicily
. Philip fled and the invasion of Illyria was avoided for the moment. Twice thwarted in attempts at invasion of Illyria by sea, and now constrained by Laevinus' fleet in the Adriatic, Philip spent the next two years 213–212 BC making advances in Illyria by land. Keeping clear of the coast, he took the inland towns of Atintania, and Dimale
, and subdued the tribe of the Dassaretae
and the Illyrian Parthini and the southern part of the Ardiaean State.
Scerdilaidas with his son Pleuratus III
, Longarus
of the Dardanian State and Epirus, together with the Aetolian League allied with each other in accordance to Rome's response. During the conflict, Scerdilaidas fought to recover the lands lost during First Illyrian War but the Treaty of Phoenice
in 205 BC formally acknowledged the favorable position of Macedonia, including the capture of the southern Illyrian communities.
He died sometime before the treaty in 205 BC as only his son Pleuratus III is listed among those present at Phoenice.
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
n king of the Ardiaean Kingdom. Before taking the throne Scerdilaidas was commander of the Illyrian armies and played a major role in the Illyrian Wars
Illyrian Wars
Illyrian Wars were a set of conflicts of 229 BC, 219 BC and 168 BC when Rome overran the Illyrian settlements and suppressed the piracy that had made the Adriatic unsafe for Italian commerce. There were three campaigns, the first against Teuta, the second against Demetrius of Pharos and the third...
against the Romans.
Scerdilaidas was one of the youngest brothers of Agron and father of Pleuratus III
Pleuratus III
Pleuratus III was an Illyrian king of the Ardiaean Kingdom. Pleuratus was the son of Scerdilaidas and nephew of the powerful Agron of Illyria. He bore the same name as his grandfather, Pleuratus II, and his son Gentius was the last king of the Ardiaean State...
and grandfather of Gentius. Scerdilaids took part in many expeditions in the Ionian and Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
with Demetrius and his brother-in-law Amyna
Amyna
Amyna is a genus of moths of the Noctuidae family.-Species:* Amyna acuta Berio, 1960* Amyna albiloba * Amyna amplificans * Amyna apicalis * Amyna apicipuncta...
. During his early reign Scerdilaidas was an ally of Rome. In 217 BC Scerdilaidas later adopted Roman rule and became an enemy of Macedonia for parleying with Rome. With the Romans preoccupied in their war with the Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
, Philip V of Macedon sought to take southern Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
from Skerdilaidas and made several advancements into the Ardiaean State from 214 BC
214 BC
Year 214 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verrucosus and Marcellus...
to 210 BC. However, Philip had more than just the Romans to worry about.
Macedon was a hated presence in the Mediterranean and so the Aetolians and the Dardanians under Longarus
Longarus
Longarus was an Illyrian king of the Dardanian Kingdom. Longarus was at war with various Macedonian kings and managed to conquer at different times part of Macedonia. Longarus was an ally of the Paeonian State and liberated the Paeonians in order to open the routes towards Macedonia...
joined with Skerdilaidas to defeat Philip V in 208 BC
208 BC
Year 208 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marcellus and Crispinus...
. With no chance of victory, the Macedonian king accepted peace in 205 BC. Unlike most other Illyrian kings of which there is only sparse data, Scerdilaidas is mentioned in the writings of the historian Appian
Appian
Appian of Alexandria was a Roman historian of Greek ethnicity who flourished during the reigns of Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius.He was born ca. 95 in Alexandria. He tells us that, after having filled the chief offices in the province of Egypt, he went to Rome ca. 120, where he practised as...
, Livy
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
and Polybius
Polybius
Polybius , Greek ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his work, The Histories, which covered the period of 220–146 BC in detail. The work describes in part the rise of the Roman Republic and its gradual domination over Greece...
, and in their chronicles of the Roman and Greek wars.
Under Teuta
Scerdilaidas long before, one of the interior system leaders who determined Illyrian policy. He was the commander of the Illyrian army during the reign of his brother, Agron. Scerdilaidas also served under Teuta and even Demetrius of PharosDemetrius of Pharos
Demetrius of Pharos was a ruler of Pharos involved in the First Illyrian War, after which he ruled a portion of the Illyrian Adriatic coast on behalf of the Romans, as a Client king....
. He was one of the leading supporters of Queen Teuta when she took under the regency of Pinnes. He played a determining role in the plans of Teuta to create an Adriatic front against Rome. Under the reign of Teuta, Scerdilaidas was the commander a large land force of 5,000 during the invasion of Epirus
Epirus (ancient state)
Epirus was an ancient Greek state, located in the geographical region of Epirus, in the western Balkans. The homeland of the ancient Epirotes was bordered by the Aetolian League to the south, Thessalia and Macedonia to the east and Illyrian tribes to the north...
in 230 BC. Scerdilaidas marched south through the pass at Antigoneia to assist Teuta's forces at the Epirote capital of Phoenice
Phoenice
Phoenice or Phoenike was an ancient Greek city in Epirus and capital of the Chaonians. It was also the location of the Treaty of Phoenice which ended the First Macedonian War, as well as one of the wealthiest cities in Epirus until the Roman conquest. During the early Byzantine period, Phoenice...
. News that Scerdilaidas was on his way caused the Epirotes to send part of their forces north to secure the city. After initial Illyrian success, Epirus begged assistance from the Greek Leagues, while Teuta's army, having joined up with the force under Scerilaidas, marched inland to Halicranum deep in the heart of Epirus,in the plain of modern Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
. Scerdilaidas chose a good position and prepared the army for battle against the Leagues the next day which they believed would win. Orders to withdraw arrived from Teuta because some of the revolting Illyrians within the Ardiaean State had joined the influential Dardanian State under Longarus
Longarus
Longarus was an Illyrian king of the Dardanian Kingdom. Longarus was at war with various Macedonian kings and managed to conquer at different times part of Macedonia. Longarus was an ally of the Paeonian State and liberated the Paeonians in order to open the routes towards Macedonia...
who wanted to invade the northern regions of Teuta's state. Scerdilaidas was forced to return backwards and secure the Araeian State's northern borders from Longarus. As Scerdilaidas marched north Teuta secured a peace treaty in favor of the Aradaeian State. While still in Epirus Scerdilaidas lead a fleet of lembi in the Ionian and swept through Corfu and Onchesmos and intercepted and plundered some merchant vessels of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
After the defeat of Teuta during the First Illyrian War in 228 BC, young Pinnes
Pinnes
Pinnes was the son of Agron, king of the Ardiaei in Illyria, and Agron's first wife Triteuta. He officially succeeded his father as king in 230 BC, but the Ardiaean kingdom was ruled by Agron's second wife, Queen Teuta.Pinnes was only a young boy when his father died in 230 BC, and his stepmother...
, formally a ruler of the state under Teuta's regency, was confirmed to remain king of a limited Ardiaean State by the victorious Romanans. Soon the regency was taken over by Demetrius of Pharos
Demetrius of Pharos
Demetrius of Pharos was a ruler of Pharos involved in the First Illyrian War, after which he ruled a portion of the Illyrian Adriatic coast on behalf of the Romans, as a Client king....
, who married Pinnes's mother, Triteuta
Triteuta
Triteuta was an Illyrian queen of the Adraeian State.Trieteuta was the first wife of Agron. With Agron, Triteuta had a son named Pinnes in 230 BC. Agron divorced Triteuta and married Teuta...
, the divorced wife of his brother Agron. This happened most probably without consent of Rome, even if Demetrius was its ally.
Under Demetrius
In 220 BC220 BC
Year 220 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laevinus/Catulus and Scaevola/Philo...
Demetrius and Scerdilaidas made a joint expedition in down the Ionian coast to the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
with ninety lembi, and thus Demetrius violated the treaty with Rome. After an assault on Pylos
Pylos
Pylos , historically known under its Italian name Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It was the capital of the former...
in the western Peloponnese had failed they separated their forces, Demetrius taking his chances in plundering the Cyclades while Scerdilaidas returned north. They then separated their forces, Demetrius with fifty ships sailed on a raiding expedition in the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
, while Scerdilaiads with the remaining forty ships agreed to support the Aetolians in an invasion of the Achaean League. On putting in at Naupactus, Scerdilaidas was encouraged by his broth-in-law Amynas, king of the Athamanes, to join the in the planned invasion of Achaea
Achaea
Achaea is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The capital is Patras. The population exceeds 300,000 since 2001.-Geography:...
. Scerdilaidas and his allies also attacked but failed to take Cleitor. While Scedilaidas collaborated with the Aetolians, Demetrius was persuaded to assist the Macedonian cause against Aetolia on his return via the Isthmus of Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
. Demetrius returned to the Ardiaean State and began to revive Illyrian power however he was beaten by the Romans in 219 BC during the Second Illyrian War.
Relations with Macedon
After the Second Illyrian War Pinnes was again proclaimed the king. Pinnes was not favored among the Illyrians and in 218 BC Scerdilaidas took over his nephew's role and became king.Rome, due to problems it had with CarthageCarthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
at the time, did not intervene. In 220 BC Scerdialias entered into an alliance with Philip V
Philip V
Philip V may refer to:* Philip V of Macedon * Philip V of France * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy * Philip V of Spain...
of Macedon in that year. Scerdilaidas had aided Philip during the Social War
Social War
The Allied War was a war waged from 91 to 88 BC between the Roman Republic and several of the other cities in Italy, which prior to the war had been Roman allies for centuries.-Origins:The Early Italian campaigns saw the Roman conquest of Italy...
against the Spartans but this produced little profit for him. Scerdilaidas' support for Macedon against the Aetolians was curtailed by 'plots and conflicts' caused by rulers of various cities.
In 217 BC
217 BC
Year 217 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Geminus and Flaminius/Regulus...
, Scerdilaidas ceased his support of Philip V, maintaining that a promised subsidy was unpaid and long overdue. He dispatched 15 ships, ostensibly to collect and escort the payment, but at the island of Leucas
Lefkada
Lefkada, or Leucas or Leucadia , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Lefkada . It is situated on the northern part of the island,...
south of Corcyra his forces killed two of Philip's Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
ian friends and seized their four ships. Scerdilaidas' fleet then sialed south and began to plunder shipping around Cape Malea in the southern Peloponnese. In response Philip prepared a strong naval force of twelve deched-ships, eight open vessels and thirty hemioliae, which headed south at full speed to deal with Scerdiliadas. This counterattck by Philip was two slow and missed it's targets. Scerdilaidas went on to march into Dassaratia, takings several cities and invading parts of western Macedonia. He looted Pissaeum in Pelagonia and overran some frontier districts of Philip.Before the winter Philip had occupied the area of Lyncesta, cutting of direct route from Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
, and extended his power to Dassaretia. Philip was planning an invasion of Illyria, however there he would face not only the lembi of Scerdilaidas but also the heavier warships of the Roman navy.
First Macedonian War
Scerilaidas soon entered into an alliance with RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Influenced by Demetrius, Philip's first target was the Illyrian coast. In 216 BC he had built a fleet of one hundred light warships, using Illyrian shipwrights. He led his fleet around the Peloponnese into the Adriatic, gambling that Rome, deep in the Hannibal crisis, would not intervene. Scerdilaidas appealed for help and the Romans sent ten heavy quinqueremes from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Philip fled and the invasion of Illyria was avoided for the moment. Twice thwarted in attempts at invasion of Illyria by sea, and now constrained by Laevinus' fleet in the Adriatic, Philip spent the next two years 213–212 BC making advances in Illyria by land. Keeping clear of the coast, he took the inland towns of Atintania, and Dimale
Dimale
Dimale was an ancient town in Illyria, possibly situated in the territory of the Illyrian Parthini, northeast of the ancient Greek colony of Apollonia near modern Krotinë, Berat District, Albania. The city was of uncertain foundation, Greek or Illyrian.- History :According to N.G.L...
, and subdued the tribe of the Dassaretae
Dassaretae
The Dassaretae , or Dexaroi, were an ancient Greek tribe of Epirus on the border with Illyria near Lake Ohrid. They were the northern-most subtribe of the Chaonians. Theopompus writes of fourteen Epirotian tribes, speakers of a strong west-Greek dialect, of which the Dexaroi were a part...
and the Illyrian Parthini and the southern part of the Ardiaean State.
Scerdilaidas with his son Pleuratus III
Pleuratus III
Pleuratus III was an Illyrian king of the Ardiaean Kingdom. Pleuratus was the son of Scerdilaidas and nephew of the powerful Agron of Illyria. He bore the same name as his grandfather, Pleuratus II, and his son Gentius was the last king of the Ardiaean State...
, Longarus
Longarus
Longarus was an Illyrian king of the Dardanian Kingdom. Longarus was at war with various Macedonian kings and managed to conquer at different times part of Macedonia. Longarus was an ally of the Paeonian State and liberated the Paeonians in order to open the routes towards Macedonia...
of the Dardanian State and Epirus, together with the Aetolian League allied with each other in accordance to Rome's response. During the conflict, Scerdilaidas fought to recover the lands lost during First Illyrian War but the Treaty of Phoenice
Treaty of Phoenice
The Treaty of Phoenice, also known as the Peace of Phoenice, was a treaty ending the First Macedonian War. It was drawn up at Phoenice in 205 BC....
in 205 BC formally acknowledged the favorable position of Macedonia, including the capture of the southern Illyrian communities.
He died sometime before the treaty in 205 BC as only his son Pleuratus III is listed among those present at Phoenice.