Peloponnesian War

The Peloponnesian War indicates the conflict which lasted of -431 with -404 (with a few periods of interruption), opponent Athens, which had transformed the Ligue of Délos (intended for the origin to resist the Perses) into an empire subjected to its capacity, and Sparte, power oligarchical and preserving, whose terrestrial army was the most powerful military force of the time, and who directed the Ligue of the Peloponnese as well as the Béotie. The Peloponnesian War ended in the victory of Sparte.

According to Thucydide

According to the Athenian historian Thucydide, one of the causes of the war was the rise and the increasing size of Athens which gave to the Spartans fears for their own position. One can add to it the opposition of system between Sparte the oligarch, where a low number of citizens lived in fear of the revolt of their Hilotes, and which seems not very flourishing, and Athens the democrat, living trade. Sparte had the power on ground, Athens directed a Thalassocratie thanks to the Ligue of Délos. It is besides side of the play of alliances which should be sought the causes of the release of the war.

The conflict with Corinth

The events which precipitated this war began in -433, when a quarrel burst between Épidamne and Corcyre. Although Corcyre was founded by Corinthe, this one took the party of Épidamne. Athens gave its support for Corcyre, which did not belong to any alliance, and was found in position of being able évincer Corinthe of the sea Ionienne.

Athens had already acquired an important Western naval base by seizing in -456 Naupacte, with the western entry of the gulf of Corinth. Corinth, member of the League of the Peloponnese, then made pressure on its old Potidée colony so that it leaves the league of Délos. Potidée, located on the throttling of the Western point of the Chalcidique, on the coast Thrace, left the League of Délos in 432 av. J. - C., after a secret agreement with Sparte. This agreement stipulated that in the event of conflict between Potidée and Athens, Sparte would invade the Attic.

The Athenians dispatched a force to besiege it, while Corinthe sent helps.

Other sources of litigation

Athens was made another enemy, Mégare, by prohibiting to him the access to the ports of the league of Délos. It reproached him for accommodating the fugitive slaves (Mégare is close to Athens, on the isthmus of Corinth) and for supporting its Corinthe adversary. This city as Corinthe called upon Sparte, which, under the threat to see two of its main allies leaving alliance, mobilized the league of the Peloponnese for a war against Athens. In Athens, the war was decided by the intervention of Périclès, proving with its fellow-citizens that the conflict was inescapable. During the summer -431, the Spartans invaded the Attique.

The war of Archidamos

The first ten years of war, known under the name of “war of Archidamos”, the name of Archidamos II, king Spartan (death in -426) which directed the incursion in Attic, did not comprise any decisive event. The forces of the two camps balanced, Athens not having a rival on sea, and best Sparte having the Hoplite S. the allies of the two cities brought auxiliary forces. Nevertheless, thanks to the treasure of the league of Délos (transferred from Délos in Athens in - 454) and with the money mines of Laurion, Athens had financial resources quite higher than those of the League of the Peloponnese.

As of before its beginning, the war appeared to have to last, since none of the two camps could reasonably hope to gain a decisive victory. The strategies referred on the one hand on the supplies corn (essential in a long war), and the progressive weakening of the adversary by the margins, i.e. the weakest allies, either by obtaining their defection in one way or another, or by the seat. The regularity of the supplies corn was crucial especially for Athens, Sparte not having to fear famine as long as Hilotes did not revolt. Nevertheless, Sparte could fear for its allies. The supplies corn of Athens came especially from the Eubée, probably supplemented by purchases in Egypt, and at the beginning of the war by some cargoes come from Propontide (the Crimea). Sparte had allied in Sicily, rich person producing. To carry it, each camp was to maintain its provisioning while cutting those of the adversary.

A war of knacks

The Spartans who invaded and devastated the Attic in -431 found a country deserted. Athenian manpower in hoplites being quite lower than those of Sparte, Périclès, strategist for the 13th time, made shelter the Athenians behind the Long Walls. The city was supplied by sea. After one month of raid, the Spartans returned on their premises; the Athenians devastated, thanks to their fleet, the coasts of the Peloponnese. Sparte devastated the Attic five times in the first seven years of the war. Athens invaded Mégaride neighbor twice a year.

However, Athens managed to occupy Égine in -430. Foundations, allied of Athens, is attacked by Thèbes in April -431 and succumbs.

In June -430, an epidemic of “Peste” (a Typhoid fever of it makes) devastator was declared in Athens and the city lost more of the quarter of its population. Périclès, elected strategist for the 14th time, made make peace proposals in Sparte, which were refused. It was deposited and condemned to a fine in September, after the summer campaign against Épidaure, Trézène and Prasie.

In -430, Potidée was forced to capitulate to Athens. Périclès, elected strategist for the 15th time, died of the epidemic in -429. In -429, Phormion gained a naval half-victory with broad of Naupacte. In -428, its successor bearing the same name gains to him also a naval battle with Naupacte.

The defection of Mytilène on the island of Lesbos, which wanted to leave the league of Délos, involved a punitive forwarding on behalf of Athens. Mytilene made its rendering in -427, before the arrival of a fleet of help Spartan. Its walls were cut down and the other cities of the island passed under Athenian domination.

In -426 Démosthène inflicted two defeats in Péloponnésiens with Amphilochia and Olpai.

Cléon and Brasidas

The principal success of Athens was the catch of Pylos on the west coast of the Messénie in -425 as well as the massacre or the capture of 420 Hoplites, including a hundred and twenty Spartans with Sphactérie, event which made great noise in all the Greece and notched the reputation of invincibility of the Spartans. Among these hoplites, were many homoioi. However, in spite of these successes, the financial position of Athens was degraded, and the treasure of Délos was exhausted. The tribute of the allies was brutally carried to 1300 Talent S per annum (instead of 450) by the decree of Thodippos, but the defections approximately reduced its product to 1000 talents. A forwarding successful in Eubée allowed a distribution of corn to the citizens in -424.

During the summer of this same year -424, the Athenians projected an invasion of Béotie in order to sow there the germ of the Démocratie which they hoped to see spreading itself in the long term in the area. The operation comprised three shutters which were to coordinate each other for the same day: partisans present in the towns of Chéronée and Siphes raised the population against the order in place which the arrival of an Athenian fleet of occupation of Siphes came to consolidate, the third hearth of disorders being envisaged to Délion by a catch of the city that an important army was charged to strengthen, that in order to divide the army béotienne. The project ventilated by treason, associated with an unexplainable error on the date did not give any result to the west and made it possible the forces béotiennes to gather and of going in contact with the Athenian army. The Bataille of Délion this winter was a defeat for Athens which lost also the fortified position and any chance of reconquest in this area.

Side Spartan, the general Brasidas helped Mégare besieged by the Athenians. Then it surprised its adversaries by a fast operation which enabled him to cross Greece and to seize Amphipolis in Thrace the same year, in spite of the attempt at Thucydide to save it. A one year truce is concluded between Athens and Sparte, but the operations continue against the enemies of less scale: Nicias takes Mendé and besieges Scioné, which had made defection, whereas Brasidas makes countryside against Arrhibaios (without success).

At the end of the truce, Cléon is made kill while trying to take again Amphipolis; its army is demolished, and the general Spartan Brasidas also dies him during the battle.

The victories of Athens offered to him a permanent advanced position in the enemy territory, but the reverses against Brasidas and the death of Cléon involved the victory of the party of peace. Sparte gave up its annual incursions in Attic and made proposals for peace.

The peace of Nicias

The peace of Nicias was concluded in -421. Establishing a peace for fifty years, it returned to the status quo handle . It was a success for Athens, which preserved its intact empire while its enemies were divided, Corinthe and the others combined of Sparte refusing to sign peace. The city of Argos created its own concurrent league of the league of the Peloponnese.

The second part of the war

The creation of the league of Argos involved the disintegration of the league of the Peloponnese. The Athenians, under the influence of Alcibiade, were combined with Élis, Mantinée and Argos, in conflict with Sparte. The allies attacked Épidaure and advanced on Tégée, and Sparte made movement against them.

The battles of Mantinée (418 front J. - C.) was a great victory for Sparte. Argos gave up Athenian alliance and was once more insulated.

In -416, Athens attacked and devastated the island of Mélos, which had remained neutral, but had been friendly towards Sparte.

Such is the last event of the precarious “peace” of -421/-415, such as Thucydide describes it.

Forwarding in Sicily

In -415, under the influence of Alcibiade, Athens launched out in the forwarding of Sicily, to which Nicias was opposed. Athens answered the call of Ségeste, attacked by Sélinonte in -416. Syracuse, Corinthian colony, was allied of Sélinonte. Ségeste called upon Athens, offering even to pay the forwarding costs. At this time of the war, the loss of Eubée, and the defection of many allies of Athens had made its supplies corn precarious. The prospect to cut those of allied of Sparte, while conquering new sources of supply was certainly a crucial factor.

It was conceived to counter the growing power of Syracuse, to take foot in Sicily and to make sure of the total control of the sea. Forwarding took the sea under the command of Nicias, Alcibiade and Lamachos in June -415.

However, during forwarding, Alcibiade was recalled to Athens to be judged within the framework of the business of the Hermocopides. Preferring to exile itself, it took refuge with Sparte and gave them the judicious council to occupy Décélie (what they did in -413) like helping Syracuse.

In Sicily, Lamachos was killed and Nicias remained alone with the head of forwarding. The arrival in Syracuse of Gylippos, general Spartan made lose with the Athenians the battle of the cuttings off around the city (October -414). The Athenian fleet was imprisoned in the roads, and they sent a force of help ordered by Démosthène and Eurymédon. In August -413 the fleet was demolished with the Bataille of Épipoles, then the army was overcome on ground. Athens lost more than two hundred ships in this forwarding, and fifty thousand men (including seven thousand prisoners of Latomies, career of Syracuse).

See Forwarding of Sicily

Triumph of Lysandre

The unpopularity of Athens grows, and only the cities of Lesbos and Samos remained faithful. It is besides in Samos that a new Athenian fleet is wet. In -412, the cities of Ionie, for which the league of Délos had been made up, made defection, preceded in that by Chios.

In -411, an oligarchical coup d'etat takes place with Athens. The Four hundreds require peace of Sparte. But the army and the fleet refuse to recognize the change and at the end of four months of existence, the oligarchical mode is reversed. Eubée is raised, and the Spartans gain a naval victory with Érétrie.

Alcibiade is then pointed out and gains three naval victories against the Spartans with Cynosséma, Abydos in -411, then with Cyzique in -410. Athens refuses then a peace proposal Spartan. Alcibiade takes again the control of the Straits in (besieging and fascinating Byzance in -409), then it is again exiled after the defeat of Notion.

Sparte obtains the support of the king of Persians, who sends his son Cyrus. This one meets Lysandre, the navarque Spartan, and an important financial aid grants to him. In -406, Callicratidas, successor of Lysandre, beats Conon. Athens is begun again in a last start, promising the citizenship with the Métèques and the slaves to constitute a fleet which beats Callicratidas with the Battle of the islands Arginuses. This success is however tarnished by the setting with died of the Stratège S victorious (of which Périclès the Young person and Thrasyle). Athens, in an access of anger, thus eliminates itself its best generals.

Lysandre, Callicratidas substitute died in Arginuses, takes again the command of the fleet Spartan. The Athenian fleet, in position in the Dardanelles in order to guarantee the road of corn coming from Black Sea, is surprised and crushed with Aigos Potamos. The last sources of supply of Athens disappear with its fleet. Athens with the barks tries to still resist: it offers the established among with the Samiens, the allied last faithful, and consolidates its fortifications. But, subjected to the terrestrial and maritime blockade, overpowered by the famine, it must capitulate in -404.

Consequences

Peace constrained Athens to dissolve the League of Délos, to destroy the Long Walls and the fortifications of the Pirée and to deliver its fleet, except twelve ships.

It enters the league of the Peloponnese and the democracy is replaced by the tyranny of the Thirty.

External bonds

Polemos: bibliography on the war in old Greece

Simple: Peloponnesian War

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