| Bircenna | |
|---|---|
| Queen Bircenna | |
| Reign | c.292 BC -c. 272 BC |
| Greek | Βιρκέννα |
| Titles | Queen of Epirus |
| Consort | Pyrrhus of Epirus |
| Father | Bardylis II |
Bircenna (Ancient Greek Βιρκέννα; ruled c. 292 – 272 BC) was an Illyrian princess and later an Epirote queen.
Bircenna was the daughter of Bardylis II of the Dardanian Kingdom.[1] Bircenna was one of the five wives of Pyrrhus of Epirus; she married him around 292 BC.[2][3] Pyrrhus married Bircenna for diplomatic reasons and to increase his power in southern Illyria as he was an ally of Bircenna's father. Bircenna had a son named Helenus, who at an early age accompanied his father in his ambitious campaigns conducted in the Italian peninsula[4]. Lanassa, one of the wives of Pyrrhus, left him because she claimed that he took better care of his 'barbarian' wives.[5]