Brasidas biography of william

Almost immediately, the next town surrendered as well, Stagira. Brasidas had now created a powerful enclave on the Chalkidike. Slowly, the revolt spread. The latter controlled the forests, several mines, and a bridge across the river. The snowstorm was still blowing when at dawn, Brasidas seized the bridge and captured the Amphipolitans who were outside their walls.

The commander of the garrison sent for the commander of the Athenian forces in the neighborhood, Thucydides, the historian who wrote the main narrative of the war. Brasidas feared that Amphipolis would not surrender once its inhabitants knew that Thucydides was on its way, offered very favorable terms, and the town came over to the Spartan side text.

This was one of the most important events during the war. Other member states of the Athenian league now revolted as well: almost every town on the Athos peninsula and Torone on the Sithonia peninsula. Brasidas now needed reinforcements, because he could not control so many towns; when the campaign had been launched, it had been believed that there would be sufficient Macedonian soldiers to help, but king Perdiccas was unreliable.

This was also the reason why Sparta was unable to send the reinforcements that were required: the Athenians would not again allow Spartan troops to pass through Thessaly, and it was unlikely that the Macedonian king would again allow a Spartan army to pass through his territories after Brasidas' unwillingness to do what had been requested. Soon, it turned out that the reinforcements were no longer needed either.

The Spartans regretted the loss of Pylos and Sphacteria, and the Athenians regretted the fall of Amphipolis. On both sides, there were people who wanted to make an armistice, and this came into force on the fourteenth of the month Elaphebolion c. After the successes of Demosthenes and Cleon, the Athenians had refused to talk about peace; Brasidas had sent them to the negotiation table.

While the negotiations were going on, a town on the third peninsula of the Chalkidike decided to revolt as well: Skione. The inhabitants offered Brasidas a golden wreath and called him the "liberator of Greece". However, their revolt took place after 14 Elaphebolion, which meant that Brasidas could not support it. On the other hand, leaving Scione alone would mean that the Athenians would mercilessly punish the city that had just asked Brasidas for protection.

In this situation, the Spartan general decided to lie: he reported that the revolt had taken place before the fourteenth. This only encouraged the people of nearby Mende, who asked and received protection against the Athenians too. This was a violation of the armistice, and more towns may have been tempted to rise against Athens. The Athenians sent their commanders Nicias and Nicostratus to the north, to lay siege to Mende which soon fell and Scione which held out.

Everything was ready for a renewed war in which Brasidas would not receive any support from Sparta. They wanted to get in and get out. When Brasidas made that impossible, they decided to pick up sticks and leave Methone alone. Following his initial triumph at Methone, Brasidas took part in several important, but not necessarily crucial moments in the war, more or less sliding nicely into whatever role was needed of him.

His next task was to act as an advisor, or a symboulosto Cnemusthe admiral who commanded the Spartan fleet during the first years of the conflict. You might think this was a step down for Brasidas, but it was more of a punishment for Cnemus, who met the first naval encounters against Athens with failure, even when against a smaller enemy fleet. Therefore, he was sent not one, not two, but three commissioners to guide him: Brasidas, Timocrates, and Lycophronand was told, in no uncertain terms, not to screw up again.

For their next battle, the Spartans planned to fake a retreat and lure the Athenian fleet comprised of 20 vessels into a strait. And it worked, brasidas biography of william of…The enemy fleet led by a guy named Phormio took the bait and followed the Spartans into the narrow water. By the time they realized what had happened, the Spartans had turned around and pressed the attack.

Eleven Athenian ships managed to escape, but nine were sunk. It was a great result for an initial encounter, but the Spartans got too cocky too fast. Wanting to sink another enemy ship, one Spartan vessel sailed ahead of the others.

Brasidas biography of william

But the Athenians did some fancy maneuvering, turned around, struck the Spartan ship, and sunk it instead. One of the three commissioners, Timocrates, was aboard that vessel and, as it plunged into the water, committed suicide out of shame. All the other Spartan ships panicked and while trying to turn around too quickly, some of them ran aground while the others tucked their tails between their legs and sailed to Corinth in safer waters.

Ultimately, both sides claimed victory in the battle, although neither one truly covered itself in glory here. That might be why Cnemus and Brasidas settled on a risky plan to attack the port of Athens itself, Piraeus. They were going to sail from Corinth to Megara, in Attica, and from there launch a naval attack on Piraeus, thinking that the port would not be heavily guarded since the Athenians would not expect a strike right at the heart of their naval headquarters.

And they were right, and their plan might have worked. For unknown reasons, though, the Spartans chickened out at the last moment and opted instead to attack the Athenian fort on the island of Salamis. Brasidas then showed up at the Battle of Pylos in BC, which ended up being a decisive victory for Athens, even though Brasidas himself was singled out for the bravery with which he fought.

At that point, Brasidas pulled out the spear and killed his opponent using his own weapon. In BC, it was time for Brasidas to cast off the kid gloves. No more advising other guys. For the stick insects, see Brasidas brasidas biography of william. Brasidas during an assault, as illustrated by Walter Crane. Biography [ edit ]. Legacy [ edit ].

In popular culture [ edit ]. Quotes [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Smaller Classical Dictionary. New York: Dutton. ISBN Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: James Murray. Cambridge University Press. During the following year he seems to have been eponymous ephor, and in BC he was sent out as one of the three commissioners to advise the admiral Cnemus.

As trierarch he distinguished himself in the assault on the Athenian position at the Battle of Pylosduring which he was severely wounded. Immediately afterwards he marched through Thessaly at the head of 1, hoplites helots and Peloponnesian mercenaries and joined Perdiccas II of Macedon. The Macedonian king tried to use the Peloponnesian task force against the Lyncestians, a Macedonian tribe that had fallen out with their king, but Brasidas refused to be made a tool for the furtherance of Perdiccas's ambitions; he ignored the king's objections and received and negotiated with Arrhabaeus, the leader of the Lyncestians.

After he settled with Arrhabaeus, Brasidas set about accomplishing his main objective. Partly by the rapidity and boldness of his movements, partly by his personal charm and the moderation of his demands, he succeeded during the course of the winter in winning over the important cities of Acanthus, Amphipolis the main objectiveStagirus and Toroni as well as a number of minor towns, and most of the Chalcidic peninsulas.

An attack on Eion was foiled by the arrival of Thucydides the famous historian of the war, who at this time was serving as one of the Athenian generals at the head of an Athenian squadron. In the spring of BC a truce was concluded between Athens and Sparta, but it was at once imperilled by the city of Scione, which it transpired had come over to Brasidas two days after the truce began, which led to the Athenian requiring it to be returned to them.

Brasidas refused to return Scione while encouraging the revolt of Mende shortly afterwards. The Scionians granted Brasidas a golden crown and named him the liberator of Hellas.