Pelopidas (; grc-gre, Πελοπίδας; died 364 BC) was an important
Theban statesman and general in Greece, instrumental in establishing the mid-fourth century
Theban hegemony
The Theban hegemony lasted from the Theban victory over the Spartans at Leuctra in 371 BC to their defeat of a coalition of Peloponnesian armies at Mantinea in 362 BC, though Thebes sought to maintain its position until finally eclipsed by th ...
.
Biography
Athlete and warrior
Pelopidas was a member of a distinguished family and possessed great wealth, which he expended on his friends and on public service while he himself was content to lead the rough life of an athlete.
[T Duff ed., ''Plutarch: The Age Of Alexander'' (Penguin 2011) p. 48-9] In 384 BC, he served in a Theban contingent sent to the support of the Spartans during the
Siege of Mantinea
The siege of Mantinea occurred in 385 BC, and resulted in a victory of the Spartans over the city of Mantinea, which was defeated and dismembered. On this occasion, Epaminondas, then fighting on the side of the Spartans, famously rescued his fell ...
, where he was saved, when dangerously wounded by the
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
ns, by
Epaminondas
Epaminondas (; grc-gre, Ἐπαμεινώνδας; 419/411–362 BC) was a Greek general of Thebes and statesman of the 4th century BC who transformed the Ancient Greek city-state, leading it out of Spartan subjugation into a pre-eminent posit ...
and
Agesipolis.
::Pelopidas, after receiving seven wounds in front, sank down upon a great heap of friends and enemies who lay dead together; but Epaminondas, although he thought him lifeless, stood forth to defend his body and his arms, and fought desperately, single-handed against many, determined to die rather than leave Pelopidas lying there. And now he too was in a sorry plight, having been wounded in the breast with a spear and in the arm with a sword, when
Agesipolis the Spartan king came to his aid from the other wing, and when all hope was lost, saved them both.
[Plutarch, ''Life of Pelopidas'', 4.]
Plutarch
Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...
says that this incident firmly cemented their friendship, and Pelopidas would be Epaminondas's partner in politics for the next 20 years.
[
According to Plutarch's Life of Pelopidas (from Plutarch's '']Parallel Lives
Plutarch's ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', commonly called ''Parallel Lives'' or ''Plutarch's Lives'', is a series of 48 biographies of famous men, arranged in pairs to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings, probably writt ...
'' in which Pelopidas's life was paired with the life of Marcellus), he lessened his inherited estate by showing constant care for the deserving poor of Thebes, taking pleasure in simple clothing, a sparse diet, and the constant hardships of military life. People said that he was ashamed to spend more on himself than the lowest of the Thebans spent on himself. Once, when friends argued that he needed to care for his finances since he had a wife and children, and that money was a necessary thing, Pelopidas pointed to a blind, crippled pauper named Nicodemus and said, "Yes, necessary for Nicodemus."
Upon the seizure of the Theban citadel by the Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
ns (382 BC), he fled to Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
and took the lead in a conspiracy to liberate Thebes. Spartans had kingship in their home and were supportive of oligarchic
Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...
governments in other cities in pursuit of the Spartan hegemony
The polis
''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancient Greece, it originally referred to an administrative and religious city center, as distinct from the rest of the city. Lat ...
; contrariwise, cities with oligarchic and not democratic political system tended to support Sparta. In 379 BC, his party (the democratic) surprised and killed their chief political opponents in Thebes (members of the aristocratic party that supported the Spartans) and roused the people against the Spartan garrison, which surrendered to an army gathered by Pelopidas.
Boeotarch
In this and 12 subsequent years, he was elected ''boeotarch Boeotarch ( el, Βοιωτάρχης, ''Boiotarches'') was the title of the chief officers of the Boeotian Confederacy, founded in 379 BC after a rebellion freed the cities of Boeotia from Spartan dominance. There were seven Boeotarchs, democratic ...
'', or warleader, and around 375 BC, he routed a much larger Spartan force at the Battle of Tegyra
{{Campaignbox Greek wars of the 4th century BC
The Battle of Tegyra (375 BC) (also known as the Battle of Tegyrae)Plutarch, ' was an ancient Greek battle between Theban and Spartan hoplite forces. In the battle, a Theban army under Pelopidas was ...
(near Orchomenus). This victory he owed mainly to the valour of the Sacred Band, an elite corps of 300 seasoned soldiers. At the Battle of Leuctra
The Battle of Leuctra ( grc-gre, Λεῦκτρα, ) was a battle fought on 6 July 371 BC between the Boeotians led by the Thebans, and the Spartans along with their allies amidst the post- Corinthian War conflict. The battle took place in the vici ...
(371 BC), he contributed greatly to the success of Epaminondas
Epaminondas (; grc-gre, Ἐπαμεινώνδας; 419/411–362 BC) was a Greek general of Thebes and statesman of the 4th century BC who transformed the Ancient Greek city-state, leading it out of Spartan subjugation into a pre-eminent posit ...
's new tactics by the rapidity with which he made the Sacred Band close with the Spartans. At Leuctra, Epaminondas, a brilliant and intuitive general, used the oblique order
The oblique order (also known as the 'declined flank') is a military tactic whereby an attacking army focuses its forces to attack a single enemy flank. The force commander concentrates the majority of their strength on one flank and uses the r ...
for the first time. After the battle at Leuctra, Thebes began to replace Sparta as the leading city of Greece.
In 370 BC, he accompanied his close friend Epaminondas as ''boeotarch'' into the Peloponnese, where, by re-founding as an independent city Messene
Messene (Greek: Μεσσήνη 𐀕𐀼𐀙 ''Messini''), officially Ancient Messene, is a local community within the regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') of Messenia in the region (''perifereia'') of Peloponnese.
It is best known for the ...
Sparta's former dependency, they were able to consolidate their success and permanently deprive Sparta of its hegemonic power.[J Griffin et al eds., ''The Oxford History of the Classical World'' (Oxford 1986) p. 149] On their return, both generals were accused, unsuccessfully, of having retained their command beyond the legal term. In fact, the democrats and some aristocrats of Thebes acknowledged that Pelopidas and Epaminondas were the two most capable and important personalities of their city. Both were trying to establish a state that would unite Greece under the Theban hegemony – what Xenophon
Xenophon of Athens (; grc, wikt:Ξενοφῶν, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Anci ...
called a policy "continuously direct towards securing supremacy in Greece".[Xenophon, ''A History of my Times: Hellenica'' (Penguin 1966) p. 309]
Embassy to Persia
In 367 BC, Pelopidas went on an embassy to the Persian king Artaxerxes II
Arses ( grc-gre, Ἄρσης; 445 – 359/8 BC), known by his regnal name Artaxerxes II ( peo, 𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂 ; grc-gre, Ἀρταξέρξης), was King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 405/4 BC to 358 BC. He was the son and suc ...
. Backed by the prestige of his Leuctra victory, Pelopidas was able to induce the king to prescribe a settlement of Greece according to the wishes of the Thebans, with particular reference to the continuing independence of Messene.
Thessalian campaign and death
The 360s saw Pelopidas leading a military/diplomatic advance by Theban power into Central and Northern Greece. In 369 BC, in response to a petition of the Thessalians
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessa ...
, Pelopidas was sent with an army against Alexander of Pherae
Alexander ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος) was Tyrant or Despot of Pherae in Thessaly, ruling from 369 to c. 356 BC. Following the assassination of Jason, the tyrant of Pherae and Tagus of Thessaly, in 370 BC, his brother Polydorus ruled for a year ...
. After driving Alexander out, he passed into Macedon
Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...
and arbitrated between two claimants to the throne. In order to secure the influence of Thebes in Macedon, he brought home hostages, including the king's younger brother Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
, a young man who would one day become king himself. In Thebes, Philip learned about the military tactics and politics of the Greeks.
The next year, Pelopidas was again called upon to interfere in Macedonia, but being deserted by his mercenaries, was compelled to make an agreement with Ptolemy of Aloros
Ptolemy of Aloros ( grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος), was sent by King Amyntas III of Macedon as an envoy to Athens c. 375–373 BC. After Amyntas' death, he began a liaison with his widow, Eurydice. In 368 BC, he assassinated her son, Alexander ...
. On his return through Thessaly, he was seized by Alexander of Pherae, and two expeditions (the second expedition, the successful one, was led by his friend Epimanondas) from Thebes were needed to secure his release.
In 364 BC, he received another appeal from the Thessalian towns against Alexander of Pherae. Alhough an eclipse of the sun prevented his bringing with him more than a handful of troops, he overthrew the tyrant's far superior force on the ridge of Cynoscephalae Cynoscephalae ( grc, Κυνὸς κεφαλαί, meaning "dog's heads") may refer to:
Geography
* Cynoscephalae (Boeotia), a town of ancient Boeotia
* Cynoscephalae (Thessaly), a town of ancient Thessaly
* Cynoscephalae Hills (Boeotia), a range of ...
. However, wishing to slay Alexander with his own hand, he rushed forward too eagerly and was cut down by the tyrant's guards. Plutarch considered him a prime example of a leader who threw away his life through recklessness and anger.[T Duff ed., ''Plutarch: The Age of Alexander'' (Penguin 2011) p. 48]
See also
* Diodorus Siculus
*Hegemony
Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one State (polity), state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over oth ...
*Helots
The helots (; el, εἵλωτες, ''heílotes'') were a subjugated population that constituted a majority of the population of Laconia and Messenia – the territories ruled by Sparta. There has been controversy since antiquity as to their e ...
*Sacred Band of Thebes
The Sacred Band of Thebes (Ancient Greek: , ''Hierós Lókhos'') was a troop of select soldiers, consisting of 150 pairs of male lovers which formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th century BC, ending Spartan domination. Its pre ...
References
*
External links
Pelopidas
{{Authority control
364 BC deaths
4th-century BC Greek people
Ancient Theban generals
Ancient Greek generals
Ancient Greeks killed in battle
Military history of ancient Thessaly
Theban hegemony
Year of birth unknown