We all know that one person - good looking,
naturally charming, smart and fun to be around.
But what if someone uses these qualities to
get further in life without regard for any
moral boundaries?
Alcibiades was the strategos, general, of
ancient Athens.
His life reads as the epitome of an anti-hero.
Works about his life have lauded him as a
fortunate and brilliant young man possessing
unheard of beauty.
Reading up on his life shows the characteristics
of a man that did not necessarily possess
a moral compass.
It resulted in him doing everything he could
to satisfy his hunger for power and honour.
He played a key role during the Peloponnesian
war, deserted to the Spartans after a drunken
mishap, only to desert to the Persians after
a romantic adventure with the wife of the
Spartan king and finally returned to Athens,
attempting to instigate an oligarchic coup,
in order to become a fleet commander.
This is the story of an arguably brilliant
loose cannon.
-intro-
Early Life
Alcibiades was born in four-hundred-and-fifty
before Christ in the democratic city-state
Athens.
His father passed away during his youth, after
which he was raised by his uncle, Pericles.
You may know Pericles as the prominent Athenian
politician, general and one of the most influential
statesmen being responsible for the flourishing
of the city-state.
Alcibiades became an intimate friend of the
philosopher, Socrates.
Socrates saw Alcibiades’ unconstrained behaviour
and tried to restrain and curb it, to no avail.
Young Alcibiades can be considered as being
part of the Jeunesse Dorée, the gilded youth,
spoiled and rich, rebelling and opposing the
established order.
In four-hundred-and-thirty-four before Christ
the Peloponnesian war broke out, and…
Alcibiades was active in the military, seeing
battle multiple times before he rose to prominence.
Peace of Nicias
After thirteen years of war, the Peace of
Nicias was negotiated between Sparta, Athens
and their respective allies.
Nicias was a general of Athens and would go
on to become Alcibiades arch nemesis.
Seeing a window of opportunity to attain power,
Alcibiades rejected the peace of Nicias and
became a proponent of a hardline anti-Spartan
and imperialist sentiment.
He used lies and deceits to discredit Nicias,
who was attempting to gather support for his
proposed peace.
The peace was established eventually, but
Alcibiades did not refrain from his anti-Spartan
rhetoric.
Six years later, in four-hundred-and-fifteen
before Christ, Alcibiades managed to convince
and persuade the people of Athens to support
an expedition to Sicily.
It would be the greatest imperial adventure
that the city-state had ever undertaken.
The goal was to capture Syracuse, a rich and
independent town on the island.
Alcibiades was the commander of the expedition,
together with Nicias…. who vehemently opposed
the campaign and Lamachus.
The night before the planned expedition, however,
Alcibiades and friends got drunk and went
on an adventure that… resulted in the hermai
of Athens losing their package.
Alcibiades was accused of removing these parts
of the hermai, though it is disputed whether
this was not just a conspiracy by people opposed
to him.
Regardless, Alcibiades was forced to sail
out with the fleet and would have to return
to Athens during his expedition in order to
stand trial.
Realizing that suspicion would grow due to
his absence and his need to defect, Alcibiades
prepared information about the attack on Syracuse
to reach...
The Syracusians.
Having received the information on Athenian
tactics, Syracuse managed to defend themselves
and the entire expedition was in complete
shambles.
And where did Alcibiades defect to?
To the arch-enemy of Athens that Alcibiades
had been preaching against for the past years…
Sparta.
Mind you: this was during a peace of peace
that had the resemblance of a truce, and Alcibiades
provided the Spartan king, Agis the second,
with crucial information about the Athenian
military and tactics for the next three years.
Persia and the oligarchic coup
Three years after Alcibiades deserted, a romantic
mishap involving Alcibiades, the wife of King
Agis the second, Timaea, and the child of
Timaea, meant Alcibiades was in trouble again.
According to Plutarch, Timaea bore not Agis’s
son, but the son of Alcibiades.
Well, Alcibiades could not return to Athens,
since he basically ruined their strategy and
he couldn’t stay in Sparta, as that was
pretty much a death sentence.
The only logical conclusion was to defect…….
to the mutual enemy of both Athens and Sparta:
Persia.
Thissaphernes, king of Persia, welcomed Alcibiades.
Alcibiades would spend the next couple of
years advising Thissaphernes on tactics to
weaken both Sparta and Athens.
During his time in Persia, Alcibiades got
homesick and attempted to re-establish contact
with Athens.
After getting in touch with Athenian leaders,
he talked them into committing a coup…
This oligarchic coup was to take place and
allow the return of Alcibiades.
Well, the coup did happen and worked, in four-hundred-eleven,
the democratic government of Athens was overthrown
by the oligarchs.
In the meantime, these had fallen out with
Alcibiades however, and Alcibiades, wanting
to return to Athens, decided to go to Samos,
as this island had withstood a coup and retained
its democratic government.
Thrasybulus, an Athenian General and democratic
leader, received Alcibiades, who requested
that he could speak to the troops of Samos.
He was allowed to, and apparently gave such
an incredible motivational speech that he
was elected as general of the army.
After a revolt, the oligarchic regime in Athens
was overthrown and Alcibiades was installed
as a fleet commander and Athenian general
and his property was reinstated and charges
against him were dropped.
The Peloponnesian war was in full swing again,
and Alcibiades won impressive victories as
a fleet commander, against the Spartans.
However, fate, karma, or whatever you want
to call it, caught up with him when a subordinate
of his, Antiochus, acted against Alcibiades
commands.
As a matter of fact, the reason for his second
and last exile wasn’t really Alcibiades’
fault.
He strictly ordered Antiochus not to attack
a Spartan fleet, as they were vastly outnumbered,
and as you can guess, Antiochus did exactly
that, attack the Spartan fleet.
He was completely annihilated by Lysander,
the Spartan admiral and Alcibiades realized
this would be on him.
He fled to Thracia, where he was assassinated
in four-hundred-and-four before Christ, with
sources stating that it was on the orders
of the Persian satrap Pharnabazus and…
Lysander and Dertig; Spartan generals.
Alcibiades entered history as someone that
was extremely opportunistic and managed to
use his charm and looks to get further in
life, disregarding those around him.
This makes him a very interesting character
to read up on and talk about, especially because
his life reads like a ridiculous novel.
At any rate, thank you for watching this video!
What is an event or a person with regard to
Ancient history that you would like to know
more about, and perhaps see a video of?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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