Editing Theramenes (section)

===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.]]