The Story Of Themistocles: The Most Ambitious Political Rise In Athenian Democracy

Themistocles is a politician of ancient Greece and the military governor of Athens. In a vacuum, Themistocles rises to prominence. Themistocles does not come from an aristocratic family. In the Archaic Age, politicians come from aristocratic families. But we must remember that in 509 BC, a new system is introduced in Athens. Themistocles is on the side of the lesser classes. Today it could be said he was from the far left. He defends the people. Themistocles pushes Athens to build up its navy, the surest way to repel foreign invaders from across the sea. Conservative Athenians lobby for maintaining their power on land. Chief among them, the bitter rival of Themistocles, Aristides. In public, they debate military politics. But Plutarch records a private grievance. The love of a young boy, Stesilaus. All this great enmity between them arose from a very boyish occasion, both being attached to the beautiful Stesilaus of Ceos. In 485 BCE, Themistocles wins out and Aristides is exiled. Themistocles carries through his policy to massively expand the Athenian navy. At this point he convinces the Athenians to equip themselves with a fleet, and so they build 200 triremes. Themistocles' strategic decision is soon put to the test. In 480 BCE, the Persians return. Ten years after the Battle of Marathon, Xerxes I, who is the new king of Persia, succeeds his father Darius. He decides to avenge the defeat suffered by his father, so he organizes a great expedition with a huge fleet and an enormous army. Xerxes crushes opposition in Thrace and Macedonia. The fleet naturally follows the course along the coast, but the army has to march through a narrow pass. At Thermopylae, only a few soldiers at a time could pass. The Greeks understand this is a crucial point where they can not defeat, but slow down the army. It's the best Themistocles can do while a meaningful defense is organized. He calls on the Spartans for help. The Athenians convince the Spartans to join the war, saying, this danger is not only a threat to us, but a threat to all Greeks. Thanks to the sacrifice of the Spartans, the Greeks will defeat the Persians. This victory is due to the incredible strategic intuition of Themistocles to use the new fleet of Athens, and opens for Greece what historians call the Golden Age.