Queen_Teuta

Queen Teuta (also Queen Tefta) of Issa (today the Vis (island)), was an Illyrian¹ queen and regent who reigned approximately from 231 BC to 228 BC.

After the death of Agron (250 BC?-231 BC) who established the first kingdom of Illyria, extending from Dalmatia on the north to the Aous River (Vjosa River) to the south with Skodra as its capital, his widow, Teuta, acted as regent for her young stepson Pinnes. Teuta's first decision was to drive out the Greek colonies off the Illyrian coast. Attempting this, she attacked Dyrrachium and fortified the city, but Phoenice further south surrendered. While her Illyrian ships were off the coast of Sarandë, they intercepted and plundered² some merchant vessels of Rome. Encouraged by this success, Teuta's pirates extended their operations southward into the Ionian Sea, westward along the coast of Italy, and were soon feared as the terror of the Adriatic. The seat of her throne was in Risan³, a town in today's Montenegro.

The Roman Senate sent two ambassadors to the pirate lair at Shkodër to require reparations and demand an end to all pirate expeditions. Apparently, she told the ambassadors that according to the law of the Illyrians, piracy was a lawful trade and that her government had no right to interfere with this as a private enterprise. One of the envoys was reported to have replied that Rome would make it her business to introduce better law among the Illyrians. At any rate, one of the ambassadors addressed the queen so disrespectfully that her attendants killed him as he embarked for Rome.

This was too much for Rome to endure. In 229 BC, Rome declared war⁴ on Illyria and for the first time armies crossed the Adriatic to Illyria (the Balkan Peninsula in modern usage). The Roman fleet of 200 ships went first to Corcyra. Teuta's governor, Demetrius had little alternative but to surrender, and the Romans awarded him a considerable part of Teuta's holdings (228 BC). The Roman army then landed further north at Apollonia. The combined army and navy proceeded northward together, subduing one town after another and besieging Shkodra, the capital. Teuta finally surrendered in 227 BC, having to accept an ignominious peace. The Romans allowed her to continue her reign but restricted⁵ her to a narrow region around Skodra, deprived her of all her other holdings, and forbade her to sail an armed ship below Lissus just south of the capital. They also required her to pay an annual tribute and to acknowledge the final authority of Rome.

References

^ Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, p. 120, ISBN 0631198075,page 129,"... mainly because no coins are known to have been issued by Illyrian rulers of a later period such as Agron, Teuta, Scerdilaidas, etc. ..."
^ Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, p. 120, ISBN 0631198075.,Page 158,"... ' Illyrian success continued when command passed to Agron's widow Teuta, who granted individual ships a licence to universal plunder. In 231 ac the fleet and army attacked Ells and Messenia ..."
^ Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, p. 120, ISBN 0631198075.,Page 177,"... who appears to have ruled after 168 Bc at Queen Teuta's old stronghold Rhizon (Risan). His silver issues are rare, but bronze coins, without the royal title, occur on Hvar, both ..."
^ Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, p. 120, ISBN 0631198075,Page 160,"... ' The Roman invasion of Illyria in 229 sc appears to have caught Teuta and the Illyrians completely off guard. As soon as the weather permitted, the queen had ordered south a naval expedition ..."
^ Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, p. 120, ISBN 0631198075.,page 161,"... Before the end of winter, envoys of Teuta appeared in Rome and a treaty was concluded. According to its terms the queen would abandon Illyris, except for a ..."