Warmatrix

Pyrrhus of Epirus was a half Illyrian, half Greek king and general who is most famous for the phrase 'a Pyrrhic victory', which denotes a victory that is so costly that it is hardly any better than a defeat. Despite the saying, Pyrrhus was a very capable general.
Pyrrhus was born in 319 BCE from the Greek tribe of the Molossians in Epirus, western Greece. When he was only two years old, his father was dethroned and Pyrrhus and his family had to flee. They found refuge with Glaukias of the Taulantians, one of the major Illyrian tribes. Pyrrhus' early years as king were troublesome; initially he was just a puppet of older, more powerful statesmen. He sat on the throne of Epirus for only four years, unsuccessfully invaded Thessaly and also was king of Macedon, again for only a couple of years. Despite all the setbacks, he had gained a reputation as a strong fighter and benevolent ruler. He was often called 'the eagle'.
In 280 BCE the city of Tarentum, part of the Magna Graeca, the collection of Greek city states that at the time populated southern Italy, felt the growing influence of Rome and got into fighting with them. Rome's power was already far greater than that of Tarentum, so they requested aid from Epirus, which had helped them before. Pyrrhus, who had ambition and was a bit of an adventurer, was frustrated with the struggles in Greece and saw a new opportunity. In Italy, he could position himself as champion of Greek civilization. He made an alliance with Macedon, raised an army, in a heavy storm crossed the Adriatic sea and landed in Italy to assist the Tarentans. This started the so-called Pyrrhic War.
In the course of two years he fought two battles with the Romans, at Heraclea and at Asculum. Though he won both, losses were significant, especially in the second battle, which is the one that led to the famous saying. The Romans, strongly established in the southern Italy, could replace theirs, but Pyrrhus could not. After this, the strategic situation became a stalemate.
Pyrrhus got other offers, one to fight with the Macedonians against the Gauls and another to help the Greek cities in Sicily drive out the Carthaginians. He chose the latter, moved to Sicily in 278 BCE and lifted the siege of Syracuse, A year later he captured the key Carthaginian fortress Eryx, leading his forces in person and being one of the first on top of the enemy walls. The Greeks proclaimed him king of Sicily. But Pyrrhus could not deal the final blow, capturing the Carthaginian city of Liliybaeum, without raising a fleet. This was so costly that the Greeks grew angry and even turned against him. Seeing the hopelessness of the situation, Pyrrhus departed back to Tarentum in 275 BCE.
In the meanwhile the Romans had rebuilt their army and conquered almost all of the southern mainland. Pyrrhus fought a third battle against them at Malventum (later renamed to Beneventum), at night, yet this was inconclusive. Again stranded in a stalemate, he went back to Epirus, leaving the Romans to dominate the area.
Back in Greece Pyrrhus quickly became embroiled in new wars. He beat his former ally Macedon in the battle of the Aous and seized the throne. Next there were campaigns against Sparta and Argos. During the latter one, in 272 BCE, while fighting in narrow streets, he was ignominiously killed when an Argive threw a roof tile down on him, breaking his spine.
Looking back, Pyrrhus won almost all of his battles, displaying bravery, capable of inspiring his troops and keeping his wits in hectic fights. Hannibal Barca is said to have ranked him the second greatest general after Alexander the Great. But on a strategic level he seems to always have picked wars that he could not win, each time abandoning one unattainable goal for the next, so the term 'Pyrrhic victory' may be justified, though in a different sense than it is commonly used.