Syrian Wars facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Syrian Wars |
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 Coele-Syria, the site where much of the wars took place |
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The Syrian Wars were a series of six big wars. They happened between two powerful empires: the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Both empires were formed after Alexander the Great's huge empire broke apart. These wars took place in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. The main reason for fighting was control over a region called Coele-Syria. This area was important because it was one of the few ways to get into Egypt. These long wars used up a lot of money and soldiers from both sides. This eventually made them weak, and they were later taken over by Rome and Parthia.
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Why the Wars Started
After Alexander the Great died, his generals, called the Diadochi, fought over his empire. At first, Coele-Syria was ruled by Antigonus I. But in 301 BC, Ptolemy I Soter, who was the King of Egypt, took control of the region.
However, the winners of a big battle called Ipsus had actually given Coele-Syria to Seleucus I Nicator. Seleucus was the founder of the Seleucid Empire. Ptolemy had helped Seleucus become powerful. So, Seleucus didn't try to take the region back by force. But after both of them died, their sons and grandsons started fighting over Coele-Syria.
First Syrian War (274–271 BC)
About ten years after he became king, Ptolemy II Philadelphus faced a challenge. Antiochus I Soter, the Seleucid king, wanted to expand his empire. He aimed to take more land in Syria and Anatolia.
Ptolemy II was a strong leader and a good general. His marriage to his sister Arsinoe II of Egypt also helped make his kingdom stable. This allowed him to focus on the war.
The First Syrian War was a big win for the Ptolemies. Antiochus first captured some coastal areas in Syria and southern Anatolia. But Ptolemy quickly took these lands back by 271 BC. He even extended Ptolemaic rule further into Caria and most of Cilicia.
Second Syrian War (260–253 BC)
Antiochus II Theos became the Seleucid king in 261 BC. He immediately started a new war for Syria. He made a deal with Antigonus II Gonatas, the king of Macedon. Antigonus also wanted to push Ptolemy II out of the Aegean Sea. With Macedon's help, Antiochus II attacked Ptolemaic areas in Asia.
We don't have much information about this war. But we know that Antigonus's fleet defeated Ptolemy's fleet. This happened at the Battle of Cos in 261 BC. This battle greatly weakened the Ptolemaic navy. Ptolemy seemed to lose land in Cilicia, Pamphylia, and Ionia. Antiochus, meanwhile, got back Miletus and Ephesus.
Macedon stopped fighting around 253 BC. Antigonus had to deal with a rebellion in Corinth and Chalcis. Ptolemy might have caused these rebellions. Also, there was more enemy activity on Macedon's northern border.
The war ended around 253 BC. Antiochus married Berenice Syra, who was Ptolemy's daughter. Antiochus had to divorce his first wife, Laodice I. He died in 246 BC, possibly poisoned by Laodice. Ptolemy II also died in the same year.
Third Syrian War (246–241 BC)
This war is also known as the Laodicean War. It started because of a fight over who would be king. Antiochus II had two wives, Laodice I and Berenice Syra. Both wanted their sons to become king. Laodice said Antiochus named her son as heir before he died. But Berenice argued her newborn son was the rightful heir.
Berenice asked her brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes, for help. He was the new Ptolemaic king. When Ptolemy arrived, Berenice and her child had been killed.
Ptolemy declared war on Laodice's son, Seleucus II Callinicus, in 246 BC. Ptolemy won many battles in Syria and Anatolia. He even briefly took Antioch and reached Babylon. However, he lost the Cyclades islands to Antigonus Gonatas in the Battle of Andros.
Seleucus had his own problems. His mother, Laodice, made him share power with his younger brother, Antiochus Hierax. Antiochus Hierax then declared his independence. This made it harder for Seleucus to fight Ptolemy.
The war ended with a peace treaty in 241 BC. Ptolemy gained new lands on the northern coast of Syria. This included Seleucia Pieria, which was the port for Antioch. The Ptolemaic kingdom was at its strongest point.
Fourth Syrian War (219–217 BC)
When Antiochus III the Great became the Seleucid king in 223 BC, he had a big goal. He wanted to get back all the lands that Seleucus I Nicator had once ruled. These lands stretched from the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in the east to Syria in the south. By 221 BC, he had already taken back control of Media and Persia. Then, he looked towards Syria and Egypt.
Egypt was weak at this time. There were many problems in the royal court and unrest among the people. The new king, Ptolemy IV Philopator, was young. His rule started with the murder of his mother, Berenice II of Egypt. The young king was easily controlled by his advisors. These advisors used their power for themselves, which made the people unhappy.
Antiochus wanted to use this chaos to his advantage. After a failed attempt in 221 BC, he started the Fourth Syrian War in 219 BC. He recaptured Seleucia Pieria and cities in Phoenicia, like Tyre. Instead of invading Egypt right away, Antiochus waited in Phoenicia for over a year. He used this time to secure his new lands and listen to peace offers from Egypt.
Meanwhile, Ptolemy's minister, Sosibius, started building and training an army. He didn't just recruit Greeks, which was common for armies back then. He also recruited native Egyptians. At least thirty thousand Egyptians joined the army as foot soldiers. This new idea helped Egypt, but it also caused problems later on.
In the summer of 217 BC, Ptolemy's army fought Antiochus. They met at the Battle of Raphia. This was the biggest battle since the Battle of Ipsus, over eighty years earlier. Ptolemy's army won.
Ptolemy's victory helped him keep control of Coele-Syria. But the king was weak and didn't push further into Antiochus's empire. He didn't even try to take back Seleucia Pieria. The Ptolemaic kingdom continued to get weaker in the years that followed. It faced money problems and rebellions. The native Egyptians who fought at Raphia felt proud and strong. They started their own kingdom in Upper Egypt. The Ptolemies finally took it back around 185 BC.
Fifth Syrian War (202–195 BC)
When Ptolemy IV died in 204 BC, there was a big fight over who would rule. His son, Ptolemy V Epiphanes, was just a child. The conflict began with the murder of the king's wife and sister, Arsinoë. This was done by the ministers Agothocles and Sosibius. Agothocles seemed to rule for a while until he was killed by an angry crowd in Alexandria. The kingdom was in a state of disorder.
Antiochus III saw this chaos and decided to invade Coele-Syria again. He convinced Philip V of Macedon to join the war. Philip attacked Ptolemy's lands in Asia Minor. These actions led to the Second Macedonian War between Macedon and the Romans. Antiochus quickly moved through the region. After a small setback at Gaza, he won a huge victory against the Ptolemies. This was at the Battle of Panium, near the River Jordan. This win gave him control of the important port of Sidon.
In 200 BC, Roman messengers came to Philip and Antiochus. They told them not to invade Egypt. Rome needed grain from Egypt to feed its large population. Since neither king planned to invade Egypt itself, they agreed to Rome's demands. Antiochus finished taking over Coele-Syria in 198 BC. He then attacked Ptolemy's remaining coastal strongholds in Caria and Cilicia.
Problems at home made Ptolemy want to end the war quickly. A movement of native Egyptians, which started before the war, caused unrest. This movement grew with the support of Egyptian priests. Money problems also led the Ptolemaic government to raise taxes. This made the nationalist feelings even stronger. To focus on his own kingdom, Ptolemy signed a peace treaty with Antiochus in 195 BC. Antiochus kept Coele-Syria. Ptolemy also agreed to marry Antiochus's daughter, Cleopatra I.
Sixth Syrian War (170–168 BC)
Leading Up to the War
The Seleucids didn't really want another war with the Ptolemies. They had just lost the Roman-Seleucid War. They had to pay a huge amount of money to Rome after the Treaty of Apamea in 188 BC. They already controlled Coele-Syria. Also, they were busy fighting the rising Parthian Empire in the East.
Over time, the Ptolemaic kingdom became weaker. There were disagreements inside the government and rebellions. The power of the king lessened. Important noble families in Alexandria gained more influence. Egyptian nationalist movements also grew stronger.
Ptolemy V might have been planning to raise money to try and take back Coele-Syria. But he died unexpectedly in 180 BC. People at the time thought he might have been poisoned. Perhaps courtiers wanted peace to avoid taxes for a war. Or maybe they preferred a young king who would be easier to control.
Cleopatra I, who was the regent (ruler for a young king), favored peace. She might have thought war was a bad idea. Or she might have still felt loyal to her Seleucid family. Cleopatra I died in 176 BC. Her oldest son, Ptolemy VI Philometor, was only 10 years old. So, a regency was still needed. Two officials, Eulaeus and Lenaeus, became the regents. They were likely chosen as a compromise between different Egyptian groups. Under their rule, young Ptolemy VI married his sister Cleopatra II. She was also declared a co-ruler.
The Sixth War Begins
The exact reasons for this new war are not fully clear. Relations between the two empires got worse. Both sides sent messengers to Rome, asking for military help. Rome was busy with the Third Macedonian War at the time. In 170 BC, Ptolemy's younger brother, Ptolemy VIII Physcon, was also made a co-ruler. This was done to make Egypt stronger. The three siblings were between 10 and 16 years old.
Ptolemaic regents Eulaeus and Lenaeus seem to have started the war. They formally declared war on the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes. They might have wanted to unite the country. Or perhaps they thought it would be an easy war to win. Antiochus IV had heard about Egypt's war plans. He was in Tyre in July and August 170 BC, getting his forces ready. He reached the important town of Pelusium in November 170 BC.
Just as the Egyptian army left Pelusium to invade Coele-Syria, the Seleucids defeated them. This happened in the Sinai desert. The Egyptians might have been surprised that the Seleucids were ready to fight so quickly. The Egyptians lost many soldiers as they retreated to Pelusium. But Pelusium quickly fell with little fighting. The Egyptian army surrendered. Pelusium was the entry point to Egypt. With it controlled, Seleucid supplies were safe, and Egypt was in great danger. Antiochus took Naucratis and camped near Alexandria. He might have been planning to surround the city.
The Egyptians had problems inside their own country because the war was going badly. Eulaeus and Lenaeus were removed from power. Two new regents, Comanus and Cineas, took their place. Messengers were sent to negotiate a peace treaty. Antiochus took Ptolemy VI (who was his nephew) under his protection. He might have wanted to make Egypt a country controlled by the Seleucid Empire. Records show that even Thebes, in southern Egypt, was occupied by a foreign army in October 169 BC. This was likely the Seleucid army.
However, the people of Alexandria did not accept this occupation. They declared Ptolemy Physcon as their only king. Antiochus surrounded Alexandria, but he couldn't cut off the city's supplies. So, in late autumn of 169 BC, he pulled his army back. He left Ptolemy VI as a rival king in Memphis. Antiochus might have left to deal with problems in Phoenicia.
While Antiochus was away, Ptolemy VI and his brother Ptolemy Physcon made up. Antiochus was angry that he had lost control of the king. He invaded again in 168 BC. The Egyptians sent to Rome asking for help. The Roman Senate sent Gaius Popillius Laenas to Alexandria. Meanwhile, a Seleucid fleet captured Cyprus. Antiochus's army took Memphis again. While in Memphis, he even issued an official order as the Egyptian king. The Ptolemaic armies did not fight any major battles. Instead, they stayed safe inside their forts. Antiochus was ready to march on Alexandria again.
At Eleusis, outside Alexandria, he met Popilius Laenas. Popilius had been a friend of Antiochus when Antiochus lived in Rome. But instead of a friendly greeting, Popilius gave the king an order from the Roman Senate. Antiochus had to leave Egypt and Cyprus immediately. Rome had just defeated the Macedonians at the Battle of Pydna. This meant Rome could now threaten the Seleucids with its armies. Antiochus asked for time to think. But Popilius drew a circle around him in the sand with his cane. He told Antiochus to decide before he stepped out of the circle. Antiochus chose to obey Rome's order. He wanted to avoid a new war with Rome. This retreat was very embarrassing for Antiochus. The "Day of Eleusis" ended the Sixth Syrian War. It also ended Antiochus's hopes of conquering Egyptian land.
Still, the Ptolemies were greatly weakened by the war. They also had conflict between Ptolemy VI and VIII. A rebel named Dionysus Petrosarapis tried to use this conflict to start a series of revolts from 168 to 164 BC.
Ptolemy VI and the Seleucid Dynastic Wars
This conflict isn't usually called the "Seventh Syrian War." But the Ptolemies and some Seleucids fought again in 145 BC. The Seleucid Empire began to fall apart from internal problems in 152 BC. The Romans and the Pergamese wanted to weaken Syria. So, they encouraged Alexander Balas to claim the throne against King Demetrius I Soter. Alexander's allies gave him money and hired soldiers for him. He gained the loyalty of Syrians who disliked Demetrius, like the Jewish military leader Jonathan Apphus. Alexander eventually won this civil war. This was a good outcome for Ptolemy VI. He saw a strong, ambitious enemy in Demetrius replaced by Alexander, who was easier to control. Ptolemy VI's daughter Cleopatra Thea married Alexander Balas as a sign of friendship.
However, this peace didn't last. Demetrius II, Demetrius I's son, tried to overthrow Balas. Balas had a reputation as a weak ruler. The civil war started again. Egyptian forces gathered on the border around 147 BC. They were ready to get involved in the Seleucid civil war. With Alexander's permission, they took over much of coastal Coele-Syria. Alexander's Jewish allies also expanded their control in the Judean hills.
As Ptolemy VI marched north, he changed sides. He demanded that his son-in-law, Alexander, hand over his chief minister. The charges were likely fake. Demetrius II probably offered to let Ptolemy rule Coele-Syria if he helped Demetrius. Ptolemy VI then marched on Antioch. Alexander left the city, probably thinking he couldn't win a siege. Ptolemy VI now ruled from Syria, with Demetrius II as a puppet king. Cleopatra Thea was remarried to the new king. Alexander Balas's loyal followers caused trouble in the countryside outside Antioch.
Eventually, Ptolemy VI gathered his forces. The Ptolemaic-Demetrius II alliance went to meet Alexander near a river. This led to the Battle of the Oenoparus. Alexander's army was defeated. He had to flee to his Nabatean (Arab) allies. There, he was murdered by two of his own men. Ptolemy VI died from his wounds. The unexpected winner was Demetrius II. With the Ptolemaic king dead and the Seleucids briefly united, Demetrius II turned on his former Egyptian allies. He was able to force the Ptolemaic army out of Coele-Syria.
See also
In Spanish: Guerras sirias para niños
- Hellenistic period
- List of conflicts in Egypt
