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She was wiser than a snake, braver than the lion, and more beautiful than fairies...
The last Illyrian queen who lived in this area - Teuta. There is little historical data that speaks of the life of Teuta. She was also called the pirate queen, and folklore says that she was wiser than a snake, braver than a lion and more beautiful than fairies. The lack of accurate historical data is the reason why many legends are told about her life and death, that is why those who lived or still live on Hvar, Šolta, Vis, Svetac, Ploče, Jajce, Tomislavgrad, Široki Brijeg and Bay of Kotor, have never stopped telling the stories of the mighty queen.
Teuta ascended the throne in 231 BC.. After the death of her husband Agron, she ruled in the name of her minor stepson Pines, and at that time the powerful Illyrian state stretched from the left bank of the Neretva to Epirus, encompassing all the islands except Vis.
At the beginning of Teuta's reign, she behaved arrogantly due to Agron's great victory. She allowed her Illyrians to pirate to the detriment of the Greeks and Romans. While she was besieging Issa (Vis), the Romans came to talk to her about the injustices inflicted.
During their speech, Teuta defied, but promised that the Illyrians would no longer do injustice, adding that no one could be prevented from benefiting from the sea. This angered the youngest Roman envoy who told her that it was a Roman custom to punish those who did injustice and to help those who suffered injustice. The queen despised this admonition and sent some of her own to kill the Roman envoy with an ax. Some claim that one Roman envoy was killed, and some that both were killed, together with the entire entourage. Demetrius, who feared the quen because he had been slandered after Agron's death, saw what happened to the Roman envoys so he killed all Dalmatian champions with an ax to give satisfaction to the Romans for their slain envoys. Then Teuta sent envoys to the Romans and made peace with them, promising to pay them the tribute they determined and that she would withdraw from Illyricum, except from a few places. After trying to rule Vis, she went to war with the Greeks, who called on the Romans for help in 229 BC.. and in that war she was defeated.
After that defeat, Teuta disappeared from the historical stages. Nothing is known about her further fate, but the memory of her and her fame has survived in folklore to this day in numerous legends and stories. It is believed that she has never left her people, and she still observes and guards the Adriatic Sea, its fishermen, and sailors.
