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Tyranny
social and economic crises in many city states
created a major political change:
1. form of government called tyranny
2. ruler known as a tyrant
3. tyrant was a man:
a. without any hereditary or official right to rule
b. often came from the middle class
c. seized control of his city
d. done with some violence
e. support of local hoplites or hired mercenary
troops
f. promised peace and prosperity
g. popular, charismatic leader - general
General causes for the rise of tyrants:
1. Dissatisfaction with rule of nobles (or
aristocrats) because of
a. their control of political, military and economic
life of the city-state
b. excessive taxation
c. worsening economic conditions of the lower
classes
d. general oppression of the poor by the nobles
2. Results of colonization
a. created a moneyed middle class (often a result
of trade)
b. discontented with their inferior political position
c. no say in government
d. had inferior social status
e. there was still the threat of slavery
f. they had little or no say in commerce,
expenditure and polices
3. Trade
a. increased the availability of metal - increased
supply decreased cost
b. more people could afford armor
c. any citizen who could furnish his own armor
could become a knight, regardless of birth,
and with this new status came more political
power
d. this brought on the era of the hoplite
4. Change in warfare:
a. only nobles could afford the expensive armor
and horses needed for warfare
b. the hoplite phalanx
c. the panoply (set of weapons) of the hoplite
soldier was expensive to purchase
d. this new type of warfare gave the new
moneyed middle class a means of purchasing
positions in the military.
5. money economy
a. sell off his surplus each year
b. gradually accumulate money
c. Theognis of Megara, a sixth-century poet,
said, "that money mixes the classes"
6. Poorer classes
a. found their lot was made worse
b. others in society benefited from the new
prosperity
c. farmers were particularly affected
7. Farmers' resentment
a. tax burdens that were placed on them
b. threat of slavery for failure to meet their taxes
increased
c. greater share in military burdens
there was widespread
dissatisfaction with the rule of
the nobles
• support for anyone promising
to overthrow the nobles
• promise to meet the needs of
the middle and poorer classes
Divisions in Athens: geographic location in city-state
1. “Men of the Plain”
• a group of nobles
• unhappy from their financial loss when Solon
cancelled debts
2. “Men of the Coast”
• had supported Solon
• fairly moderate
• contained a core of radical manual laborers
who were demanding re-dividing of the land
3. “Men of the Hills”
• were largely manual laborers who wanted
land divided in their favor
• Pisistratus, became their leader
• Pisistratus wanted to establish himself as
tyrant of Athens
Peisistratus seized power in an elaborate trick that
Herodotus records:
1. In the year 561 B.C., Peisistratus appeared in the
agora wounded (self-inflicted!)
2. claiming he was being chased by people opposed
to him because of the assistance he had given the
common people.
3. assembly granted him a bodyguard of 50 armed
men
4. Peisistratus used these 50 armed men to seize
the acropolis and proclaimed himself ruler
Results of tyranny under Pisistratus:
•power of the nobles was limited
•improvement in the condition of the merchant and
artisan classes
•colonies were founded giving Athens control of the
Hellespont
•improvement in the condition of the lower classes
•improvements and advances in Greek culture
•trade and manufacturing were encouraged
•alliances with other tyrants and kings began a
period of peace
•public works projects benefited the people - roads
were constructed, provided a reliable water supply,
and the beautification of Athens
•began a judiciary, where traveling (or circuit) judges
toured Attica for local cases
•Hippias and Hipparchus ruled as joint tyrants after
their father’s death
•Hippias' rule became more harsh and he was
expelled from Athens in 510 B.C.
Athenian tyrants:
•Pisistratus
•Hippias/Hipparchus
•Cleisthenes
•Isagoras
Definition
Etymology
Visual
Monarchy
How was this form of
government practiced
in ancient Greece?
Why did this form of
government decline in
ancient Greece?
Oligarchy
Tyranny