Why did Rome attack Greece? ⚔️ Battle of Cynoscephalae, 197 BC (Part 1/2)

Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:

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Hello everyone! This series is made in collaboration with History-Marche. You can find the second part on his channel!

The inhabitants of Skotussa woke up to another morning of rain and fog. The unusual weather for this time of year in Thessaly left the local agora deserted, with the marketplace and shops closed, as most residents chose to stay inside. The only activity in the empty amphitheater was a group of local children running around the stage, wielding wooden swords and wearing feathers in their hats, all imitating their legendary hero, Alexander the Great. Their play was interrupted by ground tremors felt throughout the town, which soon turned into a rumble as the armies of Philip of Macedon and Flamininus approached Skotussa, preparing for battle to end the Second Macedonian War.

Roughly a century before the Battle of Cynoscephalae, Macedon, under the young king Alexander the Great, conquered the Persian Empire in just a few years, avenging previous encounters on the Greek mainland. However, Alexander died in 323 BC at the age of 32. After the collapse of the Macedonian Empire, conflicts arose among Alexander’s generals over the rule of his vast territories. These generals established local Greek dynasties in Greece, Egypt, Persia, and Asia Minor, becoming rivals to one another.

Alexander achieved unprecedented success, not only by defeating the Persian Empire and reaching as far as India but also by spreading Greek culture, language, architecture, philosophy, and morals across the Middle East and Central Asia. He learned the values of Greek philosophy from Aristotle, who was a student of Plato, who in turn was a student of Socrates. These figures laid the foundation of Greek culture, which would later inspire Rome.

Greek civilization was one of the most influential in ancient times, especially in the Mediterranean basin, where the Greeks established many colonies, including in the Italian Peninsula. This brought them into direct contact with the early Romans, who increasingly adopted Hellenistic culture, particularly after their future endeavors into Greece. By 300 BC, Rome was still a regional power in Italy, but within 50 years, it emerged as a dominant force in Europe, controlling almost the entire Italian Peninsula and becoming a rival to Carthage, which they defeated in the First Punic War.

The unresolved competition between Rome and Carthage led to the Second Punic War in 218 BC. The renowned Hannibal, who regarded Alexander as the greatest general of all time, executed a remarkable campaign in Italy, defeating the Romans in multiple battles after crossing the Alps with his North African elephants, including the famous Battle of Cannae in 216 BC. Following this, Philip V of Macedon pledged support to Hannibal, initiating the First Macedonian War against Rome in 215 BC. Four years later, Rome contained the Macedonian threat by allying with the Aetolian League, an anti-Macedonian coalition of Greek city-states. The First Macedonian War ended in 205 BC with a negotiated peace.

In 204 BC, King Ptolemy IV of Egypt died, prompting Philip V of Macedon and Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire to collaborate and exploit the weakness of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. They signed a secret pact to define their spheres of interest and gain new territories. Philip V had expansionist ambitions that threatened not only Ptolemaic realms but also neighboring kingdoms. In 201 BC, Philip launched a campaign into Asia Minor, besieging the Ptolemaic city of Samos and capturing Miletus. His successes alarmed the state of Rhodes and King Attalus I of Pergamon, leading them to appeal to Rome for assistance.

However, Philip’s actions in Thrace and Asia Minor did not directly threaten Roman interests. His focus was primarily on the southern Greek states, where he supported raids against the Athenians. Following the appeals from Pergamon and Rhodes, King Attalus I of Pergamon arrived in Athens with Rhodian ambassadors and convinced the Athenians to declare war on Macedon. The embassies received by Rome from Pergamon, Rhodes, and Athens, along with separate reports, led Rome to consider intervening in the region.

The assembly that had the authority to declare war was convened, but most members rejected the proposal due to war-weariness following the costly conflict with Carthage. However, at a second session, Consul Publius Sulpicius Galba’s comparison of Macedon’s growing power to past invaders like Hannibal convinced the assembly to vote for war against the Macedonians.

As the Romans prepared for war, Philip remained resolute in his expansionist goals, maintaining a siege at Abydos while Antiochus pursued his own campaign in the Middle East. This absence allowed for further Roman intervention before Macedonian power could grow even more threatening. Rome aimed to dissuade Philip from further aggression, and Marcus Lepidus, a Roman ambassador, met with the Macedonian king during the siege to discuss terms for checking Macedonian expansion.

Lepidus urged Philip to refrain from attacking Ptolemaic territories and encouraged him to meet with the leaders of Rhodes and Pergamon to negotiate peace. Philip, feeling agitated by this demand, insisted he had not violated the terms of the previous peace with Rome. The meeting devolved into a heated argument, and Rome’s plea for a non-violent resolution ultimately failed, marking the beginning of the Second Macedonian War.

Rome had two main objectives in this conflict: to inflict a decisive defeat on Philip and compel him to abandon his expansionist policies, and to win the support of the Greeks by positioning themselves as liberators and protectors of Greek freedom. Philip’s underestimation of Roman resolve may have contributed to the war’s outbreak, as he likely did not anticipate the extent of Rome’s commitment to halting his expansion.

Upon returning from Abydos, Philip was surprised to find Galba and two legions of the Roman army had already landed in Epirus. Choosing to address this new threat later, he redirected his focus toward the Peloponnese. Meanwhile, the Romans wasted no time in their offensive, with Galba leading raids through Illyria and a second Roman force arriving in Athens at the Athenians’ request, who were under siege by Philip.

Under the command of Claudius Centho, this force of 1,000 men and 20 ships came to the aid of the Athenians but was soon diverted to assist the exiled citizens of Chalcis. Claudius led his men there and launched a successful incursion, inflicting heavy casualties on Philip’s forces. Philip rushed to Chalcis with 5,000 men, but he was too late, as Claudius and his troops had already withdrawn, prompting Philip to hurry back to Athens to prevent further losses.

When Philip and his troops arrived at the city walls, they engaged in battle against a coalition of Athenian and Attalid forces, which they managed to rout before setting fire to various tombs and sanctuaries outside the gates. As Philip became increasingly aware of the growing Roman threat, he changed his strategy and headed for Corinth and then Argos, where he attempted to win over the Achaean League with promises of support against Nabis of Sparta, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Undeterred, Philip continued his campaign, launching assaults throughout the Attica region, particularly on Athens, Piraeus, and Eleusis, but none were successful. As the situation for the Macedonians grew more precarious, Philip began preparations for a major confrontation with the Romans. Both Rome and Macedon sought to form alliances with the Aetolian League for military support, but neither side made significant progress, and the league remained neutral.

However, Rome was not without allies. Through previous campaigns under Galba, while Philip was occupied elsewhere, the Romans gained support from other Greek city-states. As winter approached, Philip recalled his troops from the north and took his full force of 20,000 men and 4,000 cavalry to a hill near the Roman campsite. Villius Tappulus, who had replaced Galba, was now succeeded by a highly capable Roman consul, Flamininus, who was tactful and fluent in Greek, making him an ideal candidate for war in Greece.

Flamininus demanded to meet with Philip face to face, and negotiations began along the Aous River. Philip sought a compromise, but Flamininus had no intention of creating peace. Instead, he aimed to provoke Philip by demanding reparations for every Greek city harmed by Macedonian campaigns and insisting that Philip relinquish all Hellenic possessions, including Thessaly, which had been under Macedonian control for nearly two centuries.

Predictably, Philip was outraged by these terms and abruptly ended the negotiations. Both leaders returned to their armies, and Flamininus quickly made his next move. He sent a portion of his men to skirmish with the Macedonian troops while ordering a second group of roughly 4,300 to take a concealed path around the mountains. As Philip’s forces were preoccupied with the first group of Roman attackers, the second Roman force positioned itself, leading to a near-trapping of the Macedonians.

Philip was forced to retreat with as many men as he could, but 2,000 Macedonians and all their baggage were lost. The morale of Philip’s soldiers plummeted, and he fled to Thessaly, with the Romans in pursuit. By this time, some of Macedon’s former allies had pledged allegiance to Rome, while others remained neutral. Flamininus soon reached Thessaly and launched a rapid attack, while his allies from Aetolia and Athamania initiated their own assaults from the south and west.

This new campaign was not entirely successful, but it was not a failure either. Flamininus became trapped in conflict at Atrax, which put up unexpected resistance against the Roman siege. Eventually, he was forced to abandon his goals at Atrax but redirected his troops toward a successful siege at Elateia and sought support from Thebes.

As winter set in, Macedonia’s long-time allies, the Achaean League, decided to join the conflict on behalf of the Romans. Flamininus’s successes inspired more support for Rome, prompting Philip to consider a new strategy: either a compromised peace or a final battle. In November of 198 BC, the Macedonians unexpectedly requested peace talks with the Romans. Aware of his precarious position, Philip sought to save his gains.

Flamininus agreed to negotiate again, possibly to solidify his success before his consulship ended. A new meeting was held at Nicaea, where the Romans insisted that Philip cede his Illyrian territories and return all possessions seized from Ptolemy. Representatives from other Greek city-states, including Rhodes, the Achaeans, Aetolians, and King Attalus, were also present, each with their own demands.

Philip was open to compromise but refused to relinquish his fortresses at Chalcis, Acro-Corinth, and Demetrias. He proposed that the Roman Senate vote on the undecided terms, but the situation quickly deteriorated, and no conclusion was reached, leaving war as the only remaining option. It became clear to both sides that the dispute could only end in further conflict and bloodshed.

War was the only path forward, and a decisive battle was imminent. In a few months, the Battle of Cynoscephalae was about to begin! Be sure to check the second part of this series on History-Marche’s channel. We also encourage you to subscribe to his channel, as History-Marche creates incredible animated battle videos, showcasing the most important battles in history in astonishing detail.

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This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while removing any informal language and ensuring clarity.