Seleucid–Mauryan War
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| Seleucid–Mauryan War | |||||||||
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 Location of Alexander the Great's provinces, later given to Chandragupta Maurya by Seleucus I Nicator | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Maurya Empire | Seleucid Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Chandragupta Maurya Kautaliya | Seleucus I Nicator | ||||||||
The Seleucid–Mauryan War happened between 305 and 303 BCE. It began when Seleucus I Nicator, ruler of the Seleucid Empire, tried to reclaim parts of India that had once belonged to Alexander the Great's empire. These areas were controlled by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya of the Maurya Empire.
The war ended with a Mauryan victory. Chandragupta Maurya gained control of the Indus Valley and Afghanistan, expanding his empire. There was also a marriage alliance between the Maurya and Seleucid Empires.[2]
Backstory
[change | change source]Alexander had placed governors in charge of his lands, including the Indus Valley. Later, the Mauryan Empire took control of the areas ruled by Nicanor, Phillip, Eudemus, and Peithon. This gave the Mauryans control up to the Indus River. Chandragupta's victories made Seleucus realize he needed to protect his eastern border. To keep the Macedonian lands there, Seleucus clashed with the growing Mauryan Empire over the Indus Valley.[3]
Battle
[change | change source]It is not known if there was really a big battle.[3] Historians have different views on the battle.
Military historian John D. Grainger said that when Seleucus crossed the Indus River, he "would find himself trapped," with a big river behind him and unfriendly land ahead. Because of this, Seleucus likely did not go far beyond the Indus. Grainger says the details of the fight are unclear, but it must have ended in "a clear Indian victory." Chandragupta pushed Seleucus' army back to the Hindu Kush mountains and gained a lot of land, including areas in what is now Afghanistan.[4]
Treaty of Indus
[change | change source]
Starbo gave three terms of the treaty[5]In his geography he describes a number of tribes living along the Indus, and then states that "The Indians occupy [in part] some of the countries situated along the Indus, which formerly belonged to the Persians"[6]
The geographical position of the tribes is as follows: along the Indus are the Paropamisadae, above whom lies the Paropamisus Mountains: then, towards the south, the Arachoti: then next, towards the south, the Gedroseni, with the other tribes that occupy the seaboard; and the Indus lies, latitudinally, alongside all these places; and of these places, in part, some that lie along the Indus are held by Indians, although they formerly belonged to the Persians. Alexander [III 'the Great' of Macedon] took these away from the Arians and established settlements of his own, but Seleucus Nicator gave them to Sandrocottus [Chandragupta], upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange five hundred elephants.[7]
The ancient historians Justin, Appian, and Strabo describe the Agreement of the Indus. Seleucus gave Chandragupta control of the eastern parts of his empire, including Gandhara, Parapamisadae, Gedrosia, Arachosia and Aria up to Herat. In return, Chandragupta gave Seleucus 500 Indian war elephants. The two rulers also formed a marriage alliance, likely with Chandragupta marrying a female relative of Seleucus.[8]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Thapar, Romila (1966). Ancient India: A Textbook of History for Middle Schools. National Council of Educational Research and Training. p. 70.
- ↑ Thapar, Romila (1966). Ancient India: A Textbook of History for Middle Schools. National Council of Educational Research and Training. p. 70.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kosmin, Paul J. (2014-06-23). The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire. Harvard University Press. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-0-674-72882-0.
- ↑ Grainger, John D. (2014-02-04). Seleukos Nikator (Routledge Revivals): Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom. Routledge. pp. 108–110. ISBN 978-1-317-80099-6.
- ↑ Jansari, Sushma (2023-06-01). Chandragupta Maurya. UCL Press. p. 34. doi:10.2307/j.ctv33pb005. ISBN 978-1-80008-388-2.
- ↑ Strabo. Strabo's Geography. pp. XV, 2, 9.
- ↑ Strabo, Geography, xv.2.9
- ↑ Kosmin, Paul J. (2014-06-23). The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire. Harvard University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-674-72882-0.