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Alcibiades ( / ˌælsɪˈbaɪ.ədiːz / AL-sib-EYE-ə-deez; Greek: Ἀλκιβιάδης; c. 450 – 404 BC) was an Athenian statesman and general. The last of the Alcmaeonidae, he played a major role in the second half of the Peloponnesian War as a strategic advisor, military commander, and politician, but subsequently fell from prominence.
Apr 5, 2024 · Alcibiades, brilliant but unscrupulous Athenian politician and military commander who provoked the sharp political antagonisms at Athens that were the main causes of Athens’ defeat by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE). Learn more about Alcibiades’ life and career.
- Russell Meiggs
Jan 7, 2021 · Alcibiades was one of the most skilled Athenian leaders, but he made many enemies along the way, switching sides frequently. Could it be that the fate of Athens rested only on his shoulders? Would Athenian history be different if he had led Athens’ armies?
Alcibiades' surprising return to Athens. This return to Athens materialized in 407 BC, in a dramatic reversal of fortune. With the Athenian military situation deteriorating, the Athenian oligarchs, who had seized power in 411 BC, saw in Alcibiades a potential savior.
- Early Life
- The Sicilian Expedition
- Advising Sparta
- A Returning Hero
Alcibiades was born in 451/450 BCE, the son of the Athenian politician Cleinias, and his mother Deinomache was from the ancient aristocratic family the Alkmeonidai. Alcibiades was also the nephew of the great Athenian statesman Pericles, and he spent his childhood in the family home of his famous uncle. As a young man, he was the pupil and friend o...
In 415 BCE Alcibiades gave a speech to persuade the Athenians to launch a military expedition to Sicily. The pretext for this expedition occurred in 416/415 BCE when Segesta, a city-state in the west of Sicily, asked Athens for help against local rival Selinus which was allied with Syracuse. Besides imperialist ambition, Alcibiades may well have be...
Alcibiades made himself useful to his new hosts and, according to his accusers in Athens, he freely gave Athenian state secrets to the Spartans. He also advised the Spartans to take by force the Athenian fortress of Dekeleia (which they did in 413 BCE). Meanwhile, the Athenian expedition in Sicily was a complete disaster with total defeat in 414 BC...
In 407 BCE Alcibiades returned to Athens in triumph, the old charges against him were dropped, and as a reward for his efforts he was made strategos autokrater once again, but this time above all other generals, the only such instance in the history of Athens. In effect then, Alcibiades was now commander-in-chief of the Athenian armed forces. Quash...
- Mark Cartwright
Dec 22, 2023 · By Philip Chrysopoulos. December 22, 2023. Pericles teaching young Alcibiades, created in 1900. Author unknown. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0. Alcibiades was a gifted politician and general, but, due to his unscrupulous behavior, he is remembered as a traitor to Athens for defecting to Sparta during the Peloponnesian War.
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Sep 17, 2019 · Updated on September 17, 2019. Alcibiades (450–404 BCE) was a controversial politician and warrior in ancient Greece, who switched allegiances between Athens and Sparta during the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BCE) and was eventually lynched by a mob for it.
