How does losing two major battles do to lack of control over your army because you wanted to do a cool cavalry chase make you great? Can someone explain this to me?
How does losing two major battles do to lack of control over your army because you wanted to do a cool cavalry chase make you great? Can someone explain this to me?
that reminds me of what they say in the historical info about Raphia Magnesia given in the "war elephant" expansion to GMT's wargame S.P.Q.R. : Antiochos III seems to be "megas" only because of the magnitude of the trouble he managed to stirr up :p
i believe why he is considered great is because he managed to reunify large portions of asia minor into the Seleucid Empire, he is even on a coin oh what JOY!
Life is not an easy matter... You cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless you have before you a great idea which raises you above personal misery, above weakness, above all kinds of perfidy and baseness.
-Leon Trotsky
Well, after all, despite Raphia, he still got the upper hand on the Ptolies ...
Two major battles does not even come close to the amount of successes he has made.
Successfull attack on Parthia only to be recalled to quell a revolt in Syria. Which he completely crushed.
He successfully reunited Asia Minor and successfully attacked the Ptolemaic Kingdom. This was after the minor defeate at Raphia. He almost conquered Egypt but the Romans intervened.
One of my favourite lines comes from that GMT Magnesia scenario; 'the suddenly lucid Selucid...' I think it was refering to him using Hannibal at least a little.
He may have lost a couple of major battles but he expanded his empire fairly well.
He was always going to lose Magnesia, the Romans are just too strong and his army too unwieldy. He should have won Raphia (one of the best battles in GBoH, IMHO).
At the battle of Magnesia. As the armies were arrayed for battle, it is said that Antiochus turned to Hannibal to enquire whether these forces grandly arrayed in their gold, jewels and rich silks would be enough for the Romans. "Indeed they will be more than enough," replied Hannibal, "even though the Romans are the greediest nation on earth!"
Well I doubt that was said. Wasn't that from Livy?