kingdom · Balkans and Hungary

Illyrian Kingdom

400 BCE – 168 BCE (approx.) · capital Scodra

Kingdom of the Illyrians on the eastern Adriatic, ruled at its height by Agron and Queen Teuta, whose piracy provoked Rome's first wars across the Adriatic.

Origins

Illyrian kingdoms appear from about 400 BCE, when Bardylis built a power that defeated Macedon in 393 and 359 BCE. In the 3rd century BCE the Ardiaean dynasty under Agron united the coast from the Neretva to Epirus, with Scodra (Shkodër) and Rhizon (Risan) as royal seats.

Rule and society

Kings ruled through tribal chiefs and depended on a strong fleet of light lembi, used for war and for raiding Adriatic and Ionian shipping. Agron defeated the Aetolians in 231 BCE. Royal coins were struck at Scodra and Lissus. Greek cities such as Pharos and Issa lay on its edges.

Decline and legacy

Teuta's attacks on Italian traders led to the First Illyrian War in 229 BCE, and Demetrius of Pharos provoked a second in 219 BCE. In the Third Illyrian War of 168 BCE Rome captured King Gentius at Scodra and split the kingdom, which later became the province of Illyricum.

Lineage

Taulantii 450 BCE – 230 BCEIllyrian Kingdom

Connections (3)

More states of Balkans and Hungary →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Illyrian Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/illyrian-kingdom
MLA
“Illyrian Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/illyrian-kingdom. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Illyrian Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/illyrian-kingdom.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Illyrian Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/illyrian-kingdom (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻