The Sun at Noon

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The Sun at Noon

Part III of the "Macedonian Empire" AH

In Part I, "Philip the Great", I postulated a PoD where Philip II of Macedon was not assassinated at his daughter’s wedding, but lived to create a stable Macedonian Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, which his son, Alexander III "the Restless", then converted into a pan-Hellenic empire. In Part II, "The Glory that was Macedon", I looked at the attempts of Alexander’s son Archelaus II, to fill an pair of sandals that were a bit too large for him, and the brief, brutal, but quite successful reign of his son, Dionysius I.

It is the year that we would call 242 BCE. Dionysius I has just died of throat cancer, leaving the throne to his only son, Eleutherius I, later called "the Glorious". Dionysius has fought a war with Persia that, by his standards, was too indecisive, being forced to break it off by a serious Egyptian revolt and his own illness.

Eleutherius is a highly cultured man, but also a proud one. He is naturally keen to defend his empire, and also ambitious enough to want to expand it whenever possible. Future historians will hail him as the greatest of all Macedonian kings. In reality, a good deal of his reputation will be gained for him by able subordinates. One of his early chiliarchs, Polypater of Toryni, was virtual dictator from 239 to 226. It was he who introduced a much more effective and comprehensive (but expensive, as in the Roman Dominate) administration after another Egyptian revolt in 238.

After being repulsed from Macedon, the Celts formed the kingdom of Pannonia in the middle Danube valley. Not to be confused with the Roman province of the same, this rather shadowy kingdom gained such cohension as it had from the great fortress of Dunfin, located on the left bank of the Danube. At about the same time, the Celtic chieftain Corwen had organized a kingdom of Boeaneira in the upper Danube valley out of both Celtic and Scythian elements. Although even less cohesive than Pannonia, it was militarily stronger, and dominated the smaller kingdom. Unfortunately, Macedon proved to be stronger than either of them.

There had been a generation of Pannonian and Boeaneiran raids out of Dunfin into Thrace and Triballia (the Macedonian satrapy bordering the lower Danube). Determined that this should cease, Eleutherius turned his armies against it almost immediately upon being seated on the throne. His grandfather Archelaus had not been a good enough general to capture it; his father Dionysius had been preoccupied with Persia and Egypt. Eleuherius suffers from neither problem; he takes Dunfin in 241. The tables are now turned; using it as a base, Macedonian cavalry can now raid up the Danube valley, into Boeaneira.

The next year, Eleutherius puts down a rebellion at Rhodes (all this travelling is one of the reasons that he handed over affairs to the chiliarchs). Although the rebellion is completely suppressed on the island, that suppression lacks one thing to be completely successful: the leaders of the revolt escape to the western Mediterranean, an area shared by the open enemy Rome and the covert enemy (though still nominal subject-ally) Carthage. They’ll be back... At the same time, Rome seizes the western islands of Corsica and Sardinia (the former nominally a Macedonian satrapy, the latter a Carthaginian dependency, although in neither case had the sovereign power done more than garrison a couple of harbors). Not only is the seizure offensive in itself, but it allows the satrap of Celtatia (the province around Marseilles) to declare himself king. He remains quite pro-Macedonian – Rome seems more of an immediate threat than does a Macedonian Great King who hasn’t been seen in the area for decades – but he’s pro-Macedonian as independent king. The empire’s western borders suddenly contract from southern Gaul to souuthern Italy.

After five years of war, rebellion, and confusion, Eleutherius has had enough. The Empire will be at peace; its external enemies will cease to attack it. And, how does one get them to cease? By conquering them, of course. Eleutherius orders Polypater to lead the army out against Boeaneira, the weakest of Macedon’s enemies, in a combined war of conquest and display of might that will, hopefully, give the Empire’s other enemies pause. Polypater does so. He is opposed by the young, dissolute, and hotheaded king of Boaneira, Cleuphicus, who calls the clamsmen out of their homes...and is totally defeated at Mothax. Cleuphicus is killed, his army slaughtered, and the kingdom dissolves into chaos (it was not, granted, that far from chaos to begin with). One of the would-be Boeaneiran kings, the Scythian Zapolius, appeals to Eleutherius as Great King by right of conquest. The Macedonian army returns to Boeaneira; what started as a simple, although decisive, campaign to destroy Boeaneiran military power becomes a war of domination. Zapolius’ challenger, the Celt Artinant, is finally driven from Boeaneira; Zapolius remains as Eleutherius’ vassal.

Timeline for the Reign of Eleutherius I

242-196 Eleutherius I "the Glorious"

241 Rebellion of Aristomachus, the satrap of western Asia Minor.

238 Capture of Dunfin, the Pannonian capital. Macedonian raids up the Danube, into Boeaneira.

Rome seizes Corsica and Sardinia. Dionysius, satrap of Calleia, takes the title of king.

237 Rebellion on Rhodes. The rebellion is successfully put down, but the leaders escape west.

233 Polypater, chiliarch of Macedon, kills King Cleuphicus of Boeaneira and destroys his army at Mothax. Civil war in Boeaneira between Zapolius and Artinant;

Zapolius, getting the worst of it, appeals to Eleutherius.

231-226 Second Boeaneira War. Artinant is eventually driven out; Zapolius pays tribute to Eleutherius.

230 The Macedonian strategos Hierochir seizes fortresses in Numidia.

The Rhodian rebels are established at Malta, with the barely concealed connivance of Rome and Carthage.

229 Argos and Athens expel their Macedonian governors.

Hierochir conquers Carthage and ravages Sicily and southern Italy.

228 Second treaty with Rome; Eleutherius recognizes the seizure of Corsica and Sardinia and, as basileus megistes admits Romans to the Eleusinian Mysteries.

225 War against Tachamaspos of Persia, who had been intriguing with Rome. The Macedonians march to Tauria and conquer Babylon and Mesopotamia.

224 Great Roman expedition to Carthage, commanded by A. Claudius Dorieus. Hierochir is defeated off the coast in a naval battle. The Macedonians are driven out

and Carthaginian independence restored.

222-219 War with Rome. Eleutherius and Hierochir raid into the Po Valley, but a Roman army is established on Corfu, and Macedonian attempts to drive them out fail.

219 Death of Zapolius of Boeaneira; accession of his infant son Sauromates. Return of Artinant.

218-212 Third Boeanerian War. Eleutherius marches into the country, and effectively annexes it to Macedon, although Sauromates nominally remains king.

213 Death of Hierochir.

211 Second war of Eleutherius against Persia. Tauria again taken.

209 Eleutherius executes his eldest son Eusebes, victim of a court intrigue conducted by Eleutherius' wife and his chiliarch.

208-197 Fourth Boeaneiran War, carried out in a desultory fashion. Artinant finally surrenders, and Sauromates is formally deposed, Boeaneira being divided into four

Macedonian satrapies.

207-204 Another Persian war begins with the Persians taking the offensive and capturing Carion, but Eleutherius strikes back sharply, ravaging western Persia. Peace

is made, Eleutherius retaining Mesopotamia.

205 Dracontes, successor to Hierochir, seizes Mechedeia on the Carthagninan coast.

203 Rebellion of Archelaus son of Eleutherius at Iconium. He is defeated and flees to Persia, where Tachamaspos executes him for a large sum from Eleutherius.

196 Death of Eleutherius I. He is succeeded by his surviving son.

196-188 Dionysius II, "the Drunkard".

------------------------------------------------
John W. Braue, III
<braue@ratsnest.win.net>
http://www.win.net/ratsnest/

"Gold cannot always get you good soldiers, but good soldiers can always get you gold" -- Niccolò Machiavelli

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