Pleuratus II (
Ancient Greek: Πλευρᾶτος; ruled c. 260 – 250 BC) was an Illyrian king of the
Ardiaean Kingdom
The Ardiaei were an Illyrian people who resided in the territory of present-day Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia between the Adriatic coast on the south, Konjic on the north, along the Neretva river and its right ...
.
Biography
Pleuratus was the founder of the Ardiaean Kingdom and the Ardiaean dynasty which controlled much of the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...
for the next one hundred years. Many historians believe that there was no interruption between the dynasty founded by
Bardyllis
Bardylis (also Bardyllis ; grc, Βάρδυλις; 448 – c. 358 BC) was an Illyrian king, and the founder of the first attested Illyrian dynasty. During his reign, Bardylis aimed to made Illyria a regional power interfering with Macedon. H ...
and that of Pleuratus. Pleuratus's name is strikingly similar to that of
Pleuratus I
Pleuratus I ( Ancient Greek: Πλευρᾶτος; ruled 356335 ) was an Illyrian king of the Illyrian tribe of the Taulantii. Pleuratus was the father of Glaucias. Pleuratus managed to defeat philip II during Macedon's expansion, wounding the ...
who in 344 BC clashed with Philip II. For this reason he may belong to the dynastic line of
Glaucias. However Pleuratus was an Illyrian dynastic name borne by a number of Illyrian monarchs and nobles and nothing is known for sure. The most accepted theory is that Pleuratus did indeed create his own dynasty. Pleuratus was succeeded by his son
Agron of Illyria
Agron (; grc, Ἄγρων) was an Illyrian king of the Ardiaean Kingdom in the 3rd century BC, ruling 250–231 BC. The son of Pleuratus II, Agron succeeded in reconquering southern Illyria, which had been under the control of Epirus since t ...
in 250 BC.
[The Illyrians to the Albanians - Neritan Ceka - 2005, p.120]
By the coming of Pleuratus to the throne and particularly Agron, the most known events of Illyrian history begins.
See also
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Illyrian warfare
The history of Illyrian warfare of the Illyrians spans from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC up to the 1st century AD in the region of Illyria and in southern Italy where the Iapygian civilization flourished.
It concerns the armed conflicts ...
*
List of rulers of Illyria
The Illyrians, ; la, Illyrii}) were a conglomeration of Indo-European peoples and tribes in the Balkan Peninsula, Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Illyrian language and practiced a multitude of common religious and cultural practices. Many o ...
References
Illyrian royalty
3rd-century BC rulers
Roman client rulers
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