In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (/ɪˈlɪəriə/; Ancient Greek: Ἰλλυρία, Illyría or Ἰλλυρίς, Illyrís;[1][2] Latin: Illyria,[3] Illyricum)[4] was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians.

[5][6][7] In Roman times the terms Illyria, Illyris, or Illyricum were extended from the territory that was roughly located in the area of the south-eastern Adriatic coast (modern Albania and Montenegro) and its hinterland, to a broader region stretching between the whole eastern Adriatic and the Danube.

[8][5][9] From about mid-1st century BC the term Illyricum was used by the Romans for the province of the Empire that stretched along the eastern Adriatic coast north of the Drin river, south of which the Roman province of Macedonia began including the southern part of the traditional region of Illyria.

[15] In the Roman period, Illyricum, a term which signified a broader region than Illyria, was used for the area between the Adriatic and Danube.

[25] The monarchy was established on hereditary lines and Illyrian rulers used marriages as a means of alliance with other powers.

[26] Pliny (23–79 AD) writes that the people that formed the nucleus of the Illyrian kingdom were 'Illyrians proper' or Illyrii proprie dicti.

Although this division occurred in 10 AD, the term Illyria remained in use in Late Latin and throughout the medieval period.

The Illyrian movement was a South Slavic cultural and political campaign by a group of young Croatian intellectuals during the first half of the 19th century, that led to Yugoslavism.

[32] There is a fictional Illyria with its inhabitants, winged fae, in the fantasy series A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

The fighting game series 'Guilty Gear' created by Daisuke Ishiwatari, features a fictional Illyria in its world.

The character of Una "Number One" Chin-Riley in the television series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a member of a humanoid species called "Illyrians".