Rhescuporis I was king of the

Odrysian kingdom The Odrysian Kingdom (; Ancient Greek: ) was a state grouping many Thracian tribes united by the Odrysae, which arose in the early 5th century BC and existed at least until the late 1st century BC. It consisted mainly of present-day Bulgaria and ...

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

from ca. 18 BC to ca. 13 BC, in succession to his father Cotys VII. In 48 BC, before he became king, he led a body of auxiliaries his father sent to the aid of

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

for use in the Roman civil war against

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

. After Cotys VII's death he became king, at first under the guardianship of his uncle

Rhoemetalces I Rhoemetalces I (Sapaean) ( grc, Ῥοιμητάλκης) was king of the Sapaean kingdom of Thrace from 15 BC to 12 AD. He was king of Odrysian kingdom of Thrace in succession to his nephew Rhescuporis II (Astaean). Rhoemetalces I was a loyal ...

, his father's younger brother. Rhescuporis died in 13 BC when he was defeated and slain in battle by Vologaeses, chief of the Thracian Bessi, who was a leader in the revolt against the Romans in that year. He left no heir, and so was succeeded by Rhoemetalces, who fled Thrace during the revolt and was restored to power by

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

after it was suppressed.

Sources

Smith, William, ed. ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology''. Boston : Little, Brown, and Company, 1867, v. 3, p. 646
13 BC deaths Thracian kings 1st-century BC rulers in Europe Year of birth unknown {{Ancient-Thrace-stub bg:Раскупорис II