The Odrysian kingdom was a union of Thracian tribes that endured between the 5th century BC and the 3rd century BC. The area included in this kingdom ranged from Romania to northern Greece and Turkey.

Its capital was Uscudama (as named by the Thracians) or Odrysia (as named by the Greeks) which is now the city of Edirne, in the European part of Turkey.

History

The Odrysian state was the first Thracian kingdom that acquired power in the region, by the unification of many Thracian tribes under a single ruler: king Teres. Initially, the state included eastern Thrace and regions as far north as the mouths of the Danube.

Teres' son, Sitalkes proved to be a good military leader, forcing the tribes that defected the alliance to acknowledge his sovereignty. The rich state that spread from the Danube to the Aegean built roads to develop trade and built a powerful army that could reach 150,000 men. In 429 BC, they organized a campaign against the Macedonians, but they retreated after only thirty days.

Sitalkes wanted to unify all the Thracians, so he decided to fight the Triballi, but was killed in the battle that followed.

Seuthes I followed as king and during this time, the kingdom enjoyed a period of prosperity, but various Thracian tribes quit the Empire.

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In the 4th century BC, it disintegrated into three smaller kingdoms, of which one, with the capital at Seuthopolis survived the longest.

The Persian expedition of Darius the Great into the area happened in 513-12 by which the land of the Odrysians became a part of the Persian Empire. Odrysians did not oppose the Persian arrival and the Persian satraps Megabyzus and Mardonius delegated considerable power to the Odrysian chiefs. Persian presence had a huge impact on the Thracian art. (See: Hoddinott, R.F., The Thracians, 1981, p.101).

List of Odrysian kings

• Teres I 450 BC - 431 BC
• Sitalkes 431 BC - 424 BC
• Seuthes I (424 BC - 415 BC)
• Seuthes II (405 BC - 391 BC)
• Cotys I (384 BC - 359 BC)
• Kersobleptes (359 BC - 341 BC)