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Sorry for the delays, came down with a cold and was out of commission all of the weekend. Will try for an update on Wednesday.
The good news is I have had a lot of time to brainstorm, so hopefully this can be restarted with a bang. Thank you for all the support!
The good news is I have had a lot of time to brainstorm, so hopefully this can be restarted with a bang. Thank you for all the support!
Chapter 10
The Second Makedonian War (214-210)
Lucius Cornelius Scipio's navy made landfall at the port of Abdera, unleashing 50,000 of Rome's best soldiers into the heart of Thessaly. Lucius quickly marched his forces to Larisa, the provincial capital. The 24 year old Philip V was caught off guard, and quickly called for his Arkadian Allies in the Peloponnese to attack Achaea, the center of Roman power.
Meanwhile, an internal coup overthrew Sulla as Princeps Senatus. Angered by his extension of Roman citizenship to Italic allies, the Optimates revolted against their own leader. With his fall, the Optimates lost their grip on the senate, with many "Sullites" distancing themselves from either party. With his opponents disempowered, Lucius free from any senatorial oversight.
He did not let this freedom go to waste. Upon receiving news of Sulla's fall, he rode to the gates of Larisa and declared that all those who surrendered would be put under the protection of Rome. Within a month the entire province had defected, splitting Philip's armies in half. If Lucius could catch them in open battle, he could use his numbers and superior maneuverability to crush the inflexible phalanges.
The two giants of Greece would come blows at the fortified town of Pythium, on the slopes of Mount Olympus. Perdiccas Lacedaemonidai, a genius of all styles of warfare and an early adopter of the Asian elephant had made camp outside a vital pass leading toward the Makedonian capital of Pella. With a river on one side and high hills on the other, the Roman force would be bottlenecked, wide open to a devastating elephant charge from the side or rear.
But Lucius was prepared. Inside his great army were 5000 Carthaginian mercenaries, well versed in elephant warfare. The size difference between African and Asian elephants did cause some worry when they first charged into the army's rear, but the Romans were well known for their adaptability. Half of the Carthaginians died, but they took with them ever single one of Perdiccas's elephants. With a skirmisher advantage and parity in cavalry, Lucius stormed the hills above Pythium and forced his enemy to retreat. 35,000 men had bled themselves on the slopes of Olympus, and Mars gave Lucius the keys to Pella for his offering.
But his victory was bittersweet. The senate had finally stabilized, and the consul Tiberius Crispus landed at Achaea, demanding that Lucius fall back and help him crush the Arkadian League. Already their forces were coalescing, with an army of 80,000 raised across Southern Greece. If they weren't defeated now, they could destroy Roman rule in Greece.
But it would cost him every gain made in the North. Pella was open, his for the taking. He could destroy the Makedonian homeland now and force them to rely on their allies. It wouldn't end the war, but it would forever ensure Roman dominance if they won. Even so, he made the decision to return to Achaea and crush the League. However, his army was stopped outside of Larisa by a wall of men, women, and children. The entire city had come to stand outside their walls, reminding Lucius of his oath to them. He was their sole defender now. Immediately he turned his army around and sent word South to Tiberius. He had an oath to fulfill.
Lucius cut a bloody path to Pella, burning and pillaging as he went. Thessaly was under his protection, but the Makedonians had no such grace. The Roman navy, having defeated the Makedonians with superior quinqueremes, blockaded the capital. Meanwhile, Tiberius's consulship expired and an unsure, vacillating man replaced him. Lucius bent him and his legions to his will, forcing them to move northwards and liberate the rest of Thessaly.
Every story of the sack of Pella tells of the unimaginable bounties of wine plundered from the Royal stores. Philip and his court, all famously alcoholics, had stored gallons of wine each inside their villas dotting the countryside. One story mentions a river of wine descending from the royal household flowing into the streets, while another speaks of a temple of Dionysus (called Bacchus by the Roman source) stained purple from a riot that erupted during the celebratory looting. By mid summer, nearly all of Makedonia proper was under Roman rule. All that remained now was the Thracian holdings in the North, undefended and full of pro-Roman tribes ready to revolt. In just three years, Lucius had brought Makedonia to its knees, forced its king to flee to Athens and its greatest general into Illyria.
55,000 were sent South to besiege Athens and Corinth, and another 30,000 were landed on the Peloponnese to conquer Arkadia. Lucius stayed in the North, preparing for a new campaign into Thrace. It seemed that Greece would be lain bare to Roman arms.
With the new year came the fall of Athens, but also political troubles for Lucius. One year remained in his governorship, and Perdiccas was no where to be found. Every thrust into Thrace hadn't been checked, and while Lysimachia still resisted, the lack of resistance was strange. Senators, disgruntled by his blatant disregard for Consular authority and obvious grab at power began to discuss investigating his campaigns in Greece. While such investigation likely would have found nothing, the damage they would do to his reputation could not be allowed. And so Lucius, upon seizing the port city of Byzantium, boarded a ship and sailed back to Rome to defend himself before the senate.
210 BC began well with the fall of both Corinth and Lysimachia. With the final quashing of the remaining Greek and Makedonian resistance, Roman officials began to integrate the new territory, taxing the lucrative Aegean and Black Sea trade routes as well as importing many scientific advancements for use back in Italy. With Perdiccas missing and Lucius in Rome, it seemed as if the Second Makedonian War would simply end with a fizzle.
But the candle of Makedon was still burning.
Lucius Cornelius Scipio's navy made landfall at the port of Abdera, unleashing 50,000 of Rome's best soldiers into the heart of Thessaly. Lucius quickly marched his forces to Larisa, the provincial capital. The 24 year old Philip V was caught off guard, and quickly called for his Arkadian Allies in the Peloponnese to attack Achaea, the center of Roman power.
Meanwhile, an internal coup overthrew Sulla as Princeps Senatus. Angered by his extension of Roman citizenship to Italic allies, the Optimates revolted against their own leader. With his fall, the Optimates lost their grip on the senate, with many "Sullites" distancing themselves from either party. With his opponents disempowered, Lucius free from any senatorial oversight.
He did not let this freedom go to waste. Upon receiving news of Sulla's fall, he rode to the gates of Larisa and declared that all those who surrendered would be put under the protection of Rome. Within a month the entire province had defected, splitting Philip's armies in half. If Lucius could catch them in open battle, he could use his numbers and superior maneuverability to crush the inflexible phalanges.
The two giants of Greece would come blows at the fortified town of Pythium, on the slopes of Mount Olympus. Perdiccas Lacedaemonidai, a genius of all styles of warfare and an early adopter of the Asian elephant had made camp outside a vital pass leading toward the Makedonian capital of Pella. With a river on one side and high hills on the other, the Roman force would be bottlenecked, wide open to a devastating elephant charge from the side or rear.
But Lucius was prepared. Inside his great army were 5000 Carthaginian mercenaries, well versed in elephant warfare. The size difference between African and Asian elephants did cause some worry when they first charged into the army's rear, but the Romans were well known for their adaptability. Half of the Carthaginians died, but they took with them ever single one of Perdiccas's elephants. With a skirmisher advantage and parity in cavalry, Lucius stormed the hills above Pythium and forced his enemy to retreat. 35,000 men had bled themselves on the slopes of Olympus, and Mars gave Lucius the keys to Pella for his offering.
But his victory was bittersweet. The senate had finally stabilized, and the consul Tiberius Crispus landed at Achaea, demanding that Lucius fall back and help him crush the Arkadian League. Already their forces were coalescing, with an army of 80,000 raised across Southern Greece. If they weren't defeated now, they could destroy Roman rule in Greece.
But it would cost him every gain made in the North. Pella was open, his for the taking. He could destroy the Makedonian homeland now and force them to rely on their allies. It wouldn't end the war, but it would forever ensure Roman dominance if they won. Even so, he made the decision to return to Achaea and crush the League. However, his army was stopped outside of Larisa by a wall of men, women, and children. The entire city had come to stand outside their walls, reminding Lucius of his oath to them. He was their sole defender now. Immediately he turned his army around and sent word South to Tiberius. He had an oath to fulfill.
Lucius cut a bloody path to Pella, burning and pillaging as he went. Thessaly was under his protection, but the Makedonians had no such grace. The Roman navy, having defeated the Makedonians with superior quinqueremes, blockaded the capital. Meanwhile, Tiberius's consulship expired and an unsure, vacillating man replaced him. Lucius bent him and his legions to his will, forcing them to move northwards and liberate the rest of Thessaly.
Every story of the sack of Pella tells of the unimaginable bounties of wine plundered from the Royal stores. Philip and his court, all famously alcoholics, had stored gallons of wine each inside their villas dotting the countryside. One story mentions a river of wine descending from the royal household flowing into the streets, while another speaks of a temple of Dionysus (called Bacchus by the Roman source) stained purple from a riot that erupted during the celebratory looting. By mid summer, nearly all of Makedonia proper was under Roman rule. All that remained now was the Thracian holdings in the North, undefended and full of pro-Roman tribes ready to revolt. In just three years, Lucius had brought Makedonia to its knees, forced its king to flee to Athens and its greatest general into Illyria.
55,000 were sent South to besiege Athens and Corinth, and another 30,000 were landed on the Peloponnese to conquer Arkadia. Lucius stayed in the North, preparing for a new campaign into Thrace. It seemed that Greece would be lain bare to Roman arms.
With the new year came the fall of Athens, but also political troubles for Lucius. One year remained in his governorship, and Perdiccas was no where to be found. Every thrust into Thrace hadn't been checked, and while Lysimachia still resisted, the lack of resistance was strange. Senators, disgruntled by his blatant disregard for Consular authority and obvious grab at power began to discuss investigating his campaigns in Greece. While such investigation likely would have found nothing, the damage they would do to his reputation could not be allowed. And so Lucius, upon seizing the port city of Byzantium, boarded a ship and sailed back to Rome to defend himself before the senate.
210 BC began well with the fall of both Corinth and Lysimachia. With the final quashing of the remaining Greek and Makedonian resistance, Roman officials began to integrate the new territory, taxing the lucrative Aegean and Black Sea trade routes as well as importing many scientific advancements for use back in Italy. With Perdiccas missing and Lucius in Rome, it seemed as if the Second Makedonian War would simply end with a fizzle.
But the candle of Makedon was still burning.
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The Sons of Alexander will ride again! Not very well probably 
Excellent update, interested to see where the political rumblings go. Ancient History has always been my weak spot but the skullduggeries of the Republic do have something of a timeless quality, don't they?
Excellent update, interested to see where the political rumblings go. Ancient History has always been my weak spot but the skullduggeries of the Republic do have something of a timeless quality, don't they?
The Sons of Alexander will ride again! Not very well probably
Excellent update, interested to see where the political rumblings go. Ancient History has always been my weak spot but the skullduggeries of the Republic do have something of a timeless quality, don't they?
I based the current political rumblings on a combination of Publius Cornelius Scipio (young general, leads naval based invasion which splits enemy and defeats elephants) and Julius Caesar (highly brutal campaigns, dominating weak consuls to do his bidding, being accused of abusing governorship). One big difference is Scipio and Caesar didn't address the charges against them by going directly to the senate, but considering how our Rome hasn't gone through the political corruption of the Elder Gracchi (yet) or the Civil Wars of the late republic, I decided to have Lucius meet the allegation face to face. If you want, I can try to explain some of my historical choices when writing this in future updates. And you are certainly right, the Republic's issues are undeniably timeless.
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I wouldn't want you to 'break character' on my account but yes, extra historical details would be be lovely, its fascinating stuff
Huh, well someone has to take Carthage's place in besieging Rome and causing trouble for the Roman Republic, guess it has to be Makedonia since Carthage can't really do a Second Punic War at this point.
The fact that this is the Second Makedonian War makes this all the more appropriate, guess Macedonia is Carthage now.
The fact that this is the Second Makedonian War makes this all the more appropriate, guess Macedonia is Carthage now.