Andriscus (Philip VI) | |
---|---|
Basileus of Macedonia | |
Reign | 149–148 BC |
Predecessor | Perseus (as king) Roman client republics in Macedon (actual) |
Successor | Roman conquest (Alexander VI) |
Born | Unknown Presumed to be Adramyttium in Aeolis (modern-day Edremit, Balıkesir, Turkey) |
Died | 146 BC Rome, Roman Italy |
Greek | Ἀνδρίσκος (Andrískos) Φίλιππος (Philippos) - royal name |
House | Antigonid dynasty (claimed) |
Father | Perseus of Macedon (claimed) |
Andriscus (Ancient Greek: Ἀνδρίσκος, Andrískos; fl. 154/153 BC – 146 BC), also often referenced as Pseudo-Philip, was a Greek pretender who became the last independent king of Macedon in 149 BC as Philip VI (Ancient Greek: Φίλιππος, Philipos), based on his claim of being Philip, a now-obscure son of the last legitimate Macedonian king, Perseus. His reign lasted just one year and was toppled by the Roman Republic during the Fourth Macedonian War.
Ancient sources generally agree that he was originally a fuller from Adramyttium in Aeolis in western Anatolia. Around 153 BC, his ancestry was supposedly revealed to him, upon which he travelled to the court of his claimed uncle, the Seleucid monarch Demetrius I Soter, to request assistance in claiming his throne. Demetrius refused and had him sent to Rome, where he was judged harmless and exiled to a city in Italy; he managed to escape, and after gathering support, primarily from Thrace, he launched an invasion of Macedon, defeating Rome's clients and establishing his rule as king. The Romans naturally reacted militarily, triggering war; after some initial successes, Andriscus was defeated and captured by the praetor Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus, who subdued Macedon once again.
He was imprisoned for two years before being paraded in Metellus' triumph in 146 BC, after which he was executed. In the aftermath of his revolt, the Romans established the Roman province of Macedonia, ending Macedonian independence and establishing a permanent presence in the region.