Rise of the Roman Empire (Episode 12): The Illyrian and Gaelic Wars
The interval between the First and Second Punic Wars was twenty-three years. In the early part of this period Carthage was involved in a battle with the Mercenaries. Carthage won the battle under General Hamilker Barker. Hamilker gained a reputation as an experienced and reliable commander. Along the way, the influence of the Barsid family on Carthage's rule began to grow.The family considered the treaty with Rome to be tantamount to slavery, and favored another war with Rome. Gradually the number of their followers continues to increase.
Meanwhile, after the defeat of Carthage in the First Punic War, the Roman navy established a de facto monopoly in the Mediterranean. Carthage lost the ability to rebuild the fleet, which eventually led to his defeat in the Second Punic War.At the end of the Mercenary War, Carthage sought military intervention in Corsica and Sardinia, which Rome claimed was a breach of treaty with them. As a result, Carthage had to cede these two islands to Rome in addition to Sicily, and was forced to pay more money to Rome as compensation for the Punic War. For these reasons, anti-Rome sentiment grew among Carthage's elite.
*First Illyrian War (228-229 BC)
The Illyrians were a nation divided into semi-barbaric tribes. They live in vast areas along the Adriatic coast, as far north as the Greek state of Epirus. A powerful king named Agron was able to unite them and establish an Illyrian kingdom. Agron established close ties with Macedonia.He sided with Macedonia in the Battle of Epirus and in the conflict with the Italian and Akian alliances. During his time, the Illyrians launched small-scale attacks on various Greek states opposed to Macedonia. Also in the Mediterranean, various cargo Greek ships were targeted by Illyrian pirates.
After Agron's death in 231 BC, his queen Toyota took over. She continues to attack the Illyrians across the west coast of Greece, following the path shown by her husband. With this he increased the level of piracy and continued to wreak havoc across the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. As a result, various states were severely affected. This included many urban states in southern Italy. These states were then bound by an alliance treaty with Rome, which was within Rome's sphere of influence.So he hurried to Rome for help.
The tutor was first asked to pay compensation from Rome. The Illyrian queen laughed and blew it away. As a result, in the spring of 229 BC, a combined force of Roman ships and legions attacked the Illyrians. The Illyrians did not have the strength to repel this attack.Within a year they were forced to sign a peace treaty. According to the treaty, Toyota retained its power but lost a large part of the kingdom to Rome. Also, on the condition of paying regular taxes to Rome, the Illyrian state actually became the taxing state of Rome. Toyota also pledged to completely stop piracy in the Ionian Sea.