# Decebalus becomes king of Dacia (c. 87)

URL: https://allhistories.com/romania/timeline/87-decebalus-becomes-king-of-dacia
Location: Sarmizegetusa Regia, Transylvania
Themes: Politics

Around 87 CE, during the war with Rome, the old Dacian king Duras is said to have handed power to Decebalus, a younger leader of proven military and diplomatic skill. The historian Cassius Dio describes him as shrewd in war, skilled at ambush and pitched battle, and knowing both how to follow up a victory and how to manage a defeat. From his capital at Sarmizegetusa Regia, Decebalus reorganised the Dacian army, strengthened the mountain fortresses and sought alliances with neighbouring peoples. He would lead Dacia for some two decades, through wars with both Domitian and Trajan.

## Why it matters
Decebalus became the last and most famous king of independent Dacia and a central hero of Romanian national memory.

Ruler at the Time: [Decebalus](https://allhistories.com/romania/rulers/decebalus)

King of Dacia: Duras

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Decebalus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decebalus)
- [Wikipedia — Dacians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacians)
- [Wikipedia — Getae, Dacians & Greeks (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacia)