Editing Themistocles (section)

=== Background ===
Themistocles grew up in a period of upheaval in Athens. The tyrant [[Peisistratos]] had died in 527&nbsp;BC, passing power to his sons, [[Hipparchus (son of Peisistratos)|Hipparchus]] and [[Hippias (tyrant)|Hippias]].<ref>Holland, p. 122</ref> Hipparchus was murdered in 514&nbsp;BC, and in response to this, Hippias became paranoid and started to rely increasingly on foreign mercenaries to keep a hold on power.<ref>Holland, pp. 126–128</ref> The head of the powerful but exiled<ref>{{cite book |author=Herodotus |title=Histories |pages=5.72–73 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hdt.+5.72}}</ref> [[Alcmaeonid]] family, [[Cleisthenes]], began to scheme to overthrow Hippias and return to Athens.<ref name = h128>Holland, pp. 128–131</ref> In 510&nbsp;BC, he persuaded the [[Sparta]]n king [[Cleomenes I]] to launch a full-scale attack on Athens, which succeeded in overthrowing Hippias.<ref name = h128 /> However, in the aftermath, the other noble (''eupatrid'') families of Athens rejected Cleisthenes, electing [[Isagoras]] as [[archon]], with the support of Cleomenes.<ref name = h128 /> On a personal level, Cleisthenes wanted to return to Athens; however, he also probably wanted to prevent Athens becoming a Spartan client state. Outmaneuvering the other nobles, he proposed to the Athenian people a radical program in which political power would be invested in the people—a "democracy".<ref name = h128 /> The Athenian people thus overthrew Isagoras, repelled a Spartan attack under Cleomenes, and invited Cleisthenes to return to Athens and put his plan into action.<ref>Holland, pp. 132–134</ref> The establishment of the democracy was to radically change Athens: "And so it was that the Athenians found themselves suddenly a great power... they gave vivid proof of what equality and freedom of speech might achieve"<ref>{{cite book |author=Herodotus |title=Histories |pages=5.78 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hdt.+5.78}}</ref>