View source for 369 BC

{{Short description|Notable events of the calendar year}}
{{one source|date=November 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2011}}
{{Year nav|-369}}
{{BC year in topic|369}}
__NOTOC__
Year '''369 BC''' was a year of the [[Roman calendar|pre-Julian Roman calendar]]. At the time, it was known as the '''Year of the Tribunate of Fidenas, Cicurinus, Cossus, Cornelius, Cincinnatus and Ambustus''' (or, less frequently, '''year 385 ''[[Ab urbe condita]]'''''). The denomination 369 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the [[Anno Domini]] [[calendar era]] became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

== Events ==
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=== By place ===
==== Greece ====
* After driving off the [[Sparta]]n army that has threatened [[Mantinea]], [[Epaminondas]] of [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] moves south and crosses the [[Evrotas River]] (the frontier of Sparta), which no hostile [[army]] has breached in historical memory. The Spartans, unwilling to engage the massive Theban army in battle, remain inside their city while the Thebans and their allies ravage [[Laconia]].
* [[Epaminondas]] briefly returns to [[Arcadia (ancient region)|Arcadia]], then marches south to [[Messenia]], a territory which the Spartans had conquered some 200 years before. There, Epaminondas starts the rebuilding of the ancient city of [[Messene]] on Mount [[Ithome]], with fortifications that are among the strongest in Greece. He then issues a call to Messenian exiles all over Greece to return and rebuild their homeland. The loss of Messenia is particularly damaging to the Spartans, since the territory comprises one-third of Sparta's territory and contains half of their [[helot]] population.
* On returning to Thebes, Epaminondas is put on trial by his political enemies who charge that he has retained his command longer than constitutionally permitted. While this charge is considered to be true, Epaminondas persuades the Thebans that this has been necessary to protect Thebes and its allies and reduce the power of Sparta. As a result, the charges against him are dropped.
* In a search for a balance of power against the now powerful [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]], [[Athens]] responds to an appeal for help from [[Sparta]] and allies itself with its traditional enemy.
* On the death of the [[Macedon]]ian King [[Amyntas III of Macedon|Amyntas III]], his eldest son [[Alexander II of Macedon|Alexander II]] becomes king. The young king is simultaneously faced with an [[Illyria]]n invasion from the north-west and an attack from the east by the pretender of the Macedonian throne, Pausanias (who quickly captures several cities and threatens the queen mother, [[Eurydice I of Macedon|Eurydice]]). Alexander defeats his enemies with the help of the Athenian general [[Iphicrates]], who has been sailing along the Macedonian coast on the way to recapture [[Amphipolis]].
* [[Alexander of Pherae]] becomes tyrant of [[Thessaly]] following the death of his father. Alexander's tyranny causes the [[Aleuadae]] of [[Larissa]] to seek the help of [[Alexander II of Macedon]]. Alexander II successfully gains control of [[Larissa]] and several other cities but, betraying a promise he has made, put garrisons in them. This provokes a hostile reaction from [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]. The Theban general [[Pelopidas]] drives the Macedonians from Thessaly.
* Pelopidas forces Alexander to abandon his alliance with [[Athens]] in favour of Thebes by threatening to support Alexander's brother-in-law, Ptolemy of Aloros. As part of this new alliance, Alexander is compelled to hand over hostages, including his younger brother [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip]], the future conqueror of Greece.
* [[Cleomenes II]] succeeds his brother [[Agesipolis II]] as [[Agiad]] king of [[Sparta]].
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== Births ==
*[[Zhuang Zhou]], Chinese Taoist philosopher

== Deaths ==
* [[Amyntas III of Macedon|Amyntas III]], king of [[Macedon]]ia<ref>{{cite book |last1=Errington |first1=Robert Malcolm |title=A History of Macedonia |date=1 January 1990 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-06319-8 |page=35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYgkqP_s1PQC&pg=PA35 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Theaetetus (mathematician)|Theaetetus]], Athenian mathematician (b. c. [[417 BC]])
* [[Zhou Lie Wang]], king of the [[Zhou dynasty]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:369 BC| ]]