The federative states

In the seventh century BC tribal federations had formed in southern Illyria. Ancient sources mention a certain Galaour, basileus, the military chief of the Taulantians who, towards the end of the seventh century, waged was against the king of Macedonia. Modern historians, interpreting a passage from Herodotus, have indicated that at this time an army of Encheliae, who lived around Lake Lychnitis (the present Lake Ochrid), invaded Greece and pushed as far as Delphi where they pillaged the sanctuary of the oracle. For the next two centuries, wars became more frequent in the southern Illyria and on its boundaries. Their aim was not solely pillage. The Illyrian kings were aiming to bring new tribes into their federation. From the seventh to the fifth centuries BC, in southern Illyria, elements of more evolved society emerged favouring the first federative states. If one believes the Greek author, Theopompos, the Ardians had 300,000 slaves, whose legal situation was identical to that of the Helots of Sparta. According to Agatharchidis, the Dardarians possessed many slaves; some of them more than a thousand. These class structures were the departure point for the earliest states.

However, different geographic conditions and unequal economic and social development prevented Illyrians from forming one state. Southern Illyria contained two distinct states-the kingdom of the Illyrians and the Koinon (community) of the Molossians (Molossians was later deemed a part of Epirus). Both of these had a federative character and were distinguished by the instability of royal power. As Greek and Latin authors report, in the first half of the fourth century BC, the kingdom of the Illyrians included the south-east regions of Albania. It was bounded on the east by the state of Macedonia and on the south by the Koinon of Molossia (Epirus).

These authors refer especially to the wars between this kingdom and their neighbours. The energetic and warlike King Bardyllis, taking advantage of the weakness of the Macedonians, had invaded the frontier of Macedonia and conquered their kings many times, forcing them to have over annual tribute. In 386 Bardyllis and Denys the king of Syracuse brought military aid to Epirus and established Alcetas on the throne, an ally of the tyrant of Syracuse.

The kingdom of the Illyrians (also called the kingdom of the Encheliae by the historians), with Bardyllis as its leader, became quite a powerful state in this Balkan region for more then a half century.

Towards the middle of the fourth century, in region of Philip II, when Macedonia became the most powerful state in Balkans, relations with the Illyrian kingdom were modified. Following the war in 358, Bardyllis was forced to abandon all his former Macedonian territories which he had occupied in the east. Philip wanted to force his way through to the Adriatic Sea and thus fulfil a part of his major ambition-the occupation of Greece. He succeeded in occupying a large part of Illyrian territory, but did not succeed in totally overcoming his western neighbours. The Illyrian dynasts withstood his attacks and rallied round the anti-Macedonian coalition, established under the aegis of Athens.

In the second half of the fourth century, ancient authors still refer to the Illyrian Kings, but this time as leaders of the western coast. Glaucias succeeded to the Illyrian throne in Monounios and Pleurias. He belonged to the Taulantian tribe, whose position was dominant in the federative state. Quintus-Curcus and Arrian, who left us a history of the Alexander the Great, indicate that Glaucias fought in 355 against Alexander, alongside Clitus who had held an uprising against Macedonia. The Illyrians were conquered beneath the wall of Pelion, but a few years later, Glaucias had re-established his army and again became a powerful adversary of Macedonia.

This time he made war against Cassandra, one of the Alexander's successors who were trying to capture the cities of Apollonia and Dyrrachium. Diodorus of Sicily, who described this conflict (314-12), reports that Glaucias assisted in the defence of the town of Apollonia. He must also have confronted the Macedonians and their allies in Epirus when he took under his protection and set on the throne the child Pyrrhus, son of Aeacus, from the Molossian dynasty.

The Illyrian realm maintained its polydynastic, federative character through the reign of Glaucias. Dyrrachium and Apollonia were incorporated into this kingdom, and like many other Illyrian cities or tribal centres, Notably Byllis, they increased in size and experienced and important economic growth. The northern limits of the Illyrian realms were extended and reached the Lissus region (in Lezha district in northern Albania).

By the beginning of the third century BC, especially after the quarrels for the throne between Glaucias successors, the kingdom had lost its former power. It was not strong enough to withstand Pyrrhus army and a large part of its territory was invaded by the Molossian king .The occupation did not last long, but the Illyrian King Mytilios, who reigned about the year 270, did not succeed in uniting the Illyrian tribes, which his predecessors had managed to keep in order. Certain of them, notably the Amantians, Byllians and Parthinians, became independent and created separate confederacies. Dyrrachium and Apollonia, although less powerful, retained for a while their standing as the state of Mytilios, but sensing the danger of a new invasion they searched for alliances with more powerful states. It was at this time that a delegation journeyed from Apollonia to Rome. In the north, beyond the boundaries fixed by Glaucias, other Illyrian tribes had become stronger and new dynasties had begun to take an active interest in restoring the state of Illyria.

Since the end of the fifth century BC, the Epirean tribes began to play a growing role in the history of southern Illyria .There is no doubt that these tribes to the Illyrian ethnic group; Thucydides himself called the inhabitants of Epirus "barbarians"-a term which the Greeks, as we all know, applied to a foreign people. In his turn, his contemporary, the geographer Ephorus, in his description of Greece, considered Epirus as lying outside the country. A large number of names of places, tribes and people in ancient Epirus, as well as the funeral trappings in the necropolis and the urban civilisation in the cities of Epirus, all testify that the civilisation of this region was evidently of Illyrian character. It would not be possible to deny the strong influence of the Greek civilisation on the culture of slave society of Epirus.

However, the fundamental ethnic characteristics of the indigenous population were not affected.

Of all the tribes of Epirus the Molossians were the most important. By rallying neighbouring tribes around them, they had established a "state" known by the name of the Koinon of Molossia, whith a Molossian king at its head, while the other tribes were represented by a supreme council.

The foreign policy of this state was dominated at the beginning by its strict relations with Athens, then with Syracuse. Under pressure from Macedonia, the Koinon of Molossia broke off its relations with Athens and was forced to form an alliance with Macedonia, especially after the marriage of Philip with the Molossian princess, Olimpia. With the help of Macedonia, the Koinon of Molossia extended its frontiers towards the Ionian coast .Reaching this sea, the developed its relations with neighbouring countries in southern Italy and Sicily. In 334 the Molossian king, Alexander, even went to make war in Italy to come to the aid of Tarentus, his ally.

Led by Pyrrhus, the highly trained Epirote army waged victorious combats against the best armies of that time. His soldiers, according to Plutarch, called him the "Eagle” and he replied: "If I am an eagle, I owe it to you. And how can I not be when you have lifted me on your wings of your answer".

Attracted by the power of the Epiriots, the Greek towns in southern Italy begged its aid against threats of Rome and Carthage. Leaving from the Gulf of Vlore, in 280 BC, they set sail for Italy with an army of more than 25,000 men. They defeated the Romans first at Heraclea, then a year later (279 BC) at Ausculum. During these two violent battles, they used about twenty elephants brought from Egypt, which were thrown at the last moment into the terrified enemy.

From Iltaly Pyrrhus crossed to Sicily to defeat the Carthaginians. On his return from Sicily, he began the battle of Beneventum in Campania (275 BC) which brought victory to Romans. He managed to return to Epirus, bringing with him an army decimated and exhausted by six years hard combat. However, it was not long before he launched a series of campaigns against Macedonia, and then crossed to the Peloponnese to attack Sparta, an ally of Macedonia, but he was killed in 272 BC during a combat in the streets of Argos.