Seuthes III was a king of the
Odrysian kingdom of
Thrace from ca.
330 BC to ca.
300 BC, at first tributary to
Alexander the Great of
Macedonia.
Thrace had been largely subject to Macedonia since the campaigns of Alexander's father Philip II in 347-346, followed by his conquest of southern Thrace in 341 BC. After Philip's death in 336 BC, the Thracian tribes revolted against Alexander, who waged a campaign against and defeated the Getai and King Syrmus of the Triballi. All other Thracians submitted to him and sent troops to join his army.
Seuthes in turn revolted against the Macedonians about 325 BC, after Alexander's governor Zopyrion was killed in battle against the Getae. He was apparently subdued by Antipater, but after Alexander died in 323 BC he again took up arms in opposition to the new governor Lysimachos. They fought each other to a draw and each withdrew from battle, but ultimately Seuthes was compelled to acknowledge the authority of Lysimachos, by then one of Alexander's successor kings. In 320 BC, Seuthes III moved the Odrysian kingdom to central Thrace and built his capital city at Seuthopolis (Kazanluk). In 313 BC he supported Antigonus I in the latter's war against Lysimachos, occupying the passes of Mount Haemus against his overlord, but was again defeated and forced to submit. Lysimachos ultimately died in a battle against Seleucus in 281 BC, following which Thrace came under the suzereinty of Ptolemy II.
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