Themistocles

Themistocles (c. 524 – c. 459 BC) was an Athenian politician and general who rose to prominence in the early years of the Athenian democracy. Unlike the traditional aristocratic leaders, he was a populist who drew his support from the lower classes of Athens, often clashing with the nobility. His political career was defined by a relentless focus on naval power. After being elected archon in 493 BC, he convinced the city to expand its fleet, a policy he would champion for decades.

He fought at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, possibly serving as one of the ten Athenian generals there. In the years following Marathon, he became the most influential politician in Athens, and in 483 BC he persuaded the Athenians to build a fleet of 200 triremes. This force proved essential during the second Persian invasion of 480–479 BC. Themistocles commanded the Athenian navy at the battles of Artemisium and Salamis in 480 BC.

Through his cunning, the allied Greek forces tricked the Persian fleet into the narrow Straits of Salamis, where the decisive Greek victory turned the tide of the war. The invasion was finally repelled the next year after the land battle of Plataea. After the conflict, Themistocles remained preeminent in Athens, but his arrogance and his decision to refortify the city, which angered Sparta, turned many against him. He was ostracized in 472 or 471 BC and went into exile in Argos.

The Spartans then implicated him in the treasonous plot of their own general Pausanias, forcing him to flee Greece. After temporary sanctuary in Pydna from Alexander I of Macedon, he traveled to Asia Minor and entered the service of the Persian king Artaxerxes I, who made him governor of Magnesia. He died there in 459 BC, likely of natural causes. His reputation was later restored, and he is remembered as the man most responsible for saving Greece from Persia. His naval policies also laid the foundation for the Athenian Empire and its golden age.