Epirus

Epirus (330 BCE-207 BCE; 235-267 CE; 453- CE) was an ancient Greek state and kingdom located in the geographical region of Epirus, in north-western Greece and southern Albania. Home to the ancient Epirotes, the state was bordered by the Aetolian League to the south, Ancient Thessaly and Ancient Macedonia to the east, and Illyrian tribes to the north. The Greek king Pyrrhus is known to have made Epirus a powerful state in the Greek realm (during 280–272 BCE) that was comparable to the likes of Ancient Macedonia. Pyrrhus even managed to assert control of Macedonia, from 279-272 BCE. Pyrrhus was killed in battle and Epirus lost its power. The monarchy was abolished in 233 BCE and an Epirote republic was established. Epirus was made a vassal state of Pontos from 86 BCE to 235 CE, then was occupied by the Goths and Huns from 267-453 CE. After their collapse, Epirus regained its status as a free nation.

Prehistory
Epirus has been occupied since at least Neolithic times by seafarers (along the coast) and by hunters and shepherds (in the interior) who brought with them the Greek language. These neolithic peoples buried their leaders in large tumuli (mounds of earth that were raised over a grave) containing shaft tombs similar to those made by Mycenaean peoples. Due to these ritualistic similarities, an ancestral link may exist between the Epirotes and the Mycenaeans. A number of Mycenaean remains have also been found in Epirus at the most important ancient religious sites in the region, including at the Necromanteion of Acheron (on the Acheron river) and at the Oracle of Zeus at Dodona. It is also known that Epirus had strong contact with other Ancient Greek regions, including those of Macedonia, Thessaly, Aetolia and Acarnania.

The Dorians invaded Greece from Epirus and Macedonia at the end of the 2nd millennium BCE (circa 1100–1000 BCE), though the reasons for their migration are obscure. The region's original inhabitants were driven southward into the Greek mainland by the invasion, and by the early 1st millennium BCE three principal clusters of Greek-speaking tribes emerged in Epirus. These were the Chaonians of northwestern Epirus, the Molossians in the center, and the Thesprotians in the south. The region inhabited by each of these ethne had its own name (Chaonia, Molossia, Thesprotia), thus there was no single name for the entire region originally.

The Greek toponym Epirus, meaning "mainland" or "continent", first appears in the work of Hecataeus of Miletus in the 6th century BCE and is one of the few Greek names from the view of an external observer with a maritime-geographical perspective. Although not originally a native Epirote name, it later came to be adopted by the inhabitants of the area.

Molossian expansion (470–330 BCE)
The Molossian Aeacidae dynasty managed to create the first centralized state in Epirus from about 370 BCE onwards, expanding their power at the expense of rival tribes. The Aeacids allied themselves with the increasingly powerful kingdom of Macedon, in part against the common threat of Illyrian raids, and in 359 BCE the Molossian princess Olympias, niece of Arybbas of Epirus, married King Philip II of Macedon (r. 359–336 BCE). She was to become the mother of Alexander the Great. On the death of Arybbas, Alexander the Molossian, uncle of Alexander the Great of Macedon, succeeded to the throne with the title King of Epirus.

In 334 BCe, the time Alexander the Great crossed into Asia, Alexander I the Molossian led an expedition in southern Italy in support of the Greek cities of Magna Graecia against the nearby Italian tribes. After some successes on the battlefield, he was defeated by a coalition of Italic tribes at the Battle of Pandosia in 331 BCE.

Kingdom of Epirus (330–306 BCE)
In 330 BCE, upon Alexander the Molossian's death, the term "Epirus" appears as a single political unit in the ancient Greek records for the first time, under the leadership of the Molossian dynasty. Subsequently, the coinages of the three major Epirote tribal groups came to an end, and a new coinage was issued with the legend Epirotes. After Alexander's I death, Aeacides of Epirus, who succeeded him, espoused the cause of Olympias against Cassander, but was dethroned in 313 BCE.

Early life
In c. 319 BCE, Pyrrhus was born to prince Aeacides of Epirus, and Phthia, a Thessalian noblewoman, the daughter of the Thessalian general Menon. Aeacides was a cousin of Olympias, making Pyrrhus a second-cousin-once-removed to Alexander the Great. He had two sisters: Deidamia and Troias. In 319/318 BCE, Arrybas, Aeacides' father and the regent of Epirus, died, leaving Epirus to the joint kings Aeacides and Neoptolemus.

Aeacides supported Olympias in her fight against Cassander and marched on Macedon. In 317 BCE, when Pyrrhus was only two, Olympias requested Aeacides' support yet again, and he marched on Macedon a second time. Many of his soldiers did not like their service and mutinied. Aeacides released these soldiers from his army, but as a result his army was too small to achieve anything. When the mutineers arrived in Epirus they caused a rebellion against their absent king and Aeacides was dethroned. Cassander sent one of his generals, Lyciscus, to act as regent to the still underaged Neoptolemus. Epirus in effect became a puppet kingdom of Cassander. Pyrrhus' family fled north and took refuge with Glaukias of the Taulantians, one of the largest Illyrian tribes. Pyrrhus was raised by Beroea, Glaukias' wife, a Molossian of the Aeacidae dynasty. Cassander marched against Glaukias, defeated his army and captured Apollonia. Glaukias had to promise not to act against Cassander, but he refused to give up Pyrrhus and his family.

By 313 BCE, Cassander was distracted by his war against Antigonus Monophthalmus, one of the most powerful of the Diadochi. Fearing an invasion from Asia Minor, where Antigonus was building up his forces, he shifted his attention from the west to the east. Aeacides took advantage of the situation and returned to Epirus. He appears to have regained popularity and raised a large army. Cassander sent an army under his brother Philip, who defeated Aeacides in two battles. Aeacides was wounded in the last battle and died soon after.

First Reign
In 307 BCE, Glaukias invaded Epirus and put Pyrrhus on the throne. Pyrrhus was only eleven years old, so his guardians ruled in his stead until he came of age. When he was seventeen, he travelled to the court of Glaukias in Illyria to attend the wedding of one of Glaukias' sons. While he was in Illyria the Molossians rose in rebellion, drove out Pyrrhus' supporters, and returned Neoptolemus to the throne. This time Glaukias was unable to help him.

Exile
Pyrrhus travelled to the Peloponnese and served his brother-in-law Demetrius Poliorcetes who had married his sister Deidamia, and who was campaigning against Cassander in southern Greece.

The Battle of Ipsus
In 302 BCE, Demetrius took his army to Asia Minor to support his father Antigonus Monophthalmus. Pyrrhus impressed Antigonus for he is reputed to have said that Pyrrhus would become the greatest general of his time, if he lived long enough.

Antigonus had grown too powerful and the other successors, Seleucus, Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Cassander, had united against him. Lysimachus and Seleucus, reinforced by two of Cassander's armies, had concentrated their forces in Asia Minor and marched on Antigonus. Both armies met at Ipsus in Phrygia. The Battle of Ipsus was the largest and most important battle of the Wars of the Successors. Pyrrhus probably fought with Demetrius on the right wing, a place of honour, and made a brilliant display of valour among the combatants. Unfortunately for Antigonus, he lost both the battle and his life. Demetrius, victorious on his wing, managed to escape with 9,000 men. Pyrrhus, still with Demetrius, continued to serve his brother-in-law, who started rebuilding his father's empire.

Ptolemy
In 298 BCE, Pyrrhus was taken hostage to Alexandria, under the terms of a peace treaty made between Demetrius and Ptolemy I Soter. There, he married Ptolemy I's stepdaughter Antigone (a daughter of Berenice I of Egypt from her first husband Philip—respectively, Ptolemy I's wife and a Macedonian noble). In 297 BCE, Cassander died and Ptolemy, always looking for allies, decided to help restore Pyrrhus to his kingdom. He provided Pyrrhus with men and funds and sent him back to Epirus.

Second Reign
Pyrrhus returned to Epirus at the head of an army, but not willing to fight a civil war he agreed to rule Epirus together with Neoptolemus. Soon both kings started to plot against one another. Pyrrhus was informed of a plot against his life and decided to strike first. He invited his fellow king to a dinner and had him murdered. The act does not appear to have been unpopular as Epirus' nobility seem to have been devoted to him.

In 295 BCE, Pyrrhus transferred the capital of his kingdom to Ambracia. In 292 BCE, he went to war against his former ally and brother-in-law Demetrius by invading Thessaly while Demetrius was besieging Thebes. Demetrius responded immediately; he left the siege to his son Antigonus Gonatas and marched back north at the head of a large army. Pyrrhus, outnumbered, withdrew to Epirus.

While he was back in Epirus, Pyrrhus suffered another setback. His second wife, Lannasa, daughter of Agathocles of Syracuse the self-proclaimed king of Sicily, deserted him. She claimed that she, a daughter of a Greek king, could no longer bear to share her home with barbarian women. She fled to Corcyra with her dowry, offering it and herself to Demetrius. He accepted, sailed to the island and took possession of both Corcyra and Lannasa. After returning to his army in mainland Greece, Demetrius planned to invade Epirus. In 289 BCE, he invaded Pyrrhus' allies, the Aetolian League, hoping to neutralize them before he invaded Epirus. The Aetolians refused battle and retreated into the hills. After ransacking the Aetolians' countryside, Demetrius left a strong force under his best general Pantauchus in Aetolia and marched on Epirus. Meanwhile, Pyrrhus had raised his army and was marching to the rescue of his Aetolian allies. The two armies, on different roads, passed one another and Demetrius started plundering Epirus while Pyrrhus met Pantauchus in battle.

Pyrrhus had the bulk of the army of Epirus with him, probably 20,000–25,000 men, while Pantauchus commanded but a detachment of Demetrius' army consisting of around 11,000 men. The fighting was heavy, and according to the sources Pantauchus and Pyrrhus sought out one another. Pantauchus challenged Pyrrhus to individual combat, and Pyrrhus accepted. After hurling spears at each other they fought it out with swords. Pyrrhus was wounded, but in return wounded his opponent twice, in the thigh and in the neck. Pantauchus' bodyguards had to carry him away. Emboldened by their king's victory, the Epirotes resumed their attack and broke Pantauchus' army, and took 5,000 prisoners. The army then honoured Pyrrhus by bestowing the surname of 'Eagle' upon him. Demetrius, upon hearing of Pyrrhus's victory, marched back to Macedon. Pyrrhus released his prisoners and marched back to Epirus.

In 289 BCE, Pyrrhus, learning that Demetrius was dangerously ill, invaded Macedonia. His original intention was merely to raid and pillage, but with Demetrius unable to lead his forces he met almost no opposition. Pyrrhus penetrated as far as the old Macedonian capital of Aegae before Demetrius was well enough to take the field. Since Demetrius commanded a superior force, Pyrrhus had no choice but to retreat.

Demetrius, just as restless as Pyrrhus, planned to invade Asia and reclaim his father's old domains. He first made peace with Pyrrhus granting him his holdings in Macedonia while holding on to Corcyra and Leucas, then he started to raise a vast army and a huge fleet. Faced with this threat, the other Diadochi Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus allied against him. The three kings sent embassies to Pyrrhus trying to win him over to their side or at least get him to remain neutral. If the allies won and Pyrrhus remained neutral he would gain nothing. If on the other hand Demetrius would be victorious he could overwhelm Pyrrhus at any time in the future. Pyrrhus's personal enmity against Demetrius might have played an additional role in his decision to join the allies.

In 288 BCE, the allied kings began their campaigns against Demetrius. Ptolemy sailed against Demetrius's Greek allies with a large fleet. Lysimachus invaded upper Macedonia from Thrace. Pyrrhus waited until Demetrius had marched against Lysimachus and then invaded southern Macedonia. Demetrius must have thought that Pyrrhus would not renege on his treaty, because western and southern Macedonia fell without opposition. Meanwhile, Demetrius had won a victory over Lysimachus near Amphipolis. When the Macedonian army heard that their homeland was being overrun by Pyrrhus, they turned on Demetrius. They were fed up with his autocratic rule and grandiose plans and refused to advance any further. Demetrius then led his army against Pyrrhus, probably hoping that his Macedonians would be more willing to fight a foreign invader rather than Lysimachus, a veteran of Alexander. Unfortunately for Demetrius, his troops were so fed up with him that they deserted to Pyrrhus and he had to flee. Lysimachus was soon joined by Pyrrhus and they decided to share rulership over Macedonia.

Demetrius gathered a new army in Greece and besieged Athens, which had rebelled against the puppet government he had installed. The Athenians called on Pyrrhus for assistance and he marched against Demetrius once more. This caused Demetrius to raise the siege. The Athenians thanked Pyrrhus by erecting a bust to him and allowing him into the city for the celebrations. However, they did not allow his army to enter the city, probably fearing Pyrrhus would install a garrison and make himself overlord of Athens. Pyrrhus made the most of the situation and advised the Athenians never to let a king enter their city again.

Pyrrhus and Demetrius made peace once more but, like all previous agreements, it did not last. When Demetrius, in 286 BCE, invaded Asia in order to attack Lysimachus's Asian domains, Lysimachus requested that Pyrrhus invade Thessaly and from there attack Demetrius' garrisons in Greece. Pyrrhus agreed, probably in order to keep his fractious Macedonian troops busy and less likely to rebel and also to gain an easy victory over the weakened Antigonids. He quickly defeated Antigonus Gonatas, Demetrius's son, who ceded Thessaly to him in order to make peace. Pyrrhus's Greek Empire was now at its zenith: he ruled an enlarged Epirus, half of Macedonia, and Thessaly.

In 285 BCE, Demetrius was defeated by Seleucus. This freed the hands of Lysimachus who decided to get rid of his co-ruler in Macedonia. He first isolated Pyrrhus from his traditional ally the Ptolemies, by marrying Arsinoe II, the sister of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. He also made a large donation to the Aetolians, Pyrrhus's main allies in Greece. Pyrrhus felt threatened enough to make an alliance with Antigonus Gonatas. In 284 BCE, Lysimachus invaded Pyrrhus's half of Macedonia with a huge army. Unable to stand against Lysimachus's superior army Pyrrhus retreated and linked up with Antigonus Gonatas. Lysimachus started a propaganda campaign in which he appealed to the patriotism of the Macedonians serving Pyrrhus. He reminded them that Pyrrhus was in fact a foreign king while he himself was a true Macedonian. The campaign was successful. With his Macedonian troops turning against him, Pyrrhus had no other choice but to withdraw to Epirus. Lysimachus invaded and plundered Epirus the following year. Pyrrhus did not oppose Lysimachus for he was probably fighting a war in Illyria to the north. According to Pausanius, "Pyrrhus was roaming around as usual".

Conquest of Italy (279 BCE-276 BCE)
The Greek colony of Taras, built by the Spartans, was the most powerful city in all of Italy and provoked the Rasennans, a satellite state of Carthage, by attacking their ships and humiliating their envoys. Now worried about Rasenna and Carthage, the Tarentines, who governed democratically at this point, voted to send an embassy to Epirus, asking for assistance in 281 BCE. Pyrrhus agreed, but demanded that Taras must pay the costs of the war and give him supreme command of the allied forces. To further pressure his western rival into the going to Italy, so that he could concentrate on the east, Ptolemy Ceraunus "the Thunderbolt" of Macedon offered Pyrrhus 5,000 more Phalangites for the campaign.

In early 280 BCE, Taras sent its fleet to transport Pyrrhus' army to Italy. The force which embarked in Epirus, consisted of 20,000 men, mostly Macedonian and Epirote Sarissa pikemen and possibly some mercenaries, 3,000 cavarly, 2,000 archers, 500 slingers and 20 war elephants. After landing, the King began to militarise Taras and deal with any political enemies there.

Battle of Heraclea (280 BCE)
The Rasennans, with Carthaginian support, wanted to force Pyrrhus into battle, before his Greek allies arrived, and raided the enemy countryside of southern Italy, while pushing south. In mid-280 BCE, their plan succeeded and, learning that the Rasennans were bearing down on the Greek city of Heraclea, Pyrrhus marched to meet his new foe for the first time. The Rasennan army was comprised of 20,000 Rasennan soldiers and 20,000 Carthaginian mercenaries, of which were 15 war elephants. Pyrrhus' army now numbered around 31,000 men, 4,000 of which are elite cavalry from Thessaly. In reserve were his 20 war elephants.

Pyrrhus wished to delay any battle for as long as possible until his allies could rally their forces and join him. Shadowing the larger Rasennan force, he encamped on a plain outside the city, near the left bank of the Siris River, hoping to protect the settlement on the terrain suitable for his phalanx, while the Rasennans encamped on the other side of the river. When his army was resting, Pyrrhus and his friend Megacles went scouting to examine the enemy camp. In order to guard the riverbank, a contigent of light infantry missile troops was sent towards it. This done, Pyrrhus turned to other concerns, thinking he had plenty of time in his strong defensive position. He was about to recieve a nasty shock.

After a few hours of preperation, the Carthaginian officer, ordered his entire army of over 40,000 soldiers to cross the river. The small force of light infantry skirmishes that Pyrrhus had placed on the riverbank pelted the Rasennans with missiles and slowed them down a little, but the noise of an entire army crossing the river deafened them and they were unable to hear what was coming. To their left, the Rasennan cavalry, which had crossed the river further upstream, smashed into the flank of the defending missile units, who quickly retreated after suffering huge losses. The enemy was now coming across, and Pyrrhus, who could not afford losing his river defense entirely before his infantry was readym, organized his phalanx, before charging ahead of them with 3,000 of his best cavalry and straight into the Rasennan infantry.

This slowed them down and gave the Phalangites a chance to catch up. As they approached the battle line, the Carthaginian war elephants crossed the river. In this melee, Pyrrhus was knocked of his horse and almost killed by an enemy rider, which prompted him to pull back. His friend Megacles, swapped his armour and rode back to the frontline. However, the Rasennans were slowly pushed back into the river. His friend Megacles was killed in battle and now the Epirotes thought that Pyrrhus was dead. The morale dropped heavily, while Pyrrhus rode around his army and informed them, that he was still alive. Later, Pyrrhus unleashed his war elephants and the Rasennans retreated.

After a long and bloody battle, Pyrrhus came out victorious and the Rasennans retreated. Pyrrhus lost 4,000 men, including many of his senior veteran officers, while his enemy lost 6,500 men and 1,500 more soldiers were captured. Though Pyrrhus had won his first major battle against Rasenna, it had been a difficult match. He would soon learn, that despite his own martial skills, he had truly met his match. Carthage, dismissing Pyrrhus' offers of surrender terms, began recruiting a new army and the Epirote king began to patch up his own, ready for the next battle, which was soon to come.

Meanwhile, the Rasennan army returned to Veia and was resupplied with Carthaginian mercenaries and Rasennan soldiers. However, this had proven to be a mistake as Pyrrhus was now marching out to besiege Neapolis. The Rasennans were too slow and Neapolis fell without much resistance. Suprised by this, the Rasennan army was again defeated near Neapolis and retreated, while Pyrrhus marched back to Taras.

Campaign in Sicily (279-276 BCE)
While he rested in Taras, two embassies arrived, each one with a unique opportunity for the Epirote king. One was from Macedon, back across the Adriatic, where in 279 BCE, Ptolemy Ceraunus "the Thunderbolt", marched out to meet a Gallic invasion and had been killed after falling from his horse. Macedon was in trouble and needed a king who was a proven warrior. The second envoy was from the Greek cities of Sicily, which were beset by enemies including the Mamertine mercenaries and more importantly, the extremly wealthy Carthaginian Empire. Likely tempted by ambitions of invading Sicily as a springboard to conquer Carthage, Pyrrhus opted for Sicilian option, horrifying his Tarentine allies. Rasenna used this to quickly recapture Neapolis and more land east of it.

In 278 BCE, soon after disembarking his army in Sicily, he lifted the Carthaginian Siege of Syracuse. Pyrrhus was proclaimed king of Sicily. He was already making plans for his son Helenus, a grandson of Agathocles of Syracuse through his mother, to inherit the kingdom of Sicily and his other son Alexander to be given Italy. In 277 BCE, Pyrrhus captured Eryx, the strongest Carthaginian fortress in Sicily. This prompted the rest of the Carthaginian-controlled cities to defect to Pyrrhus.

In 276 BCE, Pyrrhus negotiated with the Carthaginians. Although they were inclined to come to terms with Pyrrhus, supply him money and send him ships once friendly relations were established, he demanded that Carthage abandon all of Sicily and make the Libyan Sea a boundary between themselves and the Greeks. The Greek cities of Sicily opposed making peace with Carthage because the Carthaginians still controlled the powerful fortress of Lilybaeum, on the western end of the island. Pyrrhus eventually gave in to their proposals and broke off the peace negotiations. Pyrrhus' army then began besieging Lilybaeum. For two months he launched unsuccessful assaults on the city, until finally he realized he could not mount an effective siege without blockading it from the sea as well. Pyrrhus then requested manpower and money from the Sicilians in order to construct a powerful fleet. When the Sicilians became unhappy about these contributions he had to resort to compulsory contributions and force to keep them in line. These measures culminated in him proclaiming a military dictatorship of Sicily and installing military garrisons in Sicilian cities.

These actions were deeply unpopular and soon Sicilian opinion became inflamed against him. Pyrrhus had so alienated the Sicilian Greeks that they were willing to make common cause with the Carthaginians. The Carthaginians took heart from this and sent another army against him. This army was promptly defeated. In spite of this victory, Sicily continued to grow increasingly hostile to Pyrrhus, who began to consider abandoning Sicily.

Return to Italy (276-275 BCE)
While Pyrrhus had been campaigning against the Carthaginians in Sicily, their subject, the Rasennans had rebuilt their army by calling up thousands of fresh recruits. When Pyrrhus returned from Sicily, he found himself vastly outnumbered against a superior Rasennan army. After the inconclusive Battle of Maloenton (OTL Beneventum) in 275 BCE, Pyrrhus decided to end his campaign in Italy and return to Epirus which resulted in the loss of essentially all the gains he had made in Italy. Still, the city of Taras remained under the dominion of the Epirotes.

Return to Epirus and conquest of Macedonia (275-272 BCE)
His western campaign had taken a heavy toll on his army as well as his treasury. Despite (or perhaps because of) this, Pyrrhus went to war yet again. The realm of his rival king Antigonus Gonatas of Macedon was the most obvious target. Pyrrhus raised an army from his Epirote garrisons, Gallic mercenaries and the troops he had brought back from Italy and marched east into Macedon. He won an easy victory at the Battle of the Aous and took most of Macedonian land.

Antigonus managed to hold on to a number of coastal cities. He then waited for an opportunity to reclaim his kingdom while Pyrrhus was already looking for another war to fight. Furthermore Pyrrhus made himself very unpopular in Macedon by allowing his Gauls to plunder the tombs of the Macedonian kings at Aegae.

Pyrrhus' death and reconquest of Macedonia (272 BCE)
In 272 BCE, Cleonymus, a Spartan of royal blood who was hated among fellow Spartans, asked Pyrrhus to attack Sparta and place him in power. Pyrrhus agreed to the plan, intending to win control of the Peloponnese for himself, but unexpected strong resistance thwarted his assault on Sparta. On the retreat he lost his firstborn son Ptolemy, who had been in command of the rearguard.

Pyrrhus had little time to mourn, as he was immediately offered an opportunity to intervene in a civic dispute in Argos. Since Antigonus Gonatas was approaching too, he hastened to enter the city with his army by stealth, only to find the place crowded with hostile troops. During the confused Battle of Argos in the narrow city streets, Pyrrhus was trapped. While he was fighting an Argive soldier, the soldier's old mother, who was watching from a rooftop, threw a tile which knocked him from his horse and broke part of his spine, paralyzing him. Whether he was alive or not after the blow is unknown, but his death was assured when a Macedonian soldier named Zopyrus, though frightened by the look on the face of the unconscious king, hesitantly and ineptly beheaded his motionless body. This story is later recounted by Plutarch in his Life of Pyrrhus.

Antigonus had him cremated with all honours and sent his surviving son Helenus back to Epirus. That same year, upon hearing the news of Pyrrhus's death, the Tarentinians and later Syracuse, surrendered to Carthage.

After Pyrrhus (272-231 BCE)
Pyrrhus son, Alexander II succeeded his father as king in 272 BCE, and continued the war which his father had begun with Antigonus II Gonatas, whom he succeeded in driving from the kingdom of Macedon. He was, however, dispossessed of both Macedon and Epirus by Demetrius II of Macedon, the son of Antigonus II; upon which he took refuge amongst the Acarnanians. By their assistance and that of his own subjects, who entertained a great attachment for him, he recovered Epirus. It appears that he was in alliance with the Aetolians.

Alexander II married his paternal half-sister Olympias, by whom he had two sons, Pyrrhus ΙΙ, Ptolemy Ι and a daughter, Phthia. On the death of Alexander II, around 242 BCE, Olympias assumed the regency on behalf of her sons, and married Phthia to Demetrius.

Pyrrhus II, succeeded him. He was a brother of Ptolemy I and Phthia of Macedon. He ruled as king of Epirus from 242 BCE to 237 BCE. He had two daughters: Deidamia II who was the last ruler of the Aeacid Dynasty and Nereis who married Gelon of Syracuse.

Ptolemy I, reigned as king of Epirus from 237 BCE–234 ВСE, was the second son of Alexander II, king of Epirus, and Olympias, grandson of the great Pyrrhus and brother of Phthia of Macedon. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his elder brother, Pyrrhus II of Epirus, but reigned only a very short time, having set out on a military expedition, during the course of which he fell sick and died or, according to Polyaenus, he was treasonably assassinated. The date of his reign cannot be fixed with certainty, but as he was a contemporary of Demetrius II, king of Macedonia, it may be placed between 239 and 229 BCE. He was succeeded by his niece Deidamia.

Deidamia (died c. 233 BCE) was a Greek princess, daughter of Pyrrhus II of Epirus, king of Epirus. After the death of her father and that of her uncle Ptolemy I, she was the last surviving representative of the royal Aeacid dynasty in Epirus. She had a sister, Nereis, who married Gelo of Syracuse. During a rebellion in Epirus her sister sent her 800 mercenaries from Gaul. Part of the Molossians supported her, and with the aid of the mercenaries she briefly took Ambracia.

When the Epirots sued for peace as suppliants, she granted it only on condition that they acknowledged her hereditary rights, and the honours of her ancestors. But some of the Epirots plotted against her and bribed Nestor, one of Alexander's guards, to murder her. Nestor returned without accomplishing his purpose and she fled for refuge in the temple of Artemis Hegemone, but was murdered in the sanctuary by Milon, a man already responsible of killing his own mother Philotera; who shortly after this crime committed suicide. According to Polyaenus, she said to Milon before he murdered her: "Slaughter, thou matricide, on slaughter raise":

The date of this event cannot be accurately fixed, but it as well occurred during the reign of Demetrius II in Macedonia (239–229 BCE).

Epirote League and conquest (231-207 BCE)
In 233 BCE, the last surviving member of the Aeacid royal house, Deidamia, was murdered. Her death brought the Epirote royal family to an abrupt extinction and a federal republic was set up, though with diminished territory, since western Acarnania had asserted its independence, and the Aetolians seized Ambracia, Amphilochia, and the remaining land north of the Ambracian Gulf. The new Epirote capital was therefore established at Phoenice, the political center of the Chaonians. The reasons for the swift fall of the Aeacid dynasty were probably complex. Aetolian pressure must have played a part, and the alliance with Macedonia may have been unpopular; in addition, there were perhaps social tensions. However, Epirus remained a substantial power, unified under the auspices of the Epirote League as a federal state with its own parliament (or synedrion).

During the Second Social War (213–211 BCE), Philip V crushed the last opposition against Macedon and the Hellenic League in all of Greece. However, after defeating the Aetolian League, Philip V provoked Epirus into attacking the Achaean League, and shortly after attacked both nations and all other members of the Hellenic League, during the Third Social War (210-207 BCE). All of Greece was now under Macedonian control, including Epirus.

Pontic vassal (86 BCE-235 CE)
After the collapse of the Second Macedonian Empire, Epirus became a client state of Pontos, until the collapse of the Pontic Empire, caused by the rising Sassanid Empire in 235 CE. The Epirote League was now once again a free state.

After Pontic hegemony (235-267 CE)
After the collapse of the Pontic Empire in 235 CE, caused by the rising Sassanids, the Epirote League gained independence, until the Gothic invasion of Greece from 266-267 CE.

After the Huns (453- CE)
After the death of king Attila the Hun of the Hunnic Empire, Epirus asserted its independence.

List of Epirote kings
These are the names and reign dates.

Aeacid dynasty

Admetus (before 470–430 BCE)

Tharrhypas (430–392 BCE)

Alcetas I (390–370 BCE)

Neoptolemus I (370–357 BCE)

Arybbas (373–343 BCE)

Alexander I (342–331 BCE)

Aeacides (331–317 BCE)

Neoptolemus II (317–313 BCE)

Aeacides (313 BCE) - second reign

Alcetas II (313–306 BCE)

Pyrrhus I (307–302 BCE)

Neoptolemus II (302–297 ВСE) - Second reign.

Pyrrhus I (297–272 BCE) - Second reign. Briefly occupied most of Macedonia. He got killed while invading Sparta in 272 BCE.

Alexander II (272–255 ВСE)

Olympias II of Epirus, regent after Alexander II, her husband died.

Pyrrhus II (255–237 BCE) - Brother to Ptolemy.

Ptolemy I (237–234 BCE) - Brother to Pyrrhus II.

Pyrrhus III (234 BCE)

Deidamia (234–233 BCE) - ruled very briefly.

End of the monarchy, see Epirote League

Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epirus_(ancient_state)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhus_of_Epirus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_II_of_Epirus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhus_II_of_Epirus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deidamia_II_of_Epirus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_of_Epirus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_kings_of_Epirus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QBA6ZPmj3Q

Flag credits
This flag was made by myself.