The following is part 9 of a 10 part brief outline of the history of ancient Thessaly highlighting the famous Thessalian cavalry—and Greek cavalry in general—up to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. If you encounter a word with which you are unfamiliar, be sure to check the ‘Glossary of Names and Terms’ (see the link on the right under Reference Aids).
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| Ancient Thessaly |
The Assassination of Alexander of Pherai
In 358/357 BCE, Alexander of Pherai was slain by his wife’s brothers—Tisiphonos, Peitholaos (Pytholaos), and Lykophron—while he slept in his bed. The assassination was contrived by his wife Thebe, the daughter of Jason of Pherai. Unless the brothers were half brothers of Thebe with a different father, they were sons of Jason and first cousins of Alexander. They may have been too young to succeed their father when he was assassinated in 370 BCE. Tisiphonos, the eldest of the brothers, succeeded Alexander as tyrant. Diodoros wrote that Alexander of Pherai had ruled for eleven years. (Xenophon Hellēnika 6.4.35–37; Diodoros 15.61.2, 16.14.1; Plutarch Pelopidas 28.3, 35.3–7)
???? In ca. 357 BCE, the Aleuadai of Larisa invite in Philip II, who defeated the tyrants??? (Diodoros 16.14.2)
Thessaly During the Third Sacred War
The Third Sacred War began when Philomelos the Phokian seized Delphi in 355 BCE. Philomelos intended to annul the fines levied against the Phokians by the Amphiktyony for cultivating the consecrated fields of Kirrha. Philomelos raised a large army of mercenaries and allied with Lakedaimon [Sparta] and Athens. The Lakedaimonians supported Philomelos because they too had been fined by the Amphiktyony back in 382 BCE for their seizure of the Kadmeia. Like the Phokians, they also wished to nullify their fines. (Diodoros 16.23–25, 16.27.5, 16.29.2–4)
The following year (354 BCE), the Amphiktyones led by Thebes declared war upon the Phokians. The Thebans were supported by the other Boiotians, the Lokrians, and by the little state of Doris. In addition, the Thessalians and their occasional dependencies—the Perrhaibians, Phthiotic Akhaians, Magnesians, Ainianes, Dolopians, and Athamanians—all supported the war against Phokis. (Diodoros 16.27.5, 16.28.4, 16.29.1)
Fearing the large forces that were assembling against him, Philomelos plundered the sacred dedications at Delphi and hired an even larger army of mercenaries totalling 10,000 infantry and horsemen. Amongst other battles, the Phokians defeated an army of 6,000 Thessalians and their symmakhoi (allies). With the arrival of 13,000 Boiotians, the allies defeated the Phokians at Neon in Phokis. Fearing capture and torture for his sacrilege, Philomelos committed suicide by hurling himself off a cliff. (Diodoros. 16.30–31; Pausanias. 10.2.4)
In ca. 354 BCE, Philip takes Pagasai. (Diodoros 16.31.6) ??????
After their defeat, the Phokians met at Delphi in 353 BCE and voted to continue the war with Onomarchos as general. Amongst his other preparations for resuming the war, Onomarchos bribed the Thessalians to remain neutral. These bribes may have contributed to the two victories of Onomarchos in Thessaly later that year. (Diodoros 16.32.2–4, 16.33)
In 353 BCE, the Thessalians requested aid from the Makedonian king Philip II against Lykophron, the tyrant of Pherai. Lykophron summoned aid from his allies the Phokians. Phayllos, the brother of Onomarchos, was dispatched by the Phokians with an army of 7,000 men. Philip defeated this army and drove the Phokians out of Thessaly. Thereupon, Onomarchos quickly marched into Thessaly with his full forces to aid Lykophron. Philip and his Thessalian allies were defeated by Onomarchos in two battles and Philip was forced to withdraw back to Makedonia. Onomarchos withdrew as well, invaded Boiotia, and defeated the Boiotians. (Diodoros 16.35.1–3)
Having regrouped his forces, Philip returned to Thessaly and, with his Thessalian allies, fielded an army of 20,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry. Onomarchos once again quickly marched into Thessaly accompanied by 20,000 foot and 500 horsemen. With the Thessalian cavalry playing a prominent role, Philip decisively defeated Onomarchos at the battle of the Krokian Field. More than 6,000 Phokians and their mercenaries were slain and 3,000 were taken captive. Onomarchos was hung by Philip. (Diodoros 16.35.3–6)
In 352 BCE, Phayllos succeeded his brother Onomarchos as the general of the Phokians and restored the fortunes of the Phokians by further looting the seemingly inexhaustible, sacred funds from Delphi. In Thessaly, the joint tyrants of Pherai—Lykophron and Peitholaos—surrendered Pherai to Philip. The two brothers gathered together 2,000 mercenaries and joined Phayllos as allies. (Diodoros 16.37)
After defeating Onomarchos, setting Pherai free, and settling all other matters in Thessaly, Philip advanced toward Phokis, but he was blocked at the pass of Thermopylai by the Athenians in 352 BCE. Philip returned home to Makedonia and the Third Sacred War continued in a desultory fashion for roughly another half dozen years. Phayllos died after a long illness and left the command to Phalaikos, the young son of Onomarchos, along with Mnaseas as guardian. Not long afterwards, Mnaseas was slain in a night attack by the Boiotians. (Diodoros 16.38)
Amongst a number of subsequent engagements, the exiled tyrants Lykophron and Peitholaos are mentioned as serving with 150 horsemen in a Lakedaimonian [Spartan] army operating in Arkadia in 352 BCE. (Diodoros 16.39.3)
Diodoros (16.52.9) reports that Philip expelled Peitholaos from Pherai in 349 BCE. Either Diodoros is in error or Peitholaos had recovered Pherai.
In 346 BCE, the Third Sacred War finally came to an end when the Boiotians sent a request for Philip to intervene. Philip arrived in Lokris with the Thessalians. Realizing that he was unable to oppose Philip, Phalaikos surrendered to Philip on the condition that he and his mercenaries could depart wherever they wished. Phalaikos and around 8,000 mercenaries withdrew to the Peloponnesos. The Phokians were forced to surrender unconditionally. (Diodoros 16.59–60)
Thessaly as Part of Macedonia During the Reign of Philip II
During or immediately after this war, Philip was elected arkhōn (ruler) of Thessaly for life thus becoming—at least officially—the legitimate ruler of this important state rather than its conqueror. This gave Philip control of Thessaly’s considerable economic and military resources including their famous and numerous cavalry. |
| Dichalkon (small bronze coin) of Larisa, Thessaly. First half of the 4th century BCE. Thessalian cavalryman wearing a so-called Phyrgian helmet with a crest and apparently a cuirass with pteryges. He holds a spear underhanded. |
The Amphiktyons assembled at Thermopylai and voted to make war upon the Amphisseans of West Lokris in ca. 340 BCE. The Thessalian Kottyphos of Pharsalos, the president of the Amphiktyones, was elected general. (Aischines 3.128 aka Against Ktesiphon) - Fourth Sacred War 340–338 BCE
It was apparently during the reign of Philip II that Makedonian heavy cavalry were transformed into shock troops capable of delivering a decisive charge when properly led. It is certainly possible that Philip re-armed his Thessalian heavy cavalry with long lances instead of spears and javelins and trained them to fight as shock troops just like his Makedonian Companion cavalry.
Diodoros. 16.3.1-2 = organized phalanx
Diodoros. 16.3.1-2 = organized phalanx
Alexander II ruled 371–369 BCE
Perdikkas III ruled 368 to 359 BCE
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