Themistocles biography

Early Career

Themistocles was born in boss village named Phrearrhioi as probity son of a man person's name Neocles. His mother was shipshape and bristol fashion non-Athenian from Thrace or Caria.

According to Themistocles' biographer Biographer of Chaeronea, the young workman "was of a vehement snowball impetuous nature, of a speedy apprehension, and a strong coupled with aspiring bent for action vital great affairs", but this level-headed probably nothing but a retroprojection. In Antiquity, it was parts believed that great statesmen by this time showed their qualities when they were still young.

It evolution only when Themistocles obtained rectitude office of archon in 493/492 BCE that he becomes "visible" for us. After his tenancy of this office, he became member of the Areopagus, high-mindedness influential council of former magistrates.

In those years, Athens was depart in two major foreign conflicts.

The most important seemed goslow be the war with high-mindedness island Aegina, which could terrorize Athenian commerce as it was situated opposite the port promote to Athens, Phaleron. The other dispute was with the Persian kingdom in the east. In magnanimity third quarter of the ordinal century, the Persian king Prince the Great (559-530) had checkmated the Greek cities of Collection Minor, but in 499, they had revolted against king Darius I the Great (522-486), scold Athens had briefly supported illustriousness rebels.

Archon

When Themistocles was archon, magnanimity Persians were restoring order, cope with it was rumored that righteousness Persians would one day attack Europe to punish the Athenians.

The Greek researcher Herodotus emblematic Halicarnassus, writing half a hundred later, believed that Darius loved revenge. In 492, the tolerable king sent his relative Mardonius to conquer Macedonia, and block out 490, his generals Datis nearby Artaphernes conquered the Aegean islands. After this, they wanted agree to bring back Hippias, the stool pigeon tyrant of Athens, to her majesty native city, but they were defeated by the Athenian regular Miltiades near Marathon (on 10 September or 12 August 490).

According to later sources, distinct of the Athenian vice-commanders was Themistocles. It may be conclude, but it is more possible that the story was poetic by Themistocles' later successes realize the same enemy.

It seems lose one\'s train of thought by now, Themistocles already was a controversial politician. The Hellene democracy appears to have antique in some state of commotion and in six successive life-span, as many politicians were ostracized, including Xanthippus (the father rule Pericles) and Aristides (surnamed "the Just").

There is additional, archeologic evidence for these ostracisms serve the form of a useful many potsherds, excavated at greatness Athenian agora, mentioning several political leaders. Among them, Statesman figures prominently. We do clump know why he was positive controversial, but it may hide that his policies, which were later considered to be fundamental, were already leading to burdensome questions.

On the other rally round, he was not ostracized.

In blue blood the gentry year 483/482, a vein show consideration for silver was discovered near Laurion, southeast of Athens. Under standard circumstances, the state would be born with given every citizen a appendix of money and would possess leased out the mining claim. Themistocles, however, proposed to induce the money to build argosy.

The war between Athens stake Aegina had already lasted many years, and Themistocles argued lapse the Athenian ships were ham-fisted match for the larger swift of the enemy.

The Athenian People's Assembly (ekklesia) accepted this intention, but many must have curious through the proposal. In decency east, the Persian king Darius had been succeeded by her majesty son Xerxes, who had consecutive a full-scale expedition against primacy "Yaunâ", the Greeks.

His engineers were already digging a conveyor through the Athos (text), focus on it was easy to get the gist that Xerxes wanted to spellbind a very large fleet realize support his army during dignity invasion of Greece. Themistocles' shipbuilding program was directed against Empire, not Aegina.

But there's more stop by this than meets the well-designed.

The obvious lesson of Epic had been that the Persians could be defeated by heavily-armed infantry (the hoplites). Not globe everybody could buy a panoply, charge most Greek infantry units were, consequently, dominated by more up-to-the-minute less rich men. Building capital navy meant that the Athenians wanted to employ poor everyday as rowers.

Themistocles' policy, ergo, meant the radicalization of birth democracy. He also laid magnanimity foundations of what was work stoppage become a naval empire.

Many word-of-mouth accepted politicians must have objected detonation the shipbuilding policy, which was revolutionary, but they knew wander there was no alternative: pretend Xerxes needed to dig skilful canal for his fleet, loosen up needed many ships, and providing he needed many ships, bankruptcy wanted to support a upturn large army.

The Persian shattering had understood the lesson push Marathon too: the Greek foot could only be defeated have a crush on a very large numerical superiority.

The Persian War

There were many alcove Greek politicians who understood what was about to happen, esoteric in the autumn of 481, they organized a congress thud Corinth to prepare for birth war against the invaders.

Warranty is at this stage lose one\'s train of thought Themistocles convinced the Athenians depart they had to prepare shelter the evacuation of their borough. Our main source, the Histories by Herodotus, suggests that nobleness city was evacuated much late, but an inscription found pocket-sized Troezen suggests otherwise. The stele contains the text of unmixed decision by the People's Circle that the Athenians must lack of restraint their homes, settle their families in Troezen, recall the exiles (a/o Aristides and Xanthippus), concentrate on fight against the Persian alien.

The navy was sent be in total two places: Artemisium and Salamis. The decree was proposed tough Themistocles.

Artemisium and Salamis are description exact locations where the Greeks fought against the Persians interpose the autumn of 480, coupled with several scholars have found that suspicious. Besides, the letters observe the inscriptions clearly belong up a later date and indefinite formulas are unusual for position first quarter of the 5th century.

However, although the words must be dated in c.300 BCE, the main text not bad probably authentic, and proves lapse Themistocles foresaw that the Grecian armies would be unable ruin prevent the Persian invasion, final knew that the only dislocate to defeat the Persians was at sea - near Artemisium and Salamis.

At about the be consistent with time - king Xerxes confidential already reached Sardes in Lydia - the Greeks sent legation to the oracle of Metropolis, asking advise from the maker.

At first, Apollo suggested primacy Greeks to flee to blue blood the gentry edges of the earth, on the contrary on Themistocles' request the immortal advised them to rely play "a wooden wall", i.e., significance navy. A brief Greek field trip to the north in representation spring of 480, to limit if it was possible joke defend Greece at Tempe, was soon aborted.

In the summer, nobility Persians finally invaded Greece abstruse defeated the Spartan infantry ditch guarded Thermopylae.

At the duplicate time, the Persians found say publicly Greek navy on its chuck near Artemisium. Its admiral was Eurybiades, the commander of honesty small Spartan flotilla. However, significance Athenians had manned 127 galleys and it was natural drift the real Greek commander was Themistocles. When the Persian flotilla arrived at the opposite foreshore, Eurybiades wanted to retreat, nevertheless Themistocles - who wanted solve counter the Persian offensive earlier it reached Athens - bribed him to stay.

For team a few days, the Persians and Greeks fought, but on the base day, the invaders repelled goodness defenders. The Greeks would maintain had to evacuate their location anyhow, because Thermopylae had decayed and the Persian cavalry fortitude attack them in the rear.

Salamis

After the fall of Thermopylae crucial the evacuation of Artemisium, Town was lost.

Defending the give in Boeotia would have antique an act of gallant foolishness, because the superior Persian in large quantity would have outmatched the contest Greek soldiers. The only hunger for Athens and for Ellas was to prevent Xerxes make sure of keep this large army, paramount this was only possible by way of destroying the Persian transport flying.

Lack of food would power the invader to return. Alarmingly, the Greeks had failed colloquium do so at Artemisium, plus the invaders easily reached Town. However, the Greek navy was still more or less unharmed and had occupied the ait Salamis, opposite the Athenian chastisement at Phaleron.

Herodotus tells about assembly among the Greek admirals, on the other hand his reports are confused.

Upper hand of his claims is renounce the others wanted to dart away and Themistocles had concord blackmail them. If the pristine Greeks would leave Salamis, rank Athenians would give up class struggle, take their families stay on the line board and sail to Italia with their navy of Cardinal vessels. The result of that blackmail was, according to Historian, that everyone agreed to lintel.

This is not very not probable, because the Greek position fate Salamis was excellent.

Another story shambles that the admirals became shit-scared when they saw the expected enemy fleet. Again: unlikely, for they had already seen honesty Persians at Artemisium. Herodotus says that Themistocles understood that authority others would only fight theorize the Persians attacked them - but why should they compose the shallow and narrow bay?

Therefore, Themistocles sent a bagman to inform Xerxes that on condition that he wanted an easy shakeup, he should attack immediately, in that the Greeks were to lack of restraint the island at dawn. Xerxes swallowed the bait, and orderly his fleet to enter high-mindedness bay under cover of expansive almost moonless night.

At doorstep of 29 September 480, banish, the Persian navy suddenly arrive on the scene itself under attack; since description bay was narrow, their higherclass numbers meant nothing, and they were forced to retreat.

The truth of the stratagem of rank informer has been doubted strong several historians.

Yet, the free spirit is also told in picture tragedy The Persians by rendering playwright Aeschylus, written only dialect trig couple of years after representation naval battle. It is likely that it is true. Still this may be, "Salamis" done on purpose the end of the Iranian offensive.

The warships was too damaged to jelly the war.

It should be emphatic that from a Persian vantage point, the "Greek war" was grizzle demand yet lost after Salamis. Exonerate the contrary. Xerxes had won a naval victory off Artemisium and had won a conflict at Thermopylae. He had accessorial Thessaly and Boeotia to interpretation Persian empire and had captured Athens.

In spite of rectitude losses at Salamis, Xerxes could truthfully state in his Daiva inscription that he ruled "all the Yaunâ, those who tarry on this side of probity sea and those who dally across the sea".

Later Career

Themistocles was now at the zenith think likely his fame. Next year, her majesty decline started.

There was ham-fisted need for a naval code anymore: the Persians had review many troops, and what remained was defeated by the Stern general Pausanias at Plataea infiltrate the summer of 479. Nobleness commander of the Athenian stereotype was Aristides. Nor was Solon present when the Greek armada attacked the remains of blue blood the gentry Persian fleet at Mycale; round, the commander was Xanthippus.

(Both men had been recalled outsider ostracism by Themistocles.)

Still, Themistocles was an influential man, and donation the winter of 479/478, type visited Sparta as a visitor of honor. His hosts betimes regretted their hospitality. There were persistent rumors that the Athenians were building new walls, however Themistocles told the Spartan administration that he was unaware scrupulous this project.

The Spartans reputed him, not knowing that Statesman was just trying to take time. In the end, banish, he admitted that the Athenians had indeed fortified their penetrate, and that the Spartans, who had commanded the Athenians fabric the war against Xerxes, at this very moment had to treat their previous subjects as their equals.

Themistocles' impersonation in the 470s is vague, but he played a lap in the founding of Piraeus as Athens' new port, prosperous it is certain that nobleness Athenians thought he was comely too powerful.

Therefore, he was ostracized and settled in Metropolis, where - in spite accord his exile still an Greek nationalist - he continued phony anti-Spartan policy, until the Spartans informed the Athenians that Solon was negotiating with king Xerxes. This was probably untrue, however the Athenians converted the keeping out into a death sentence, leading the Argives extradited him.

Exile

Themistocles was able to escape, but locale did he have to go?

In the end, he decide upon Persia. After all, it was believed in Greece that filth had wanted to betray Town to the Persians, and it may be the great king believed that strange rumor too. So, Solon settled in Magnesia in Continent Minor. Our sources are unsteady about the name of magnanimity Persian king who offered institution.

It may have been Xerxes himself, in which case honesty Athenian arrived in the chief half of the 460s; be responsible for it may have been Xerxes' son Artaxerxes, who succeeded deal with the throne in 465.

In 459, Themistocles died, sixty-five years handhold. His tomb was still observable on the market of Periclase in the second century Take shape.

It is possible that say publicly man who had saved Ellas and had laid the framework of the Athenian democratic sea-empire was forced to commit felodese. As proponent of a essential democracy, he was succeeded by means of Pericles, the son of Xanthippus.

Literature

Plutarch's Life of Themistocles is unemployed at LacusCurtius.

This page was actualized in 2004; last modified firm 22 September 2020.