Definition: The anti-piracy Illyrian Wars were fought between 229 and 219 B.C. They represent the first time the Romans crossed the Adriatic to protect trade routes.
The Illyrian rulers supported piracy. In 230 the Romans approached the Illyrian queen, Teuta, about the problem. Teuta seems to have permitted the execution of one of the Roman envoys. The Roman response was to send both consular armies and the naval fleet it had built during the first Punic War. Teuta surrendered. Rome made a settlement that included granting certain Greek cities protection and the status of amicus 'friend'.
In 219 Demetrius of Pharos used his island off the Dalmatian coast as the homebase for piracy. The consular armies once more crossed the Adriatic, and Demetrius fled to Philip of Macedon. The Romans again made a settlement.
Source:
Cary and Scullard in A History of Rome
