The Antigonid Dynasty
Greetings! I was play-testing a campaign of the interal version and was bored, so I decided to make an AAR. I was just going to try to keep all new content out of the AAR or limit it to distant shots, but it was quite difficult to do so. So I'm going to just wait until release day to post the first chapter so as not to spoil the new stuff for everyone. Which means that this may be continued tommorrow or it may be continued in a couple months...
I wanted to make an AAR with as many pictures as writing, but since I don't want to spoil anything and since I didn't take many picture during the first couple decades, here's my long pictureless introduction:
Introduction: The Reign of Antigonos
In the year 272BC, by the Christian calender, Makedonia was in chaos. Pyrrhos of Epieros was in control of the inland cities and was ready to take complete control of Makedonia, overthrowing Antigonos. But at the last moment Pyrhhos himself, saved Makedonia. In a trademark Pyrhhos decission, Pyrhhos left one war half done and moved his armies to invade Illyria. For the moment, Makedonia was spared.
Antigonos took the opertunity to quickly consolidate power amoungst the Hellens. Every city state to the south was rebellious, even those loyal to Antigonos would inevitably revolt. But two cities stood above the rest, Athenai and Sparte, if they fell the rest of the cities would fall as well. So Antigonos took his combined forces and besieged the ancient city of Athenai. Within the year, it had fallen. Antigonos entered the city and told its people that he had come to free them. He quickly set up the politician Karpophoros as tyrant, loyal to the Makedonian throne. Antigonos insured the Athenians that they were free and showed this by moving the entire garrison out of the city. Though in truth, the garrison was needed to confront the Spartan menance to south.
[picture of years later]
Antigonos quickly moved to finish off the Spartans before they could receive reinforcements from Rhodos or Crete. Though, apon besieging the town, the Spartans sent for help from one of their armies stationed near Elis. And so, the following season three Spartan armies attacked Antigonos as he beseiged their home. The battle was tough, but in the end the field was filled with Spartan dead:
Meanwhile in the north, Epieros had failed to subdue the Illyrian tribed and had renewed its attack on Makedonia. Alkyoneus, son of Antigonos had managed to repulse several attacks, but with every attack the defenders of Makedonia grew weaker. Antigonos quickly set up a local puppet ruler in Sparte and force marched his men north. The forces of Antigonos and Makedonia joined together and Antigonos and Alkyoneus marched on Epieros, leaving Antigonos' younger brother Kalos to oversee Pella.
An alliance was made with Rome, who had made several failed attempts to keep Epieros out of Italy, and war began in Epieros. After several years of war, Epieros was conquered and Pyrrhos and one of his sons were all that was left, wandering Illyria (Taras the only city still loyal to them). Alkyoneus and the remaining Thessalian Cavalry confronted the two generals and their tiny army outside the Illyrian village of Dalminion and brought an end to the Kingdom of Epieros:
So Antigonos returned to Pella as victor and ruler of all of Greece. Several years of peace followed, as Antigonos rebuilt the shattered economy of Makedonia. During this time, Alkyoneus easily annexed Dardanoia, north of Makedonia. Peace didn't last. The Aitolian League started causing unrest in the south, so Antigonos once again marched to war. Aitolia fell quickly to Antigonos, then the troublesome city of Byzantion was next. Alkyoneus managed to make an alliance with the Celtic city of Tylis, setting up a Makedonian friendly leader. Meanwhile Byzantion fell to Antigonos.
Tired of war [he actually got Unsatisfied Supervisor from fighting ], Antigonos once again returned to Pella to rule in peace. Around this time, Demetrios returned to Pella, after completing his Agoge training with the Spartans. Ready for war, Antigonos gave him command of his own army and order him to kill the Spartan king who had been hiding in Crete, as well as conquer the island while there. Soon the island fell and Demetrios confronted the Spartan king of the eastern shores of Crete:
[I took this picture because it reminded me of Mount Suribachi]
The Rhodian fleet that they were expecting never came, as it had been sunken by the Pergamon fleet [Pirates] the year before. By the end of the day, the Spartans lay dead in the rising tide.
Puppet rulers were quickly set up in Crete and Demetrios sailed on Rhodos, who had assisted the Spartans for decades. During this time, Antigonos' elder brother, who had been governor of Epieros decided that it was time to conquer Illyria and all of its resources. So he and his sons assemble an army, mostly made up of veterans of Alkyoneus' conquests, and marched on Illyria. Before long, they had conquered all the way to the edge of the Roman Cisalpine Gallia territory. Frightened by a powerful enemy on their border, Roma attacked Illyria. The tiny Roman army was quickly repulsed and the Roman Senate pleaded for peace with Makedonia. When Rhodos fell, Demetrios returned home with his army and peace continued until around 245BC.
Around 250-140BC, the Syrian Wars made a drastic change. With the fall of Babylonia to Ptolemai, the Seleukia Empire, long time allies of Antigonos, began to crumble. Soon, all of Asia was shifting to Ptolemai control, threatening, not only the balance of power, but the future goals of Antigonos. Seeking allies, Antigonos sent diplomats to the Galatians [Arverni - Galatia kept alternating between being conqered by Pontos and rebelling to Arverni] and acquired an alliance. In Pella, an army of Pezhetairoi was assembled and Antigonos and Demetrios invaded Asia. The same year that Nikaia fell to Makedonia, Sardis and Ipsos fell to the Ptolemaioi. Before they could establish full control of their new regions, Antigonos struck at the Ptolemai. In the same year both Phrygia and Lydia fell to Makedonia and Antigonos prepared to invade Syria. But Antigonos' plans were cut short, in the winter of 242-241BC Antigonos died peacefully in the the palace of Sardis:
Makedonia was left in crisis. Demetrios was clearly the better general and ruler, but Alkyoneus had long been the heir to the throne. Who was the rightful next king of Makedonia?
The known world upon the death of Antigonos:
Next: Chapter 1: The Two Kings
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