In 217, the history of Makédonia enters a new phase, consequence of the significant changes, simultanéous and narrowly connected to each other which are felt until the end of Macédonian indépendence.

Of the moment even where it signed the peace treaty in Naupacte, Philip V érecting scaffolding of the projects of large width, thought of extending well his sphere of interest beyond that with which its predecessors had been satisfied, to the Adriatic and soon until Dardanelles and the Caria by doing this, it created for itself new enemies: Rome, Pergamus, Rhodos are added to Etolians, Sparta and the others.

Rome combines besides, with it only, several news character: it is not Greek, it does not belong to the Balkan surface or near Eastern, it is much richer in resources and military potential that the former enemies of Makedonia, it makes proof in its expansionist policy, of a perseverance and a will relentless. Therefore the Macedonians will be in a state of inferiority in the report of force thus created. Lastly, like the Romans will seek the alliance of other adversaries of the Macedonians, the conflict will extend to all the territories and all maritime spaces, of Illyria in the East of Egéan sea, thus covering a vast unified surface.

It is to protect from illyrian piracy,navigation between the strait of Otranto that the Romans intervened in Illyria. They placed under their protection Corcyre, as well as the Greek cities and several tribes illyrian between Epirus and Lissos (229) A few years later, the Démétrios adventurer, become Master of Pharos by the grace of the Romans, adopts an independent policy which leads the second illyrian war(219); driven out by the Romans, it takes refuge at Philip V which does not fail to dissatisfy the sénate.

In the négotiations which led to the peace of Naupacta (217) one of deputy the étolians, Agélaos had begged the Greeks to cease their fratricidal quarrels and of touner their glances towards Italy where Rome and Carthage clashed what to let predict greater threats; if Philip V had ambitions, it is there that it was to try of the satisfaires.

We do not know if Philip V let himself convince, but it is certain that it hastened to make peace with Etolians and to extend in direction from the Adriatic and to the advertisement from the defeat from the Romans with Trasimènae (217) in front of Carthaginians. The election of Agélaos by its compatriots as strategist of the Confédération opened the way with a really panhellenic agreement against the Romans, whose Philip V would have taken the direction. Rome will get busy of all its forces to thwart its projects.

Philip V led a large fleet in the strait of Otranto but withdrew himself with the approach of Roman navy fleet. It is only after the new defeat of the Romans in Cannae (216) , that it decided to collaborate with Hannibal their treaty (215) stipulated, inter alia, that they would remove their protectorate in Illyrie. But Philip will spend one year before passing to the attack, because it had to face serious disorders in Messénia, where it undergoes reverses and lost, by its brutalities, sympathies which he still enjoyed in the Peloponnese.

The first war of Makédonia, from the point of view of the Romans (214-205) starts in protectorate illyrian but extends through Greece, where the Greeks tear without Rome not intervening directly in the terrestrial operations. with the confin of Makédonia and Illyrie, Philip V succeeds in conquéring the territories of Atintans and Parthis friends of the Romans, and tearing off Lyssos in Illyrians. The Romans then sought Greek allies, which they quite naturally found among the enemies of the Macédonians, Etolians and Sparta. Etolians dragged their friends, Messénians and Attalos Ist of Pergamus, Philip V of his side, mobilized with his profit the members of the League.

The opérations took place in Thessalia, in central Greece and in the Péloponnesus, and Philip had to run from one face to another, sometimes also, in Illyria and Thrace. Some neutral Greek States vainly tried to reconcile the belligérents. Then Etolians frustrated to see itself giving up by the Romans, decided to conclude a peace separated with Philip who had carried out his army to Thermos, their political and religious capital (206): Philip took again the parts of Thessalia which had been removed to him by Etolians and tore off to them in more Locride Epicnémédian thus securing the control of the strategic terrestrial way connecting Thessalia to Béotia, the Attica and the Péloponnese.

The following year, a peace of compromise was signed between Philip V and the Romans themselves, in Phoinikè of Epirus. None of the two adversaries could gain the decisive victory. Philip, who kept the seizure on a zone between the rivers Aôos and Apsos left gaining a nine year old war: in Greece, it had extend its area of influence at the expense of Etolians and confirmed sonautority on the League founded by Dôsôn in Illyria, it seized half of Roman protectorate and an outlet on the Adriatic

Its illyrian adventure is finished, Philip V reinforced his fleet to launch out without delaying, with conquests in the heart of the Aegean basin. They were not there any more protection, but activities openly expansionist. Of agréement with Antiochos III to strip Ptolémy of its possessions out of Egypt it made low hand on the ptolémaïc bases at Aegéan sea, annexing to the passage some cities associated with the Etolian Confédération, not without showing of cynicism and cruelty. To réinforce its troops and its crews, it engaged pirats of all edges, but also of Crétan and bound with the Confédération of the cities of Creta. In front of this will of hegemony, the two most powerful States of the Aegean surface, Rhodos and Pergamus were combined to make him failure. Inferior on the naval level, Philip made carry his efforts on the terrestrial opérations, devastated the surroundings of Pergamus, pushing to the territories of Rhodians in Caria. Impotent to come to end from Philip, Attalos I and Rhodians resigned themselves to request the assistance of the Romans.

The Romans had already experience of the ambitions of Philip V and feared his resources; they -also realized that it was necessary to stop it, if not to make it move back before it was not too late. A sénatorale commission sent in Greece to excite the antimacédonians feelings, passing in addition to its mission, twice summoned Philip to subject itself to the arbitration of the Sénate for the injuries which it had caused at Attalos and Rhodians. The refusal of the king and a propaganda campaign showing it of aggressions against certain friends of Rome, renforce the current in favour of the recourse to the weapons.

Neither Philip nor the Romans were to benefit from solid alliances during the war. PhilipV was always the head of the League founded by Dôsôn but the Achaean Confédération, second power of this League, was préoccuped by the threat which represented for it, Nabis tyrant of Sparta The other members, Philistines, Acarnians, Epirots did not put much energy to be fought for Philip And the Greek leading classes did not nourish a great sympathy to the king, suspected of being favorable to the popular masses.

The Romans of their dimensioned, were served by their situation from abroad. At the beginning of the hostilities, only the Athenians joined with them, and for a specific reason; Etolians, old allies of the Romans, were not décided to take the weapons that with the advertisement of a roman victory, moreover over-estimated. Apart from clean Greece, the Romans could count on Rhodians and Attalos I, all unshakeables in their hotility towards Philip.

The unloading of a Roman army in Illyria, opened the operation of the second war of Macedonia (200-197). Philip at the same time succeeds in preventing this army to be entered in Makédonia and to push back Etolians of Thessalia and Dardanians of PEONIA (Actual FYROM) but it lost the coopération of Epirots, which hésitated to face the Romans. The Roman fleet gained only some limited successes. At the beginning of 198, Philip let know with the Roman Général Qinctius Flamininus that it was ready to buy peace against the abandonment of his recent conquests; but one summoned it to return freedom to the Greeks, i.e. to give up even Thessalia, that the Macédonians kings controlled since Philip II.

Philip V refused these conditions, but its sitation worsened. Circumvented in Epirus by the Romans, it had to be folded up on Thessalia, invaded soon not only by the Romans, but also by their allies, Etolians and Athamanes Part of the Achaéan cities lined up as regards winner then. Négotiations for peace opened again: the Romans, leading to their advantage, claimed the évacuation of the illyrians territories; Philip V tried to save half of Thessalia and the three " obstacles of Greece ", Démétrias, Chalcis and Acrocorinth. The talks having failed, it sought the enemy in Thessalia and was beaten in Cynoscéphalus (197)

With judging some by the concessions which the Romans call for Philip before and during the war, it seems well that they always wanted to cut down the kingdom by all his dependences in the south of Olympus and the West of Pindos. after their victory, they were shown neither more lenient, nor more severe: in Etolians which pressed it to invade Makédonia and to relieve Philip, Flamininus rétort that Macedonia was not to cease making rampart against the barbarians of North. But the Romans deprived Philip V of his fleet, except for five ships and 1 000 talents imposed it for war indemnities; in the other hand, it granted to him the quality of " amicus" .

Of all the territories which they had occupied in the past, Etolians recover only Phocidia and the Western half of Thessalia; remainder of Thessalia, Flamininus formed four republics. It proclaimed solemnly, with the Isthmic games of 196, the freedom of the Greeks, greeted with enthusiasm by the assistance which celebrated thus the end of the domination Macédonian. Two years later, the Romans proved that they did not have aimings on Greece by withdrawing their last armed forces, and meanwhile, Philip had the occasion to make his first proof of honesty while collaborating with Flamininus against Nabis of Sparta.

With the favour of the odre established in Greece by the Romans, Makédonia to devair to be enough strong to contain the barbarians of North and the Etolian Confédération not enough powerful to threaten Makedonia. The Achaéan Confédération, it, was to hold the role of a third power in a report of force stable.It was without counting on Etolians which, frustrated not even Romans to meet all their requirements, were angry with Rome and probed Philip to know if it were laid out to make common cause with them. The alliance of Macédonian was also requested by the séleucid king, Antiochos III .

Philip declined these offers (193) engaged with with dimensions Romans against the armies of Etolians and of Antiochos in Thessalia(191), and, its territory with the Roman armed forces opened which were going to fight Antiochos in Asia Minor. Within the frameworks of these operations, itself occupied Pérrhébia, Dolopia, the Magnésia, Démétrias and other places in Achaïa, Phthiotidus which it will keep partly, after peace, the Romans quits t it for free remainder of the war indemnity that it owed them.

Etolians were found in the camps of overcome. The people fixed by Philip having claimed in Rome the return under the terms of peaces of 196, the Romans decided that it would have to evacuate part of the countries in litigation; other complaints against the king carried in front of Sénate, were pushed back.

The old tradition saw in this mansuétaude, quite relative, the hand of a son of Philip, Démétrios, which, envoy in Rome to plead the position Macedonian, on making profitable friendly relations tied at the time of its stay like hostage in Rome. The Sénate did not behave in the same way when Eumène II, king of Pergamus, a faithful friend of Rome complained in its turn; it condemned Philip to evacuate two cities of Aegéan Thracia, but it supported enore once that this one was long in obeying. Philip free to act as Thracia, pushed back a Dardanian invasion, carried out forwardings against various people and consolidated his assets; at the end of its life, it thought of calling upon Germanic people cattle shed close to the Danube to drive out Dardanians.

Parallel to his concerns outsides, Philip got busy to reinforce finances, the économy, the demography and the military power of his kingdom. he sought to draw a better output from the mines, increased his tax incomes with the favour of taxes on the land goods and the trade, accut the mass of coining. When with its demographic policy, it comprised a whole of concordant measures: encouragement with the marriage, penalization of exhibition new-born, the transplantation of Thracians in certain part of the kingdom.

However, Philip had to face a crisis of another nature. In 183/182, for reasons which remain unknown, it made to execute several dignitaries, shown treason. One is better well informed on another drama emerges from the confrontation of two tendencies of the foreign politics Macédonian and of two wire of Philip, Démétrios and Perseus. It was seen that thanks to good relations in Rome, Démétrios had gained a diplomatic success; it was suspected, with twists or at a rate of conspiring, with the support of the Romans, to éliminate his old brother from the succession, and it was carried out; but Polybe reports that Philip remained corroded doubts. Its reign finished into 179. it seems well that it had sincerely tried to collaborate with the Romans and that only the hostility relentless of the latter had obliged it to take measures of defense. He disappeared, Rome goes imposes the war to its successor.

With its advent, Perseus anxious to restore the image tarnished by the death of his brother, Démétrios, hastened to solicit Romans his recognition, and as king of Makedonia, and recipient of the treaty of 196. He décree also the recall of éxile, the abrogation of the debts and the amnesty, in order to improve a situation become difficult towards the end of the reign of his/her father and to thus secure a broader support of the company Macedonian.

Convinced to have gained the confidence of the Romans, Perseus believed to have a room for enough broad manoeuvre to try to reinforce its influence in south of Greece. It marked points within Amphictionia delphic concludes an alliance with the Philistines, was seen invited to intervene in the businesses interiors of some Greek States and the sympathy of the people of modest means attracted itself there. But, as this class was badly laid out with regard to the Romans, the powerful one combined conceived some spite of it, the more so as the king, showing sometimes temerity, conducted campaign against Dolopes, which had tortured and killed its governor and, dared to go in " pilgrimage" in Delphus to the head of his army. To neutralize these inimitable traditional and carried out caused by Eumène II of Pergamus, Perseus tied matrimonial links with the families of Prusias II of Bythinia and Séleucos IV of Syria

Rome closed the eyes during a few times, until 174 seems it where it started to worry by learning the armed pilgrimage with Delphus. like complaints and charges followed one another, of the senatorial commissions inquired on the spot and required explanations. The king made the deaf person ear, to little lay out to give up his Greek policy. At the end of 173, a proposal was introduced with the Sénate requiring that Macédonia was declared Roman " province ", i.e. théatre of military opérations; it did not obtain the majority but, a few months later, the Senate went to the charges which flowed of various parts of the Greek world and to the arguments of a military action.

The Romans caused movements antimacédonians then and, this time, it was them which pushed back the offers of Perseus. The received king, indeed, only one limited support on behalf of Epirots and some cities of Béotia; everywhere the leading classes were hostile and leaned for him for the Romans, guarantors of the established odre. However, they -also missed many and enthusiastic allies: the Achaéan Confédération provides them only one weak quota, Eumène and Rhodians aligned only some warships and transport boats. The part was played on ground, where the Romans had several armies; the operations, slow, were stretched over three years under the terms of which Perseus was crushed in Pydna into 166

Rome, this time, was decided to finish some with Makedonia. It deprived the nation of its traditional direction while off-setting in Italy Perseus and kingdom dignitaries; it removed even the State Macedonian of which the unit was maintained yet on the level of the synédrion, and substituted four entitée political to him, the mérides (portions). The term even and the designation of each méris by an ordinal number let think that the Romans did not have the intention of the considerer like States; it was besides interdict with the mérides to federate, and, which more is, to have economic and legal reports including intermarriages. From the economic point of view, Rome adapted fabulous richnesses under spoils of war, but was moderate when with the amount of the annual tribute, about 100 talents. On the other hand, it deprived the Macedonians of significant resources in their withdrawing the exploitation of the noble metal mines as well as the production of wood for the shipbuilding, key of thecountry richness . In short, the Romans took care to guarantee themselves firmly against a Macedonian résurection.

Map of Makedonia divided into 4 " mérides " by the Romans. The orange line indicates it " via Egnatia ".

However, twenty years later, an adventurer named Andriskos was made pass for Philip the son of Perseus and asserted himself easily in Makedonia. He seized even Thessalia and succeeds in pushing back a first Roman military intervention; but the second in 148 (by roman général Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus), crossed short to its career like to the ultimate attempt of the Macedonians recovering their freedom.

Rome then annexed Makedonia and reduced it in province

MAP OF MAKEDONIA TOWARDS 1477.

MAP OF MAKEDONIA TOWARDS 1589.

Perseus.