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The Social War or the War of the Allies, was fought from 220 BC to 217 BC between the Hellenic League under Philip V of Macedon and the Aetolian League, Sparta and Elis. It was ended with the Peace of Naupactus. ==Origins== Many of the tensions which led to the war were later documented by the Greek historian, Polybius. The end of the "War of Demetrius,” also called the First Illyrian War, in 228 left the Aetolian League greater in size than ever before. They worked to continue to expand in all directions. Their attempt to expand into Thessaly, where Macedon had recently collapsed, resulted in a violent reaction from Macedon, the first in almost four decades. This created an unceasing suspicion between the two for years to come. A new alliance emerged between Macedon, the Kingdom of Epirus, the Boeotian League, and the Achaean League in the mid 220s, which gave much power and near total control of all Greece to Macedon and the Hellenic League. The Aetolian League began taking defensive measures, being nearly completely encircled by the members of the Hellenic League, or symmachy. Since 229, Antigonus Doson had been guardian and king of Macedon, because the military felt that Philip, the rightful heir, was too young to be an effective ruler.〔Fine 1940.〕 Philip V would begin coming to power as these new areas were entering the Hellenic League. Aetolia felt very threatened, being the only thing standing in the way of complete Macedonian control of Greece. Ariston helped create a radical new Aetolian policy, actively attempting to prevent the further decay of Aetolia’s international position. The Aetolians were worried about Achaea forming an alliance with the territory of Messenia, in the southwestern part of Peloponnese. If this happened, they would be completely surrounded by their enemies in the Hellenic League. Because of this, Ariston sent expeditionary forces to the city of Phigaleia, in Messenia, to exert more pressure. On the way, these troops pillaged and raided multiple Achaean cities, creating further hostility. The real cause of problems between the two leagues was not occasional alliances or disputes, but differing policies and methods at a fundamental level. The Hellenic League had a tradition of threats and using violence to achieve their political goals. The Aetolian League, however, was cautious and non-violent in most cases. They had only been in one conflict since 278. Their expansion used diplomacy and politics, instead of violence. The Aetolians aligned themselves with Sparta in 227. This officially marked the end of any alliance between the Aetolian League and the Hellenic League. Sparta wanted this alliance because it would align them with Elis, which would help with their campaign in northwest Achaea. This created more hostile feelings by the Hellenic league towards the Aetolians, feeling as though they had been abandoned by them during this conflict with Sparta. Philip V of Macedon gathered the members of the Hellenic League in Corinth, where they discussed the problems involving the Aetolian League. Aratus and other members of the league gave lists of complaints, most ranging over a period of many years, dealing with the Aetolians. Philip responded to these complaints with a declaration of war on Aetolia by the symmachy of the Hellenic League. Although acting as though he was responding to the complaints of the league members, Philip was very interested in war to establish himself as a victorious leader and to consolidate the power of Macedonia in Greece. This was exactly what the Aetolian policy since 222 had intended to avoid. Although all of the members of the Hellenic League wanted war with Aetolia, Philip and Achaea were the only parties who were interested in waging the actual war. This lack of interest by most of the Hellenic League is most likely a result of the peaceful policies of Aetolia that had been pursued in recent years.〔Grainger 1999.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Social War (220–217 BC)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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