Nabis facts for kids

Coin of Nabis of Sparta. It says he was king.

Nabis was the last king of Sparta when it was still an independent country. He ruled from 207 BC to 192 BC. During his time, there were big wars like the First Macedonian War and the Second Macedonian War. Nabis became king by removing others who wanted the throne. He then started to make Sparta powerful again.

At first, Nabis joined forces with King Philip V of Macedon. In return, he received the important city of Argos. But when the war started going badly for Macedon, Nabis switched sides and joined Rome. After the war, the Romans, pushed by the Achaean League, attacked Nabis and defeated him. He was later killed in 192 BC by the Aetolian League. Nabis was the last leader who tried to bring big changes to Sparta.

Becoming Sparta's Leader

After a Spartan king named Cleomenes III was defeated in 222 BC, Sparta became weak. A young boy named Pelops became king, and Nabis helped rule as a regent. But Nabis soon took the throne for himself. He said he was related to an old Spartan king named Demaratus. Even though Nabis called himself king, ancient writers like Livy and Polybius called him a "tyrant." This means they thought he ruled unfairly and with too much power.

Nabis wanted to continue the changes that Cleomenes III had started. He took land from rich people and gave it to others. He also freed many slaves and made them citizens. This meant he had more people to join his army. However, he kept the system of helots (state-owned slaves) in place. Polybius, who did not like Nabis, said that Nabis's supporters were a rough crowd.

Ancient writers also said that Nabis was a harsh ruler. They claimed he used force to stay in power.

Sparta's Foreign Policy

Nabis followed a similar plan to earlier Spartan leaders. He often opposed the Achaean League and Macedonia. Instead, he made friends with the Aetolians, Elis, and Messene. This led him to become an ally of Rome during the First Macedonian War. They signed a peace treaty in 205 BC.

In the years that followed, Nabis made Sparta stronger. He took back control of much of the land around Sparta, called Laconia, and also Messene. In 204 BC, he started attacking the city of Megalopolis. He also built a navy again, with help from allies from Crete. For the first time, he built walls around the city of Sparta. Before this, Spartans believed their brave soldiers were enough to protect the city.

In 201 BC, Nabis attacked Messene. Messene had been a friend of Sparta, but Nabis wanted to control the area again. Messene fell to Nabis, but then the army of Philopoemen arrived. Nabis's forces were badly defeated, and he had to stop trying to expand his territory for a while.

Nabis's desire for more land caused problems with the Achaean League. This league controlled the northern part of Greece. Even though the skilled Achaean general Philopoemen often defeated Nabis, Nabis remained a serious threat. In 200 BC, the Achaeans asked King Philip V of Macedon for help, but he did not give it. Nabis was smart and used the conflict between Philip and the Romans to his advantage. He gained control of Argos by allying with Macedon. Then, he switched to the Roman side to keep Argos.

War with Rome

In 195 BC, a Roman leader named Titus Quinctius Flamininus was convinced by the Achaeans that Nabis's power needed to be stopped. Flamininus told Nabis to give Argos back to the Achaeans, or Rome would declare war. Nabis refused, saying that Rome had accepted his friendship when he already had Argos. So, Flamininus invaded Laconia, the land around Sparta. After some fighting, the Spartans were defeated. Nabis was forced to give up Argos and the port city of Gytheum, which was important for access to the sea.

Nabis's Final Years and Death

Even though Nabis now only controlled Sparta and its nearby areas, he still hoped to regain his old power. In 192 BC, he saw that the Romans and their Achaean allies were busy with a new war against King Antiochus III the Great and the Aetolian League. Nabis tried to take back Gytheum and the coast of Laconia. At first, he was successful.

However, his army was soon defeated by Philopoemen, and Nabis was trapped inside the walls of Sparta. After attacking the countryside around Sparta, Philopoemen went home. A few months later, Nabis asked the Aetolian League for help to protect his land from the Romans and Achaeans.

The Aetolians sent an army to Sparta. But once they were there, the Aetolians betrayed Nabis. They killed him while he was training his army outside the city. The Aetolians then tried to take control of Sparta, but the citizens fought back and stopped them.

The Achaeans, seeing the confusion, sent Philopoemen to Sparta with a large army. He made the Spartans join the Achaean League. Nabis was the last leader of an independent Sparta. After him, Sparta was no longer a major power in Greece.

Sources

Historians learn about Nabis from ancient writers like Titus Livius and Polybius.

See also

In Spanish: Nabis para niños