Tyrants of Ancient Greece!

Tyrannies occurred everywhere in Greece, from city-states to the islands of Sicily and Samos. Most historians place the Great Age of Greek Tyranny between 750 and 500 BCE, concluding with Hippias' deposition; however, other writers extend the period into the 4th century BCE, covering Cassander's dictatorial rule in Macedonia as well as the tyrannies of Dionysius I and II in Syracuse.

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The term "tyrant" bears a negative meaning. A tyrant is a dictator whose ultimate authority resides beyond the law; hence, a tyrant is never forced to explain his acts, good or bad, to his citizens. However, early Greek rulers were not seen as ruthless as others, but rather as intelligent and mild. While the earliest Greek tyrants were from the aristocratic class, they rose to power in order to avert the dominance of oligarchies. A tyrant's repressive administration might benefit his people, even creating societal stability. Some dictators, like Cypselus and Periander of Corinth, were empire builders, supervising the construction of temples and harbors in order to preserve power and popularity by working in the best interests of the people. Regardless of their successes or failures as dictators, many usurped power by force or fear of force. Cleisthenes of Athens and Cypselus of Corinth are two instances of people who rose to power by a coup. Tyranies would ultimately crumble and give way to a less repressive administration. Individuals inside a dictatorial regime would rise up in protest against a totalitarian ruler and depose him, bringing in more democratic leadership in his place.

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Corinthian Tyrants

Tyrants ruled Corinth and Athens in the seventh and sixth century BCE. Cypselus (657-627 BC) and his son Periander were among those who came to prominence at Corinth (627-587 BC). Cypselus rose to power by deposing the aristocratic Bacchiadae, his mother's family, with the help of Corinth's rich elite. He founded one of Greece's most powerful and long-lasting tyrannies. Cypselus, on the other hand, virtually never lived long enough to become a dictator. According to Herodotus, a Delphi Oracle warned that if the infant (Cypselus) was permitted to grow to adulthood, Corinth would be doomed. He would become a tyrant, according to the Oracle. The reigning Bacchiads believed it best to put the little child to death; sadly for Corinth, but happily for Cypselus, his mother protected him by hiding him in a chest. The forecasts came true. According to Herodotus, the adult Cypselus exiled many Corinthians, "deprived many others of their belongings, but by far the greatest number were robbed of their lives". Unlike his son, and despite his harshness, he saw no need for a bodyguard. Like many earlier dictators, he did some good for Corinth: he constructed a treasury at Delphi and established colonies in northeastern Greece with a formidable navy. Finally, he is credited with creating the Corinthian tribe structure. Periander, who succeeded his father in 627 BCE, was widely regarded as a typical tyrannical dictator. He was "surely a more merciful ruler than his father, but after communicating with Thrasybulus, tyrant of Miletus, he became considerably more ruthless than Kypselos (Cypselus) had ever been," according to Herodotus (408). Miletus' tyrant pushed the young Periander to assassinate Corinth's notable men. "It was then that he displayed every type of cruelty to the populace... Periander finished what Kypselos had left unfinished in his slaughter and expulsion of Corinthians." 409 (Herodotus) He even assassinated his own wife. Although he supported a large-scale construction initiative, such as the construction of an artificial harbor, he was critical of both luxury and slave ownership. He placed his son Lycophron as a tyrant at Corcyra, built Potidaea as an Aegean Sea colony, and demonstrated his warlike reputation by conquering the minor polis of Epidaurus and capturing his father-in-law, the tyrant Procles. When he died in 587 BCE, he named Lycophron as his successor; however, he was assassinated before he could leave Corcyra for Corinth. Periander's nephew Psammetichus, the last of the Cypselid rulers, succeeded him. A Delphi Oracle delivered to Periander's father prophesied the demise of the dynasty.

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Athens' Tyrants

The Athenian tyrant Draco's constitution (about 621 BCE) was the first time Athenian law was written down. Draco issued a slew of harsh regulations that made even simple infractions like stealing fruit and vegetables punishable by death. While these minor transgressions frequently warranted death, there was no harsher penalty for major offenses such as temple robbery or killing. His laws were so stringent that he was accused of writing them in blood. Draco and his severe policies inspired the phrase draconian. Except for those dealing directly with homicide, Solon would subsequently rescind several of the Draconian rules. The Athenian Solon (640–560 BC) was a statesman and poet who refused to accept ultimate authority. To Herodotus, he was both a sage and a lawgiver. Because of the numerous benefits apparent in many of his changes, he was granted the authority to modify the constitution and defective legislation. One of his first reforms was to divide the Athenians into four different groups. These classes served as the foundation for all political rights. He enacted new laws that superseded those of his predecessor, Draco. He created a new category of cases in which any citizen might now file a claim in court. Plutarch (45/50 to 120/125 CE) stated that he drafted his rules to demonstrate to his fellow Athenians that honesty was always preferable to crime. The affluent accepted him because of his money, and the poor accepted him because of his honesty. "While tyranny may be a pleasant location, there is no going back from it," Plutarch reported him as saying. According to Plutarch, this attitude garnered him a lot of ridicule. He took a ten-year leave of absence from Athens to travel and believed that the Athenian people would follow his rules. Unfortunately, three factions quickly emerged: one led by Lycurgus (the Athenian, not the Spartan), another by Megacles, and a third by Pisistratus. Pisistratus (600-527 BC) triumphed and took power; he immediately sought Solon's advice. During his 56-year rule, he was regarded as compassionate and law-abiding. Hipparchus and Hippias were Pisistratus' two sons. Harmodius and Aristogeiton assassinated Hipparchus in 514 BC. According to Herodotus, the youthful Hipparchus had a dream about his own death but ignored it after conferring with interpreters; unhappily for him, the dream came true. Following his brother's murder, Hippias, who had previously been regarded as a fairly moderate king, grew enraged towards the Athenians and began to govern as a dictator. Cleomenes I of Sparta deposed Hippias in 510 BCE. He and his family fled to Sigeum and eventually fought alongside Darius I (522-486 BC) in the Battle of Marathon.

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Cleisthenes (570 to 508 BC), who had served as archon under Hippias, seized power in Athens and implemented a reform agenda. His first significant reform was a restructure of the citizen body in an effort to undercut the existing lines of control. By 500 BCE, the system had given many adult male residents the opportunity to participate in city leadership. Some regard him to be the foundation of Athenian democracy, while others point to Solon or possibly Theseus. Although Cleisthenes instituted a number of far-reaching changes, the Athenian constitution would not become truly democratic for another half-century. According to certain authors, tyranny was frequently an unfortunate but essential step on the path to democracy. However, in his work The Republic Plato (428/427 to 348/347 BC) asserted that the essence of tyranny emerges from democracy, positing that "an excessive yearning for liberty at the price of all else is what destroys democracy and leads to the demand for tyranny". Aristotle (384-322 BC) believed that monarchies, aristocracies, and constitutional republics were the finest forms of administration, but that when corrupted, they devolved into tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy.

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