The story of king Pyrrhus (part 1)

11/10/2020

The Molos tribe was one of the largest and leading in location and power in the Northern Hellenic region of Epirus. Since ancient times the molossians people had choosen two kings of the same dynastic family who often headed the united armies of all the Epirus tribes.

In 319 BC after two doughters - Deidamia and Troas in the house of king Eakid, his wife the thessalian Phtia gave birth to a third child, a boy named Pyrrhus. He was a relative of Alexander the Great's mother, Olympias. Which not only outlived her son but also fought to protect the macedonian throne from the claims of the Diadochies.

When Pyrrhus was just two years old his father lost the throne by the power-hungry Diadoch - Cassander who intendet to destroy all of the influential relatives of Alexander. At that time all the local rulers were afraid of the ruthless hand of Cassander which led the young king to be taken by the Ilyrian king -Glaucius, who had only agreed to protect, educate and care of descendant son of king Eakid.

There is a legend that while growing up in Ilyria the little Pyrrhus had crawled to one altar, embraced it and stood on it. In this, all the witnesses had seen a divine sign. Ten years later the young king who was 12 years old, comes back to his country following an army leaded by his mentor Glaucius.

Glaucius proclaim the young king to the state throne of Epirus in 306 BC ruling under foreign leadership. Four years later in 302 BC Pyrrhus enemies dethroned him and deprived his power. These events led to his transfer to the camp of the famous at the time Demetrius Poliorket who had married to Pyrrhus sister - Deidamia. That's how Pyrrhus fall into relentless wars between Alexander's successors.

At the age of eighteen Pyrrhus took part in the battle of Ipsa where Demetrius father, Antigonus the One-Eyed was killed. Standing by the will of the fate on the part of the losers after the battle Pyrrhus had been sended as a hostage of peace to the palace of the Egyptian successor Ptolemey the First.

There the young king of Epirus won the love of the royal family and he was married to the doughter of queen Berenice- Antigone. Few years later Pyrrhus managed to return to his own kingdom from Egypt by convincing king Neoptolemus to become his co-ruler as the ancient molean tradition dictated.

But the jointly rule of the two kings led to many royal intrigues involved in them Pyrrhus who removed his co-ruler Neoptolemus from the throne and became a solo ruler of Epirus in 297 BC. Ascension to the throne king Pyrrhus lifted the spirits of the court chiefs in the memories of Alexander and their thirst for new feats and adventure. Furthermore a year before these events in Macedon, Cassander the biggest enemy of the epirusian king had died.

The king's difficult and changeable destiny had made him an ambition and warelike leader. After Cassander death Pyrrhus did not hide his intention to join Macedon to his kingdom. So this automatically turns the forme ally Demetrius Poliotker into Pyrrhus enemy.

In 290 BC queen Antigone, Pyrrhus wife, from Egypt died. Two years later he married for Lanasa, the daughter of the syracusian king - Agathocles of Sicily. This woman would play a major role in Pyrrhus political career.

Lanasa could not stand her husband's favor the illyrian Brikena and she fled to Demetrius in Macedonia, giving to the enemies of the epirusian kingdom, the large island of Corfu. Then after three years in political variability and unexpected military upheavals the Macedonian army betrayed Demetrius, crossed to the side of Pyrrhus and proclaimed him as king of Macedon.

In order to avoid war with the far older and more experienced - Lysimachus, who was striving with all of his might to the Macedonian throne. Pyrrhus had been forced to share the Macedonian territory with him.

After the partion of macedonian territory king Pyrrhus start to invest a lot of money to improve his kingdom. He even choose Ambrakia as his capital, but in years of construction and improvement, the king began to feel like exiled to his own kingdom.