| Teuta | |
|---|---|
| Queen | |
| Reign | 230 BC - 228 BC |
| Predecessor | Agron |
| Successor | Demetrius of Pharos |
| Consort | Agron |
Queen Teuta (Greek: Τεύτα, Albanian: Mbretnesha Teutë or Teuta; ruled 230–228 BC[1]) was an Celto-Illyrian[2][3] queen of the Ardiaean Kingdom who ruled as regent to the young Pinnes.[4] The name Teuta has been linked with the Gaulish *touta-, meaning ‘people’, and the Irish-Gaelic tuath (‘the tribe’)- literally the people’s queen".[5][6] Teuta inherited a strong Illyrian state from her husband, Agron. Under her rule, Illyrian power continued to grow until Roman intervention. Teuta, probably under pressure from Illyrian revolts, attacked neighbouring Epirus, where she captured several cities, including the prosperous capital Phoenice. The Epirotes signalled their acceptance of Illyrian victory by sending envoys to Teuta promising cooperation with her in opposition to the Greek cities.
Teuta continued her campaigns against the Greek colonies along the Illyrian coast. This led to the rupturing of trade routes to the Roman Republic. The Romans soon felt threatened by the growing power of Teuta, thus starting the First Illyrian War. The Roman attack caught Teuta off guard. The Queen managed to seize land from the Greeks along the Ionian Sea but these were easily taken by the Roman which eventually crushed the Ardiaean State.[7]
Teuta was forced to surrender and accept a treaty in which the defeated Ardiaean Kingdom lost its southern lands.
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The year of Teuta's birth is not known. Teuta was married to Agron who made the Ardiaean State into a formidable power. Agron had a son named Pinnes with his first wife, Triteuta whom he divorced to marry Teuta. Pinnes was only a young boy[8] when his father died[9] in 230 BC, and his stepmother Teuta assumed de facto control. The case of Teuta's rule brings to mind examples of women acceding to the royal throne or acting as a regent in an Illyrian state. Unlike the Liburnians who were ruled by women only two Illyrian queens are known to have ruled in southern Illyria; Teuta herself and the less prominent Caeria. However, Teuta was faced with many internal revolts and allowed her subjects to channel their discontent into piracy against their neighbours.
Illyrian success continued when command passed to Agron's widow Teuta in 230 BC, who granted individual ships a licence to universal plunder. Her first action was to attack the Greek States. Teuta sent her navy to keep the Aetolian coast in check. The fleet and army attacked Elis and Messenia in the Peloponnese. On the way home they called for supplies at Phoenice, the capital of Epirus, where a garrison of 800 Gaulish mercenaries were handed over to them. The Epirotes, who had evidently not been involved in recent events, quickly assembled an army to relieve the conquered city from Teuta's army. News that Scerdilaidas, under Teuta's command was marching south through the pass at Antigoneia caused the Epirotes to send part of their forces north to secure that city. At Phoenice the Epirotes became careless, and during the night the Illyrians were able to leave the city, cross the river after replacing the wooden bridge which the besiegers had partly dismantled and take up a good position to offer battle. The Illyrians proceeded to win the next day. The scale of fighting now began to increase. The Epirotes had 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). Here the Illyrians were preparing to do battle with the Leagues and were choosing a good site, when orders to withdraw arrived from Teuta on the grounds that some of the Illyrians had gone over to the Dardanian State. Scerdilaidas was forced to return backwards and secure the Araeian States northern borders from the Dardanians.[10]
However, before the Illyrians left Epirus, Teuta made a truce with the Epirotes. Phoenice was returned for a price, along with any freeborn prisoners. Slaves and the loot were put on the ships while the army under Scerdilaidas, marched north by the pass at Antigoneia. To avoid a final battle the Epirotes sent delegates to Teutaand along with the Acarnanians, they enetered into an alliance with the Illyrians, pledging to help the Illyrians from then on and to consider the Achaeans and the Aetolians as their enemies. This truce made Epirus deeply dependent on the Ardiaean State, who a the that time became one of the largest states in the Mediterranean, stretching from the Neretva river in the north and south to the Ambracian Gulf.[11]
The continued success of Illyria was another shock for the Greeks, for seeing the most securely placed and powerful city of Epirus thus unexpectedly reduced to slavery, they one and all began to feel anxious, not merely as in former times for their property in open country, but for the safety of their people and cities.[12] Teuta was delighted with the profits from the expedition.
When Teuta came to the throne, she was met with much uneasiness among the local tribes. To deal with these revolts, she allowed Illyrian ships to plunder Greek and Roman ships. This could have also been a motive to attack Epirus in the first place. After the threat from the Dardanians was avoided, Teuta continued here expansion campaigns by attempting to conquer the Greek Colonies in Illyeria. These included Durrës and Appolonia in the south and the Dalmatian colonies in the north, most importantly was the colony of Issa. While her Illyrian ships were off the coast of Onchesmos, they intercepted and plundered[13] some merchant vessels of Rome. Teuta's pirates extended their operations further southward into the Ionian Sea, breaching the trade routes between the mainland of Greece and the Greek cities in Italy,[4] and were soon feared as the terror of the Adriatic. Pheonice was the most prosperous place in Epieus, and the center for the growing commerce with Italy.[14] This accord catapulted the Ardiaean State into becoming the main military force in the eastern Adriatic making a clash with Rome inevitable. The Romans had been aware of the danger to the Adriatic coast of Italy from seaborne attack.[15]
In 246 BC a Roman colony was settled at Brundisium to keep a watch on the Ionian gulf. During the Illyrian occupation of Phoenice, a number of Illyrian ships had engaged in privateering against Italian merchants. The Roman Senate having ignored earlier complaints, realized that something had to be done. A Roman embassy was sent to the Ardiaean State led by brothers L. and Gn. Coruncanius. On arrival they found Teuta celebrating the end of a rebellion in Illyria and engaged in laying siege to the Greek Island city Issa, the last city which held out from Teuta's expansion. They warned Teuta that they would soon force Teuta to change the royal laws of the Illyrians.[16] When the ambassadors complained of injuries to Romans, Teuta promised that no royal forces would harm them, however she claimed she was unable to put an end to the tradition of private enterprise. One of the ambassadors lost his temper and promised to improve relations between the sovereign and its subject, the Illyriathe queen heard this 'with womanish passion and unreasoning anger' and arranged for the insolent envoy to be murdered on his homeward journey. News of this forced the Romans to prepare for war: legions were enlisted and the fleet assembled, and there was general indignation at 'the queens violation of the law of nations'.[17]
The queen knew that the war would primarily be waged at sea, so she ordered the building of more war ships and secured the coast around Durrës and Appolonia in modern day Albania, which were separate to the Ardiaean State. As soon as the weather permitted, the queen had ordred south a naval expedition even larger than those of previous years, with most of the ships heading for an attack on the island of Corcyra.[18] In the spring of 229 BC, the Illyrian fleet appeared before Durrës. A few Illyrian sailors entered the city gates on the pretext of seeking water, hiding their swords inside the amphorae they had with them. According to Polybius, they killed the guards and opened the gates for the other Illyrian warriors. Only an immediate alarm and a fast counterattack from the citizens of Durrës saved the independence of the city.[19]
These ships now joined the main Illyrian force in the siege of Corcyra. The Coryraeans, along with Appolonia and Durrës, sought assistance from the Leagues of Greece. The Illyrian fleet clashed with ten Achaean ships reinforced by seven warships of the Acarnanians, off the island of Paxos south of Corcyra. Polybius reports that the Illyrians then attacked, with their ships tied together four by four, and clashed with their enemies. The two opponents battled so violently that the enemy's ships could hardly move, becoming entangled among the bows of the Illyrian ships that were tied together. Then the Illyrians jumped into the bridges of the Achaeans ships and overpowered the Achaeans, whom were outnumbered.[20] The Illyrians under Teuta took four triremes and sank a quinquereme, while the rest of the Greeks managed to escape. After this new maritime stratagem, the Illyrians conquered Corcyra and established a garrison there under the command of one of Teuta's philoi, Demetrius of Pharos.[21] The main Illyrian force sailed north for another attack on Durrës. Teuta's Illyrians were now on the point of controlling all the coastline north of the Gulf of Corinth, including the sea routes to Sicily and Italy via Corcyra.[22]
The Roman invasion of Illyria in 229 BC appears to have caught Teuta and the Illyrias completely off guard. The fall of Corcyra precipitated events. The Roman consul Gn. Fulvius had planned to sail his 200 ships to Corcyra to raise the siege. Even when he learned the island had surrendered he still sailed there, having already entered secret negotiations with Demetrius, who had fallen out of favor with Teuta. Demetrius had been slandered by Teuta and feared her. Thus, Corcyra welcomed the Romans and, with the compliance of Demtrius, surrendered the garrison. The city became friendly to Rome and would henceforward rely on Roman protection from the Illyrians. Demetrius now served as adviser to the Roman commanders for the rest of the war.[23]
Meanwhile the consul A. Postumius brought an army of 20,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry and 200 ships across from Brindisium to Appollonia, which had joined the Roman alliance. The fleet under Fulvius reached Appolonia and the two forces advanced in the direction of Durrës, causing Teuta's forces to abandon the siege and disperse. The city entered into Roman protection as well and the army continued inland among the Illyrians of the hinterland. Here the Romans received delegations from other Illyrians, including the Atintani and the Parthini, from whom a formal surrender was accepted. At sea the blockade of Issa was raised and the city also was received into Roman protection. As the Romans approached the Ardiaean State heartlands there was more resolute opposition. The fleet moved northwards and attacked Illyrian coastal cities, at one of which, the unidentified Noutria, Roman losses included a magistrate of the Republic and some military tribunes, and 20 ships laden with plunder were intercepted.[24] The besiegers of Issa fled to the city of Arbo, and Teuta herself retreated to Rhizon in the Gulf of Kotor. Hostilities ceased as the Romans decided that enough had been achieved. The Romans handed over Issa to Demetius, the place of his birth. The greater part of the Roman army returned to Rome, having assembled forty ships and some troops from the allies in the area the other consul remained across the Adriatic. This was done in order to keep a watch on the Illyrians and the Peoples under Roman protection.[25]
Teuta finally surrendered in 228 BC, having to accept an ignominious peace. Before the end of winter, envoys of Teuta appeared in Rome and a treaty was concluded. The Romans allowed her to continue her reign but restricted[26] her to a narrow region around the capital Scodra or Rhizon, and deprived her of all her other holdings[27][28] just south of the capital. They also required her to pay an annual tribute[4][29] and to acknowledge the final authority of Rome. Teuta also promised not to sail south of Lissus at the mouth of the Drin with more than two ships, even then unarmed vessels. The terms of the settlement were conveyed to the League in Greece, where they were well received.
Appolonia, Durrës and in the interior, the Illyrian koina of the Atintaini and the Parthini came under the Roman protection. This marked a crushing setback for the Ardiaean State. The Roman Senate pushed the borders of the state back to the north of the river Ardaxan (present day Mat in northern Albania). The Illyrians were forced to give up all their recent conquests south of the river Drin The lands south of this border were taken away from the Ardiaean Sate and constituted a Roman protectorate of four autonomous parts: Appolonia, Durrës, Parthini and Atintani. Simultaneously, it served to create a separation or barrier between Illyria and its Balkans allies, Macedonia and Epirus. The Illyrians were thus cut off from the inland route to Macedonia, their patron and ally against the Greek Leagues.
Teuta was succeeded by Demetrius of Pharos who became king of the Ardiaean State, violated the previous treaty and ultimately started the Second Illyrian War.
Today, her actions are regarded as somewhat heroic in historical annals of today's Balkan region.[30][31] Despite her ongoing acts of piracy, she is revered for her resistance and free will against her persecutors. Teuta is depicted on the reverse of the Albanian 100 lekë coin, issued in 2000.[32]
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Teuta of Illyria
Born: Unknown Died: Unknown |
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| Preceded by Agron |
Queen of the Ardiaei, Regent to Pinnes 230–228 BC |
Succeeded by Gentius |