Alcibiades Short

Category: Sparta

Last Updated: 19 Apr 2023

Pages: 2 Views: 186

Alcibiades was born in 450 BC in ancient Athens. He was the child of Cleinias and Deinomache. Through his mother, Deinomache, Alcibiades belonged to a very wealthy and powerful family. Alcibiades himself first began to develop into a powerful figure through deception. He was offended when the Spartans overlooked him due to his youth and settled on a treaty agreement with Nicias and Laches instead. Alcibiades seized the chance to go behind the Athenian Assembly’s back by taking ambassadors under his wing and turning them against the Assembly as well.

Soon after, Alcibiades was appointed General and began to threaten Sparta’s authority by grouping with other nearby states in the Peloponnese. However, this union was eventually vanquished in the Battle of Mantinea. Years later, Alcibiades was wrongly accused of destroying an important religious statue in Athens. Instead of standing trial, he ran away and was condemned to death because of this. To avoid death, Alcibiades joined the Spartans as a military advisor and contributed very much to their advantage. Nevertheless, Alcibiades fell out of Sparta’s good graces after the retirement of his ally Endius.After a near-death experience in Sparta as well, Alcibiades fled to Persia and began making policy suggestions to Thucydides regarding the Persian court.

However, Alcibiades secretly longed to return to Athens so he negotiated with the Athenian leaders for a long time and eventually returned, bringing Persian money and warships with him. Alcibiades was involved in many small wars, including the Battle of Abydos, Battle of Cyzicus, Battle of Aegospotami, and the Battle of Notium. It has been said that Alcibiades was an invincible general and an excellent warrior.However, The Athenians were defeated at the Battle of Notium due to Antiochus, who was the personal helmsman of Alcibiades, disobeying orders. Alcibiades was blamed for the blunder of Antiochus and forced to leave Athens. Alcibiades died in 404 BC and the cause of his death has remained uncertain. A common belief is that his house was purposefully set on fire and he ran outside to get even and attack when he was killed by masses of arrows.

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