Cleitus the Illyrian

Cleitus
King Cleitus
Reign	c.335 BC - c.295 BC
Greek	Κλεῖτος
Predecessor	Bardyllis
Successor	Bardyllis II
Royal House	Present day Kosovo
Dynasty	Dardanian
Father	Bardyllis

Cleitus (Ancient Greek Κλεῖτος; ruled c. 335 – 295 BC) was an Illyrian king of the Dardanian State attested in 335 BC. Cleitus was the son of Bardyllis and the father of Bardyllis II.^[1].

Cleitus was the mastermind behind the well structured Illyrian Revolt of 335 BC. Cleitus entered into an agreement with the Taulantii State under Glaucias and the Autariatae State under Pleurias. Cleitus had captured and garrisoned the city of Pelion and waited for Glaucias's troops to arrive. However Alexander managed to arrive on the scene first and blockaded Cleitus within the city walls. Glaucias came to Cletius's aid and the Macedonians were forced to retreat. Alexander came back with more equipment and supplies. He used skillful war tactics to drive Glaucis's army from the surrounding heights and prevented Cleitus from engaging with Glaucias.^[2]

After a three day truce Alexander found the Taulantii camp unguarded and under the cover of night eliminated the Illyrians. Cletius managed to escape and kept his throne, probably as a vassal under the Macedonian Kingdom.

Alliances for The Illyrian Reviolt

Cleitus was one of the three Illyrian kings who attempted to gain lost territory and thwart Macedonian power in a revolt. During Alexanders the Great Balkan campaigns alarming reports began to come from Illyria that the Illyrian had revolted and were poised to invade Macaedonia. The Illyrian revolt had a personal element to it. Alexander the Great found himself thrown headlong into one of the toughest campaigns of his entire career. Cleitus whose father Bardyllis obtained a crushing defeat in Lyncestia by Philip II in 358 BC was up in arms. Cleitus was a formidibal king and was behind the revolt. Alexander's Danubian expedition had given Cleius just the chance he was waiting for. Cleitus strengthened his power by making an alliance with Glaucias, king of the Taulantii State. He persuaded the Autariatae State to attack Alexander on his march to meet him.^[3][4] In the mean time Glaucias's army would march to Cleitus, so the Macedonians would have to face this larger, combined force. Alexanders very kingship depended on his defeating of the Illyrians so he rose up to the challenge.

Battle of Pelion

In 335 BC, Langarus an ally of Alexander promised to deal with the Autariatae while Alexander headed towards Cleitus. Lonagarus invaded their territory and defeated them. Alexander had succeeded thus in foiling Cleitus's plan of blockading the Macedonian army. Glaucias and his army had not yet reached Cleitus, and Alexander stained every nerve to reach the city of Pelion, a fortress city cleitus had occupied close to the western border with Macedonia, before the did. Alexander drove through Paeonia and arrived in Lyncestia.^[5] Through ruthless treching, Alexander reached his initial aim: he got there before Glaucias. The ancient historian Arrian states that Cleitus sacrificed three boys, three girls and three black rams on an altar just before the Battle of Pelion with Alexander the Great. The Illyrian advance detachments, after some brief skirmishing, retreated within the walls of Pelion. The Macedonians decided to blockade Pelion, bringing up their siege equipment. The Macedonians had no time in starving Cleitus out, and with so small a task force, their chances of taking this strongly guarded and inaccessible city fortress by storm were minimal. Glaucias was on his way to aid Cleitus and the Macedonians were now cut off and short of supplies. This was the first and last bitter taste of failure for Alexander.

A foraging party under Philotas only just escaped annihilation thanks to quick action by Alexander and the cavalry. Early next morning, he formed up his entire army in the plain, apparently oblivious to the presence of Cleitus and Glaucias, and proceeded to give an exhibition of close-order drill. The bristling spear-line swung now right, now left in perfect unison. The phalanx advanced wheeled into column and line, moved through various intricate formations as though on the parade-ground, all without a word being uttered. The Illyrian kings had never seen anything like it. From the their positions in the surrounding hills, the Illyrians stared down at this weird ritual, scarcely able to believe their eyes.^[6] Then little by little one Illyrian force began to edge closer. Alexander watching their psychological movement, gave his final pre-arranged signal. The left wing of the cavalry swung into wedge formation and charged. At the same momenent every man of the phalanx beat his spear on his shield yelling out the Macedonia war-cry. Glaucias's forces fled back in wild confusion from the heights to the safety of their city where Cleitus was.^[7] The last of the Illyrians from the knoll were flushed out while the Macedonians, began to move across the river at the double.^[8]

The Illyrians, wearing of their panic realized the trap. The rallied and counter-attacked. Alexander with, the cavalry and his light-armed troops, held them off from the knoll long enough for his siege catapults to be carried through ford and set up on the further bank. Alexander thus foiled Cleitus's second plan because final units kept his army from engaging. The Macedonians withdrew a few miles and gave Cleitus and Glaucias three days to regain their confidence. The Illyrian camp lay wide open because of indiscipline. Glaucias had not dug a trench or built a palisade, Glaucias was not even bothered to post sentries. Alexander marched back with a specially picked mobile force and under the cover of darkness, he sent his archers and the Agrianians to finish the job. Most of the Illyrians were still asleep and the Macedonian slaughtered them where they lay. Cleitus, in desperation set fire to Pelion so it would not fall into Macedonian hands.^[9]

Aftermath

There was no time to capture Cleitus or to negotiate a treaty with the Illyrians as Thebes and Booeotia suddenly revolted. Cletius fled with Glaucias to the Taulantii State where he was offered shelter. Cleitus as well as Glaucias continued to rule, probably as vassal kings under Macedonia. Cleitus did not regroup his forces and so the Illyrian remained on amicable terms with Macedonia for the rest of Alexander's reign. They even sent a contingent of troops for the invasion of Persia. Alexander's superior skill tactics were enough of a deterrent to ensure that the Illyrian States remained passive. The year of Cletius's death is not known but he was succeeded to the throne of the Dardanian State by his son, Bardyllis II around 300 BC - 295 BC, although it is unlikely that he ruled that long.^[10]

See also

• Illyrian warfare
• List of rulers of Illyria

References

1. ^ "The Journal of Hellenic Studies by Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies (London, England)", 1973, p. 79. Cleitus was evidently the son of Bardylis II the grandson of the very old Bardylis who had fallen in battle against Phillip II in 385 BC.
2. ^ The Illyrians by John Wilkes
3. ^ The Macedonian Empire: The Era of Warfare Under Philip II and Alexander the Great, 359-323 B.C. by James R. Ashley, 2004, ISBN-0786419180,page 171,"Pelium which was actually lightly held at the time"
4. ^ The campaigns of Alexander by Arrian, Aubrey De Sélincourt, ISBN 0140442537, 1971, page 50, "...his way to Pelium, a town which had been occupied by Cleitus as the most defensible in the district..."
5. ^ Alexander the Great: man and god by Ian Worthington
6. ^ A History of Macedonia: Volume III: 336-167 B.C. by N. G. L. Hammond, F. W. Walbank
7. ^ The Genius of Alexander the Great by N. G. L. Hammond
8. ^ The Illyrians by John Wilkes
9. ^ The Illyrians to the Albanians -Neritan Ceka- 2005 pg. 84
10. ^ Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: a historical biography - Page 131