Alcibiade

Alcibiade , in Greek old Ἀλκιϐιάδης / Alkibiadês , born with Athens towards 450, died with Melissa (Phrygie) in 404, statesman and Athenian general.

Biography

He was the oldest son of Clinias, a Eupatride, and of Dinomaché, downward of the Alcméonide Mégaclès. He thus belonged to the most eminent aristocratic families of Athens. After his/her father had been killed with Coronée in 446, he was educated by his tutor Périclès, and he became the disciple and the friend of Socrate, which in the First Alcibiade proclaims its first éraste (§ 103a). He carried out the life of the young jet set of Athens, multiplying the scandals. He was famous for his great beauty. Plutarque wrote thus at the beginning of the Vie which is devoted to him:

As for its physical beauty, there is undoubtedly nothing to say some, if not which it opens out and preserved its glare at all the ages of its life: child, teenager, made man, it was always pleasant and charming aspect. It is not true, no matter what Euripide says some that at all the beautiful men, the off-season even is beautiful. But such was the privilege of Alcibiade and some others. It had it with the happy nature and the excellence of its physical constitution. As for his manner of speaking, one says that even its speech impediment seyait and lent to its language a grace to him which contributed to persuasion| Plutarque, Life of Alcibiade

Its military career started at the time of the seat of Potidée, in which Socrate also took part. With this occasion, that Ci saved the life to him:

It was in its first youth when it went to the forwarding of Potidée. As long as it lasted, it placed in the tent of Socrate, and never left it in the engagements. To a great battle which was given, they led both very valiantly; and Alcibiade having been reversed of a wound which it had received, Socrate was put in front of him, and defended it with such an amount of courage to the sight of all the army, which it prevented the enemies from making main of its person and her weapons. The price of the value was incontestably due to Socrate; but the generals having testified the desire to submit the honor with Alcibiade of it, because of its high birth, Socrate, which wanted to increase in him its emulation for true glory, was the first which returned testimony to its bravery, which required that the crown and the complete armor be allocated to him| Plutarque, Life of Alcibiade

In this business whose generals allotted all the honor to me, it was him which saved me the life. Seeing me wounded, he wanted to never give up me and preserved me, me and my weapons, to fall between the hands from the enemies| Plato, the Banquet

It was also present at the Bataille of Délion in 424, where the Athenians were put in rout by the Thébains:

With the battle of Délium, which was given a long time after, the Athenians having been put in escape, Socrate was withdrawn with foot with some other soldiers: Alcibiade was with horse; and the indicator in this state, it did not want to move away from him; but being always held at its sides, it courageously defended it against the enemies, who continued the runaways and killed a great number of it| Plutarque, Life of Alcibiade

The control of Socrate, my friends, still deserves to be observed in the retirement of our army after the rout of Délium. I was there with horse, and him with heavily armed foot. Our people starting to flee of all shares, Socrate was withdrawn with Lachès. I meet them and shouts to them to have good courage, that I will not give up them. It is there that I knew Socrate much better still than in Potidée. | Plato, the Banquet

Thanks to its experiment, he was elected Stratège in 420; he was then already chief of the extreme democrats. Its ambitious imperialism contributed in major part to the rupture of the peace of Nicias and to the sending, in 415, of the Expédition of Sicily, from which it was one of the three chiefs.

The mutilation of the Hermai right before the departure of forwarding passed to be the work of Alcibiade and its partisans (cf Hermocopides), and it was also shown to have profaned the Mystères of Éleusis; it nevertheless was decided that it could embark and that he would be judged later.

When he was convened in Athens for the lawsuit, one allowed him to make the voyage on his own vessel, but he escaped from Thourioi. He was condemned to died in his absence, and its goods were confiscated.

He went to Sparte, where he gave to the Spartans two invaluable councils: Sparte was to send the general Gylippe to help the Siciliens, and it was necessary to occupy Décélie in Attique, which would be a permanent threat for Athens.

In 412, it left in Ionie and, with an army Spartan, it fomented a revolt against Athens, initially with Chios, and then in other cities, but the Spartans were not long in being wary of him.

He undertook negotiations with Tissapherne, the satrap Perse which, extraordinarily, seemed to support neither Athens, nor Sparte.

Alcibiade very wanted from now on to return to Athens. After months of delicate diplomacy, the Athenian fleet with Samos did it general during the summer 411, and since this date until in 406 it directed military operations.

In 407, the democratic regime restored in Athens recalled it, hoping to find in him a captain able and a means of alliance with Persians, but in 406 the defeat of the Greek fleet to the Bataille of Concept made him lose its prestige and he was not elected strategist for 406 - 405.

He withdrew himself in Chersonèse of Thrace, where the recommendations which he gave to the Athenian commanders before the battles of Aigos Potamos in 405 were ignored; the Athenians were beaten.

He ends up dying assassinated in Phrygie at the instigation of Lysandre in 404.

Sources

Andocide, On its return (11-14, 16), Against Alcibiade ;
Cornélius Népos, Of the remarkable captains of the foreign countries , Alcibiade;
Diodore of Sicily, historical Library (XII-XIII)
Isocrate, On the attachment ;
Lysias, first Against Alcibiade (the speech is pronounced against the homonymous son of Alcibiade, it contains allusions to the father: §26-42), On the goods of Aristophane (§52);
Plato, First Alcibiade , Second Alcibiade , the Banquet (212b-223a), Gorgias (481c-482a, 519a-b), Protagoras (309a-c, 316a, 317 Cd, 319e-320b, 336b-e, 347b, 348b-c);
Plutarque, Life of Alcibiade (compared with that of Coriolan in the parallel Lives );
Thucydide, History of the Peloponnesian War , delivers V to the end;
Xénophon, Hellenic (III), Memorable (I, 2-3).

See too

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