Antiochus III the Great

Antiochus III the Great (;  ; c. 196 bc3 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king. He was the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus ruled from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the rest of western Asia at the end of the 3rd century BC. Antiochus took the throne at the age of eighteen in 222 BC. His early campaigns against the Ptolemaic Kingdom were not successful. In the following years, Antiochus gained several military victories. The empire expanded greatly under his rule.  He assumed the title Basileus Megas (Greek for "Great King"). It was the traditional title of the Persian kings. Antiochus was a militarily active ruler. He restored much of the territory of the Seleucid Empire. This ended near the end of his rule with his war against Rome.

War against Rome
After Antiochus invaded Greece to conquer it from the Antigonid dynasty, he scared the Roman Republic into starting a war against him. The Romans beat him and forced him to sign a treaty and took his second son Antiochus IV Epiphanes hostage to make sure that he would listen to it.

Death
Shortly after his defeat against the Romans, Antiochus the Great invaded Persia and pillaged a temple. He was killed while doing that. His son Seleucus IV Philopator became the next king.

References

Category:3rd-century BC births
Category:180s BC deaths
Category:Ancient Greek politicians
Category:Seleucid kings