Editing Theramenes (section)

==Coup of 411 BC==
{{main|Athenian coup of 411 BC}}

===Overthrow of the democracy===
[[File:Detail of Alcibiades from Alcibiades Being Taught by Socrates (1776) by François-André Vincent.jpg|thumb|[[Alcibiades]], shown here in this detail of a 1776 painting by [[François-André Vincent]], incited the oligarchic coup by promising Persian support to Athens if the democracy was overthrown.]]

Theramenes' first appearance in the historical record comes with his involvement in the oligarchic coup of 411 BC. In the wake of the Athenian defeat in Sicily, revolts began to break out among Athens' subject states in the [[Aegean Sea]] and the Peace of Nicias fell apart; the Peloponnesian War resumed in full by 412 BC. In this context, a number of Athenian aristocrats, led by [[Peisander (oligarch)|Peisander]] and with Theramenes prominent among their ranks, began to conspire to overthrow the city's democratic government. This intrigue was initiated by the exiled nobleman [[Alcibiades]], who was at that time acting as an assistant to the [[Achaemenid Dynasty|Persian]] [[satrap]] [[Tissaphernes]]. Claiming that he had great influence with Tissaphernes, Alcibiades promised to return to Athens, bringing Persian support with him, if the democracy that had exiled him were replaced with an oligarchy.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:47|8.47–48]]</ref> Accordingly, a number of [[trierarch]]s and other leaders of the Athenian army at [[Samos Island|Samos]] began planning the overthrow of the democracy. They eventually dispatched Peisander to Athens, where, by promising that the return of Alcibiades and an alliance with Persia would follow if the Athenians would replace their democracy with an oligarchy, he persuaded the Athenian ''[[ecclesia (ancient Athens)|ecclesia]]'' to send him as an emissary to Alcibiades, authorized to make whatever arrangements were necessary.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:53|8.53–54]]</ref>

Alcibiades, however, did not succeed in persuading the satrap to ally with the Athenians, and, to hide this fact, demanded (claiming to be speaking for Tissaphernes) greater and greater concessions of them until they finally refused to comply. Disenchanted with Alcibiades but still determined to overthrow the democracy, Peisander and his companions returned to Samos,<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:56|8.56]]</ref> where the conspirators worked to secure their control over the army and encouraged a group of native Samian oligarchs to begin planning the overthrow of their own city's democracy.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:63|8.63]]</ref> In Athens, meanwhile, a party of young oligarchic revolutionaries succeeded in gaining de facto control of the government through assassination and intimidation.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:65|8.65–66]]</ref>

After making arrangements to their satisfaction at Samos the leaders of the conspiracy set sail for Athens. Among them was Theramenes; Thucydides refers to him as "one of the leaders of the party that put down the democracy—an able speaker and a man with ideas."<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:68|8.68]]</ref> Calling the assembly together, the conspirators proposed a series of measures by which the democracy was formally replaced with a government of [[The Four Hundred (oligarchy)|400]] chosen men, who were to select and convene a larger body of 5,000 as time went on.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:67|8.67]]</ref> Shortly afterwards, the conspirators went, under arms, to the council chamber, where they ordered the democratic council to disperse after collecting their pay; the council did as ordered, and from this point forward the mechanism of government was fully under the control of the oligarchic conspirators; they quickly changed the laws to reflect the new form of government they had imposed.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:69|8.69–70]]</ref>
[[Image:Hoplite1.gif|thumb|left|A Greek [[hoplite]].
In 411 BC, Theramenes argued for a government in which all men of hoplite status or higher would be enfranchised.]]

===Conflict within the movement===
At this point, several conflicts began to develop that threatened the future of the new government at Athens. First, the planned coup at Samos was thwarted by the efforts of Samian democrats and a group of Athenians who they entrusted with helping them.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:73|8.73]]</ref> When the army at Samos heard the news of the coup at Athens, which arrived along with exaggerated reports of outrages being perpetrated by the new government, they declared their loyalty to democracy and hostility to the new government.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:74|8.74–76]]</ref> At Athens, meanwhile, a split developed between the moderate and radical oligarchs, with Theramenes emerging alongside one Aristocrates son of Scelias as the leader of the moderate faction. The extremist faction, led by [[Phrynichus (oligarch)|Phrynichus]], containing such prominent leaders of the coup as Peisander and [[Antiphon (person)#Antiphon of Rhamnus|Antiphon]], and dominant within the 400, opposed broadening the base of the oligarchy, and were willing to seek peace with Sparta on almost any terms.<ref>Hornblower, ''The Greek World'', 147</ref> The moderates, on the other hand, although willing to seek peace with Sparta on terms that would preserve Athens' power, were not willing to sacrifice the empire and the fleet, and wanted to broaden the oligarchy to include the putative 5,000, presumably including all men of [[hoplite]] status or higher.<ref>Although Thucydides, at [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:89|8.89]], claims that the moderates' call for the government of the 5,000 was a mere piece of propaganda, modern scholars have disagreed, pointing to the account given by Aristotle at ''Ath. Pol.'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Aristot.+Ath.+Pol.+29.1 29] as an indication that the moderates were sincere; see Kagan, ''The Peloponnesian War'', 392–3, and Hornblower, ''The Greek World'', 147.</ref>

Shortly after taking power, the extremist leaders of the revolution had begun constructing fortifications on [[Eëtioneia]], a dominant point in the entrance to the harbor of [[Piraeus]], ostensibly to protect the harbor against an attack from the fleet at Samos. With internal dissent increasing, they joined these new fortifications to existing walls to form a redoubt defensible against attacks from land or sea, which contained a large warehouse into which the extremists moved most of the city's grain supply.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:90|8.90]]</ref> Theramenes protested strongly against the building of this fortification, arguing that its purpose was not to keep the democrats out, but to be handed over to the Spartans; Thucydides testifies that his charges were not without substance, as the extremists were actually contemplating such an action.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:90|8.90–91]]</ref> Initially cautious (as enemies of the regime had been executed before), Theramenes and his party were emboldened and galvanized into action by several events. First, a [[Peloponnese|Peloponnesian]] fleet, ostensibly dispatched to assist anti-Athenian forces on [[Euboea]], was moving slowly up the coast of the Peloponnese; Theramenes charged that this fleet was planning to seize the fortifications on Eetioneia, in collaboration with the extremists.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:91|8.91]]</ref> Second, an Athenian militiaman, apparently acting on orders from conspirators higher in the ranks of the government, assassinated Phrynichus, the leader of the extremist faction. He escaped, but his accomplice, an [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argive]], was captured; the prisoner, under torture, refused to state the name of his employer. With the extremists unable to take effective action in this case, and with the Peloponnesian fleet overrunning [[Aegina]] (a logical stopping point on the approach to Piraeus), Theramenes and his party decided to act.

Aristocrates, who was commanding a regiment of hoplites in Piraeus, arrested the extremist general [[Alexicles (general)|Alexicles]]; enraged, the extremist leaders of the 400 demanded action, and made a number of threats against Theramenes and his party. To their surprise, Theramenes volunteered to lead a force to rescue Alexicles; the leaders of the extremists acquiesced, and Theramenes set out to Piraeus, sharing his command with one other moderate and one extremist, Aristarchus. When Theramenes and his force arrived at Piraeus, Aristarchus, in a rage, exhorted the men to attack the hoplites who had seized Alexicles. Theramenes feigned rage as well, but when asked by the hoplites whether he thought that the fortification on Eetioneia was a good idea, he responded that if they wanted to pull it down, he thought that would be good. Calling out that everyone who wanted the 5,000 to govern instead of the 400, the hoplites set to work.<ref>For this entire series of incidents, see Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'', [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:92|8.92]].</ref> Donald Kagan has suggested that this call was probably instigated by Theramenes' party, who wanted the 5,000 to govern; the hoplites tearing down the fortification might well have preferred a return to the democracy.<ref>Kagan, ''The Peloponnesian War'', 395</ref> Several days later, the Peloponnesian fleet approached Piraeus, but, finding the fortifications destroyed and the port well defended, they sailed on to Euboea.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:94|8.94]]</ref> Several days later, the 400 were formally deposed and replaced by a government of the 5,000; the most extreme of the oligarchs fled the city.<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'' [[s:History of the Peloponnesian War/Book 8#8:97|8.97–98]]</ref>