Pinnes

Pinnes [Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992,ISBN 0631198075,page 70,"... of some personal names. Among the southern `real' Illyrians these include Epicadus, Temus (a female name), Gentius (in Greek Genthios), Pinnes (or Pinnius), Monounios (recorded on coins), Grabaei (a tribal name), Verzo and Zanatis. ...] (also Pinneus or Pineus) (d. 217 BC) was the son of Agron, king of Illyria, and Agron's first wife Triteuta. He officially succeeded his father as king in 230 BC, but the kingdom was ruled by Agron's second wife, Queen Teuta.

Pinnes was only a young boy [Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992,ISBN 0631198075,page 162,"... revival of Illyrian power under Demetrius of Pharos, who had succeeded Teuta and married Triteuta, mother of the infant King Pinnes. ..."] when his father died in 230 BC, and his stepmother Teuta assumed "de facto" control. Local chiefs demanded greater power and autonomy for their regions and Teuta, who feared losing her status, appeased the aggressors. This act was seen as a sign of weakness and no ship in the Adriatic and Ionian sea was safe from Illyrian pirates who raided regardless of a ship's country or the damage it would due to Illyria's foreign relations.

Greece was the most affected by this new danger as their economy depended on the seas. Rome, sympathetic to Greece, sent delegates to mediate the situation, but this act was in vain due to Teuta's policy of isolationism. She ordered the assassinations of the delegates and sparked the First Roman-Illyrian War in 229 BC. Teuta once again gave in, this time to Rome's peace terms which included her abdication and the reinstatement of Pinnes.

Pinnes once again lost his throne when, Demetrius of Pharos (Pharos is today the island of Hvar) married Triteuta and declared himself king. Demetrius ignored the treaty with Rome and allied Illyria with Rome's long term enemy Macedon. The Second Roman-Illyrian War began in 219 BC when a Roman army was sent to Illyria. Demetrius fled to Macedon and Pinnes finally became king, though his sudden death in 217 BC at the age of 15 was ironic since he never actually ruled.

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