Cleisthenes
Cleisthenes was an ancient Athenian lawgiver credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting it on a democratic footing in 508 BCE. For these accomplishments, historians refer to him as "the father of Athenian democracy." He was a member of the aristocratic Alcmaeoni…
Athenian democracy
Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century B.C. in the Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica and is the first known democracy in the world. Other Greek cities set up democracies, most following the Athenia…
What is Cleisthenes best known for?
Cleisthenes of Athens, Cleisthenes also spelled Clisthenes, (born c. 570 bce —died c. 508), statesman regarded as the founder of Athenian democracy, serving as chief archon (highest magistrate) of Athens (525–524). Cleisthenes successfully allied himself with the popular Assembly against the nobles (508)...
What did Cleisthenes of Athens do to promote democracy?
Cleisthenes of Athens. Cleisthenes successfully allied himself with the popular Assembly against the nobles (508) and imposed democratic reform. Perhaps his most important innovation was the basing of individual political responsibility on citizenship of a place rather than on membership in a clan.
How old was Cleisthenes when he died?
Died: c.508 BCE Cleisthenes of Athens, Cleisthenes also spelled Clisthenes, (born c. 570 bce —died c. 508), statesman regarded as the founder of Athenian democracy, serving as chief archon (highest magistrate) of Athens (525–524).
Who was Cleisthenes in the Iliad?
Cleisthenes came from the family of the Alcmaeonidae. He was the son of Agariste of Sicyon and grandson of Cleisthenes of Sicyon. Unlike his grandfather who was a tyrant, he adopted politically democratic concepts. When Pisistratus took power in Athens as a tyrant, he exiled his political opponents and the Alcmeonidae.
Why was Cleisthenes important to democracy in Athens?
In the year 507 B.C., the Athenian leader Cleisthenes introduced a system of political reforms that he called demokratia, or “rule by the people” (from demos, “the people,” and kratos, or “power”). It was the first known democracy in the world.
What did Cleisthenes help reform?
Through Cleisthenes' reforms, the people of Athens endowed their city with isonomic institutions—equal rights for all citizens (though only free men were citizens)—and established ostracism as a punishment.
How did Cleisthenes strengthen democracy?
Introduced further reforms making Athens a full democracy by balancing the power of the rich and poor, Increased the power of the assembly by allowing all citizens to submit laws for debate and passage, Created the Council of Five Hundred.
How did Cleisthenes build a democracy in Athens?
Solon (in 594 BC), Cleisthenes (in 508–07 BC), and Ephialtes (in 462 BC) contributed to the development of Athenian democracy. Cleisthenes broke up the unlimited power of the nobility by organizing citizens into ten groups based on where they lived, rather than on their wealth.
What was Cleisthenes legacy?
Cleisthenes was an important Athenian leader who helped institute democratic reforms. He was the son of a very noble Athenian family, known as the Alcmaenidae, who were first allies of, then exiled by, Pisistratus. Cleisthenes, along with his clan, were instrumental in driving the tyrant Hippias out of the city.
Why did Cleisthenes create the 10 tribes?
Above all else, they were an attempt to make the different factions and regions of Athens into one people, with a popular assembly, and the necessary institutions to make that assembly work. Cleisthenes accomplished this by reorganizing the four tribal groups all Athenians belonged to.
Who invented democracy?
The ancient GreeksThe ancient Greeks were the first to create a democracy. The word “democracy” comes from two Greek words that mean people (demos) and rule (kratos).
What is the meaning of Cleisthenes?
Cleisthenes. / (ˈklaɪsθəˌniːz) / noun. 6th century bc, Athenian statesman: democratized the political structure of Athens.
What was Cleisthenes' most important innovation?
Perhaps his most important innovation was the basing of individual political responsibility on citizenship of a place rather than on membership in a clan. Read More on This Topic.
What happened to Cleisthenes' family?
At the time of Cleisthenes’ birth the family was still affected by a public curse incurred by his great-grandfather, also named Megacles. The latter had been chief archon when the Athenian noble Cylon had made an unsuccessful bid to seize the Acropolis and make himself tyrant ( c. 632).
What was the Greek civilization's reforms?
ancient Greek civilization: The reforms of Cleisthenes. In 508, after a short period of old-fashioned aristocratic party struggles, the Athenian state was comprehensively reformed by Cleisthenes,... Cleisthenes belonged to the Alcmaeonid family, which had played a leading part in Athenian public life since the early Archaic period, ...
Who was the lawgiver of the Alcmaeonids?
On the advice of Apollo ’s oracle at Delphi, a curse was pronounced on the Alcmaeonids, who went into exile, but they were back in Athens when the lawgiver Solon was called on to avert civil war in 594.
Who was the Alcmaeonids?
The Alcmaeonids, whom the curse had alienated from the nobility, championed a middle way based on Solon’s reforms; but both these parties were outmaneuvered by Peisistratus, a noble with a good military reputation who appealed to the poorer classes and, with their support, seized power in 560.
Who is the author of Ostia?
Author of Ostia; editor of J.M. Bury's History of Greece. Cleisthenes of Athens, Cleisthenes also spelled Clisthenes, (born c. 570 bce —died c. 508), statesman regarded as the founder of Athenian democracy, serving as chief archon (highest magistrate) of Athens (525–524). Cleisthenes successfully allied himself with the popular Assembly against ...
What is Cleisthenes most famous for?
Also known as the Father of Athenian Democracy, Cleisthenes is most famous for introducing huge reforms that in so many ways contributed immensely in advancing Athenian democracy. | Cleisthenes – biography and achievements
What was the tribe of Cleisthenes based on?
Prior to Cleisthenes, membership into the old four Ionian tribes was based on family descent. With Cleisthenes’ new and improved system of governance, descent was scrapped off in favor of a more democratic system.
Why did Cleisthenes take the decision to remove the Ionic tribes?
Historians reason that Cleisthenes took this decision in order to make Athenian politics less faction-based. The 10 tribes had members from all over Athens, including people from the coastal as well as the inland areas.
How many demes were there during Cleisthene?
During the time of Cleisthene, there existed about 100 demes. Two centuries later, that number had ballooned to around 170. All of those demes collaborated with each other for the overall progress and unity of Athenian society. This is testament to the immense contribution of Cleisthenes and his democratic reforms.
What reforms allowed for the members of the Athenian Boule to be selected from each Attica deme?
When it came to the composition of the Athenian Boule (i.e. the Council of Five Hundred), Cleisthenes’ reforms allowed for the members (the bouleti) to be selected from each Attica deme. The number of members from each deme was dependent on the size of the deme.
Why did the Athenian nobles criticize Solon's reforms?
Attica). However, Athenian nobles were aggrieved as they criticized Solon’s reforms for being excessive. Wanting to gain back their power in the city, the nobles tried to derail those reforms. Cleisthenes’ family, the Alcmaeonids, immersed themselves as the peace brokers.
When did Cleisthenes return to Athens?
After the death of the tyrant Peisistratus around 527 BC, Cleisthenes and a number of his family members returned to Athens. The period marked the rise in political influence of Cleisthenes. In 525 BC, he was elected chief archon (i.e. chief magistrate) of Athens.
Overview
Cleisthenes , or Clisthenes (c. 570 – c. 508 BC), was an ancient Athenian lawgiver credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting it on a democratic footing in 508 BC. For these accomplishments, historians refer to him as "the father of Athenian democracy." He was a member of the aristocratic Alcmaeonid clan. He was the younger son of Megacles and Agarist…
Biography
Historians estimate that Cleisthenes was born around 570 BC. Cleisthenes was the uncle of Pericles' mother, Agariste, and of Alcibiades' maternal grandfather, Megacles. Cleisthenes came from the family of the Alcmaeonidae. He was the son of Agariste and grandson of Cleisthenes of Sicyon. Unlike his grandfather who was a tyrant, he adopted politically democratic concepts. When Pisistratu…
Attempt to obtain Persian support
In 507 BC, during the time Cleisthenes was leading Athenian politics, and probably at his instigation, democratic Athens sent an embassy to Artaphernes, brother of Darius I, and Achaemenid Satrap, of Asia Minor in the capital of Sardis, looking for Persian assistance in order to resist the threats from Sparta. Herodotus reports that Artaphernes had no previous knowledge of the Athenia…
Further reading
• Davies, J.K. (1993). Democracy and classical Greece. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-19607-4.
• Ehrenberg, Victor (2010). From Solon to Socrates Greek History and Civilization During the 6th and 5th Centuries BC. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-203-84477-9.
External links
• Media related to Cleisthenes at Wikimedia Commons
• BBC – History – The Democratic Experiment
• Mitchell, John Malcolm (1911). "Cleisthenes" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). pp. 479–481.