War against Nabis

Laconian War

The Southern Peloponnesus
Date195 BC
Location
Result Victory of the anti-Spartan coalition
Territorial
changes
Argos to the Achaean League, Laconian coastal cities become independent under Achean protection as Union of Free Laconians
Belligerents
Commanders and leaders
Strength
30,000+[1]
  • c. 50,000[2]
  • 98 ships

The Laconian War of 195 BC was fought between the Greek city-state of Sparta and a coalition composed of Rome, the Achaean League, Pergamum, Rhodes, and Macedon.

During the Second Macedonian War (200–196 BC), Macedon had given Sparta control over Argos, an important city on the Aegean coast of Peloponnese. Sparta's continued occupation of Argos at the end of war was used as a pretext for Rome and its allies to declare war. The anti-Spartan coalition laid siege to Argos, captured the Spartan naval base at Gythium, and soon invested and besieged Sparta itself. Eventually, negotiations led to peace on Rome's terms, under which Argos and the coastal towns of Laconia were separated from Sparta and the Spartans were compelled to pay a war indemnity to Rome over the next eight years. Argos joined the Achaean League, and the Laconian towns were placed under Achaean protection.

As a result of the war, Sparta lost its position as a major power in Greece. Subsequent Spartan attempts to recover the losses failed and Nabis, the last sovereign ruler, was eventually murdered. Soon after, Sparta was forcibly made a member of its former rival, the Achaean League, ending several centuries of fierce political independence.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Holleaux190 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Holleaux191 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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