Seleucid–Mauryan war

Seleucid–Mauryan War

Alexander the Great's Satrapies in Northern India.

Date	305–303 BC
Location	Northwestern India; Chiefly the Indus River Valley
Result	Mauryan Victory, Chandragupta Maurya gains all of the Macedonian satrapies in the Indus River Valley, Seleucus receives 500 war elephants as part of peace deal.

Belligerents

Maurya Empire

Seleucid Empire

Commanders and leaders

Chandragupta Maurya

Seleucus I Nicator

Strength

600,000 infantry
30,000 cavalry, 9,000 war elephants^[1]

200,000 infantry, 40,000 cavalry, 60,000 allies

Casualties and losses

unknown

Conquests of Chandragupta Maurya

Founding of the Empire War with the Seleucid Empire

In 305 BCE, Emperor Chandragupta Maurya led a series of campaigns to retake the satrapies left behind by Alexander the Great when he returned westwards. Seleucus I Nicator fought to defend these territories, but both sides made peace in 303 BCE. The treaty ended the Seleucid–Mauryan war and allowed Chandragupta control of the regions he was warring for while Seleucus was given 500 highly valued war elephants in exchange.

Background

Main article: Conquest of the Nanda Empire

Chandragupta Maurya's Empire circa 320 BCE. His dynasty would later control the vast majority of India.

Chandragupta Maurya established himself as ruler of Magadha around 321 BCE. He decided to conquer the Nanda Dynasty, rulers at the time of the Gangetic Plain. He fought the empire for eleven years with successful guerrilla campaigns, and captured the Nanda capital of Pataliputra. This led to the fall of the empire and the eventual creation of the Maurya Empire under Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.

The states of the Indus Valley and modern Afghanistan were part of the Empire of Alexander the Great. When Alexander died, the Wars of the Diadochi ("Successors") split his empire apart; as his generals warred over control of the throne. In the eastern territories one of these, Seleucus Nicator, was taking control and creating the beginnings of the Seleucid Empire. This included Alexander's conquests along the Indus Valley.

The emerging and expanding Mauryan Empire now came into conflict over the Indus Valley with the efforts of Seleucus I Nicator to hold these territories.

War

Little is known of the campaign, in which Chandragupta fought with Seleucus over the Indus Valley and the region of Gandhara, a very wealthy kingdom that had submitted decades earlier to Alexander the Great. The Mauryans seem to have got the better of the fighting, though no record survives. The region fell to the Mauryans; and Chandragupta also took over Kashmir and the Hindu Kush. At the same time, Chandragupta expanded into the Deccan.^[2] Chandragupta took over the Punjab also, and by 303 BCE he had taken over Eastern Afghanistan and everything in between. However, whether or not these territories were acquired by subsequent treaty with Seleucus or by military conquest is also unknown.

Seleucus' focus was not in the east, but in the west, where his greatest enemy, Antigonus I Monophthalmus, was attempting to crush all of his rivals and take complete control of Alexander's legacy. To end the losing war against the Mauryan Empire and focus his attention in the west, Seleucus negotiated a peace and ceded Alexander's Indian territories to Chandragupta. Later Selecus would form an alliance with the marriage of his daughter to Chandragupta and, in return as dowry, Seleucus received 500 war elephants, which would prove decisive in the conflict ahead, culminating in the Battle of Ipsus.^[3]

The peace was negotiated by the Greek envoy, Megasthenes. He made several journeys into the Mauryan Empire, chronicling his journeys.

Aftermath

Emperor Chandragupta converted to Jainism and abdicated his throne as part of his faith around 298 BCE. His empire included most of India (the southern-most regions were left unconquered). He was succeeded by his son, Bindusara. Mysore was taken by Bindusara, the empire reaching its expansion zenith.

For the Seleucids, the war affected the Wars of the Diadochi in the west. With the elephant force acquired from the Maurya, Seleucus was able to defeat his rival, Antigonas, at the Battle of Ipsus. Adding Antigonas' territories to his own, Seleucus would found the Seleucid Empire; which endured as a great power in the Mediterranean and the Middle East till 64 BCE.

Notes

↑ Saul, David: War: From Ancient Egypt to Iraq p. 362
↑ R.G. Grant: Commanders pg. 49
↑ Majumdar 2003, p. 105.

References

Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (2003) [1952], Ancient India, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-0436-8

Ancient Greek wars

Mycenaean	Trojan War

Archaic	First Messenian War Lelantine War Second Messenian War First Sacred War Sicilian Wars

Classical	Greco-Persian Wars Aeginetan War Wars of the Delian League First Peloponnesian War Second Sacred War Samian War Peloponnesian War Phyle Campaign Corinthian War Boeotian War Wars of the Theban hegemony Theban–Spartan War Social War (357–355 BC) Third Sacred War Foreign War Rise of Macedon Wars of Alexander the Great

Hellenistic	Lamian War Wars of the Diadochi Seleucid–Mauryan war Pyrrhic War Syrian Wars Pyrrhus' invasion of the Peloponnese Chremonidean War Seleucid–Parthian wars Cleomenean War War against Lyctus Social War (220–217 BC) First Macedonian War Cretan War Second Macedonian War Roman–Seleucid War Aetolian War War against Nabis Galatian War Third Macedonian War Maccabean Revolt Fourth Macedonian War Achaean War Mithridatic Wars (First, Second, Third) Final War of the Roman Republic

Military history

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