1-Acest articol este copiat !
2-Istoria ramane pasiunea mea nr-1.
“Once Perseus has been defeated, Rome will consider her retribution.”
The Illyrian King Gentius murdered his younger brother Plator, and shortly after received an embassy from Perseus to form an alliance. Gentius said he lacked not the will to fight Rome, but the money, and Perseus allowed the Illyrian exile Pleuratus to return to Gentius, where he promptly raised 1,000 infantry and 200 cavalry. Further east, Rome discharged her old soldiers as the Consul Phillipus took command for 169 BC, taking with him a super-strength (6,000 men) legion of Romans, and one of Latins, plus 250 Roman and 300 allied cavalry. With snow now blocking the mountain passes from Illyria to Macedon, Perseus attacked the strongholds of eastern Illyria to pressure Gentius into alliance, taking thousands of Romans prisoner to be solder as slaves.
Perseus moved to attack Aetolian towns, but soon found himself hampered by thick snows and fast running rivers caused by the winter weather. Appius failed to redeem himself when his siege was repulsed, and then then abandoned when he heard news of Perseus’ march. He lost a further 1,000 men when he was pursued up a near impassable mountain, after which he camped his legions in Illyria while returning to Rome himself. The Consul Marcius crossed the Adriatic with another legion, which he proceeded to lead on a perilous mountain march into Macedon. Finding a small Macedonian detachment guarding the narrow defile, he had no choice but to plough forward with his light infantry and push through, covering only 15 miles on the first day, and seven on the second – compared to 20 being covered by legions marching on flat terrain.
Sending some troops to guard the summit, Marcius forged a new path as his legions cut through forest, and then faced the tough descent into Macedon. Crumbling roads often saw pack animals and their supplies tumble to their doom, while roaring elephants startled the horses and threw off their riders. A series of bridges were made where the path was most steep, to enable the elephants to progress, and they found Macedonian troops opposing them when they reached the plain. Perseus panicked, abandoning the easily-defensible area to move to Pydna. The Romans could now take passes to either Thessaly or Macedon, though in some places they were so narrow that barely a loaded horse could fit through, while they could not retreat lest they forfeit their supply lines. Both passes were also defended at several points by the Macedonians.
Marcius chose to march into Thessaly, and praised the gods when he found the heavily fortified town of Dium abandoned. Liaising with the Roman fleet, who informed him of the capture of much grain, Marcius chose to pull his legions back, allowing Perseus to recapture Dium and fortify it anew. The Roman fleet, under Figulus, launched several raids along the coast, often successful, though losing 500 men when caught off guard by a Macedonian counter attack. He was reinforced by fleets from Pergamon and Bithynia, though failed to take any of the heavily fortified towns. Ambassadors for Rhodes and Bithynia now proposed to mediate peace, though their offer was rejected out of hands. Arrogant Roman senators accused the Rhodians of supporting Macedon, and that this offer confirmed it. “Once Perseus has been defeated, Rome will consider her retribution”, was their threat.
Perseus now offered 300 talents of gold to Gentius to cement their alliance, complete with hostages. The deal was agreed and an advance of the money collected at Dium, with a procession of Macedonian cavalry impressing the Illyrian king. When Gentius imprisoned two Roman emissaries, the spendthrift Perseus swiftly recalled the rest of the payment in the belief that the Illyrians were now committed. Gentius invited Rhodes into the anti-Roman coalition, while building up a fleet of 270 lembi and an army of 15,000, showing the Romans that he was willing to attack across the Adriatic. New coins were minted in his name to undermine the Roman occupation of Illyria.
Gentius’ invasion of Roman-occupied Illyria started badly, failing to catch important towns. The Romans learnt of the new alliance and swiftly mustered their forces, now outnumbering the Illyrian king two-to-one. The Illyrian fleet was defeated and then the army routed, and the legions marched into his kingdom to much welcoming from cities, negating the need for sieges. Gentius was offered a three-day truce, in which he hoped for the arrival of a relief army from his half-brother, though when this failed to appear, he surrendered. He was given dinner and full honours, and then arrested. His half-brother was defeated swiftly afterwards, and the last vestiges of Illyrian independence were gone. Livy said that: “In a few days, both on land and sea did he defeat the brave Illyrian tribe, who had relied on their knowledge of their own territory and fortifications.”
The Illyrian campaign was concluded in 30 days. The triumph included displays of the capture of booty of gold, silver, flags, 220 ships, and the king himself. Many of the captives were imprisoned in Rome, with Gentius exiled. Those parts of Illyria which had defied Rome were now razed, while those who remained steadfastly loyal were rewarded accordingly, and spared the horrors of war. While the Illyrian revolt may have been swiftly subdued, Perseus remained defiant of the republic further east. Now the Romans were able to concentrate their full force against Macedon, and Perseus prepared his indomitable phalanx to face the full force of the legions upon the slopes of Pydna.
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