King Decebal (87-106 A.D.) was a leader of the Dacians, a people who inhabited the area of modern-day Romania. He established a more unified Dacian state than his predecessor Burebista had and mobilized forces against the Romans. King Decebal is sometimes called Decebalus.
King Decebal's Early Achievements
King Decebal saw military and political achievements early in his career as a leader of the Dacians. Though Burebista had loosely unified the Dacian people, Decebal created a stronger state by organizing more centralized political and administrative systems. One of Decebal's most notable early achievements was his mobilization of military forces and his army's victories against invading Romans.
A peace treaty was eventually drawn up between the Dacian kingdom and Rome. Dacia paid tribute to the Roman ruler Domition, and Dacia, in exchange, was able to work with Romans who had advanced knowledge of engineering and other skills to strengthen their military and enrich their society.
Roman Conquest of Dacia
When Trajan replaced Domitian as Rome's ruler, Rome renewed its conquest of Dacia. Dacia was a resource-rich territory, but Trajan also needed to first get through Dacia in order to reach its neighbors, who were, in kind, targets for Roman invasion.
Two wars between Dacia and Rome ensued. The first war, between 101 and 102 A.D., saw Roman victory and Dacia became an occupied state. A bridge was built across the Danube to link Dacia and Rome. Roman forces occupied Dacia. Peace was established, but with conditions that the Dacian military force be dismantled. King Decebal refused to disassemble those elements of his military force that Rome still considered a threat, and Trajan lashed out by taking over the Dacian capital of Sarmizegetusa. The second war lasted from 105-106 A.D.
Dacia after King Decebal
King Decebal committed suicide after the Roman conquest of Dacia to avoid capture. His army had been dispersed and defeated, and he had been run out of the Dacian capital. Roman rule was at last established, but Dacian culture was, to some extent, preserved, despite the new Roman authority and the introduction of Roman administrative systems. Though some Dacians may have taken their own lives like King Decebal or escaped to non-Roman territories, a Dacian population remained with which the incoming Roman population mixed.
References
A Concise History of Romania. Ed. Andrei Otetea and Andrew MacKenzie. London: Robert Hale, 1985. 67-87.
Bolovan, Ioan, et. al. A History of Romania. Ed. Kurt W. Treptow. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. 23-27.
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