The Romans did not actually invade Greece. They had 68 year of military involvement in mainland Greece before they annexed it. The Romans waged the First Macedonian War (214-205 B.C.) against the kingdom of Macedon, the largest and most powerful state in mainland Greece with the help of Greek allies: the Aetolian League, the cities of Sparta, Elis and Messenia and the Kingdom of Pergamon. After this the Romans left Greece. They fought the Second Macedonian War (200-196 B.C.) because her allies, Pergamon and Rhodes, asked her from protection against the aggressive policies of Macedon. The Aetolian league and Athens also fought alongside Rome. The Aetolian league, instead, defected and fought alongside the Seleucids. A coalition between Rome, Macedon, the Achaean League, Macedon, Pergamum, and Rhodes fought against and defeated Sparta In the Laconian War, of 195 B.C. Then the Romans left Greece again. They fought the Seleucid/Syrian War (192-188 B.C.) against the Syria-based Seleucid Empire because it invaded Greece. Pergamon and Rhodes fought alongside the Romans again. Macedon supported Rome. It did not fight, but allowed the Romans to cross its territories to pursue the Seleucids fleeing to Turkey. Despite the Seleucid Propaganda of wanting to liberate Greece, only the Aetolian league, which defected, and Athamania fought alongside them.The Romans fought the Third Macedonian War (171-168 BC)the new king of Macedon, Perseus, who increased the size of his army, made alliances with Epirus (in western Greece) and several peoples near Greece, moved aggressively against his neighbours and said that he could carry out reforms in Greece and restore its previous strength and prosperity. Pergamon accused Perseus of wanting to take over other states and of violating the peace conditions with Rome. The Romans worried about the balance of power in Greece. When Perseus was implicated in an assassination plot against a Roman ally, Rome, declared war. The Romans won and took the court and members of leading families as prisoners, some around 300,000 Macedonians were enslaved, and some cities and villages were destroyed. The Romans thought that there could be no peace in Greece without breaking Macedon's power. Macedon was divided into four client republics. Economic and political contacts between them were restricted.A Fourth Macedonian War (150 BC-148 B.C.) was fought against a rebellion led by a pretender to the Macedonian throne who pretended to be the son of former king and wanted to re-establish the old Macedonian Kingdom. This destabilised Greece. The Romans defeated the Macedonian forces. Two years later the Roman annexed Macedon, which became a Roman province, together with Epirus and Thessaly. In the same years the Achaean League rose up in arms and was defeated. The Romans destroyed Corinth. The whole of Greece was now annexed.