Lacedaemonius
Template:Short description Template:Special characters Lacedaemonius (Template:Langx)Template:Refn was an Athenian general of the Philaid clan.[1] He served Athens, notably in the naval Battle of Sybota against the Corinthians in 433 BC.
Biography
Lacedaemonius was the son of Cimon, a pro-Sparta general and Athenian political figure,[2] and Isodice who was the daughter of Euryptolemus I, a cousin of Pericles.[3][4] He was a grandson of the famous Miltiades IV. An account cited that he had a twin called Oulius.[3] He was also the brother of Miltiades V.[3]
Lacedaemonius came from Lacedaemon, another name for the city state of Sparta. His father so admired the Spartans that as a sign of goodwill he named his son after their city. Lacedaemonius was also identified as the proxenos of the Spartans in Athens.[5]
Accounts cited Lacedaemonius as one of the Athenian generals sent to aid Corcyra in its conflict with Corinth after an alliance agreement concluded in 433.[6] This is part of the series of events that led to the Peloponnesian War.[6] According to Plutarch, Lacedaemonius sailed with ten ships and was sent forth against his will.[7] Lacedaemonius, who according to Thucydides was sent with 2 other generals: Diotimus (son of Strombichus), and Proteas (son of Epicles),[8] was ordered not to engage with the Corinthians unless they attacked Corcyra.[9] The Athenian fleet joined the Corcyraeans when the Corinthians finally invaded under Xenocleides.[9]
A view, which had been advanced by Plutarch, held that giving Lacedaemonius command with a meager fleet for his campaign was an insult to the sons of Cimon due their sympathy for Sparta.[10] Modern historians see Lacedaemonius appointment as a political move on the part of Pericles, who wanted to destroy political opposition by cementing his ties with the Cimonians.[11] There are also those who propose that Lacedaemonius appointment, his mission, and the size of his fleet was part of a strategy of "minimal deterrence" against Corinth.[12]
Notes and references
- Notes
- References
- ↑ Thucydides History of the Pelopponesian War I.45
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- ↑ History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.45
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