Themistocles+-Judy+Sun

The Tournament of Greatness: Themistocles Judy Sun, 1ST Bell Word Count (essay): 550 Themistocles The greatest leader of all time was Themistocles because he was adaptable, smart, in addition to being influential in tough political decisions, despite being exiled from Athens. Being a leader is defined by having a mass prominence among the people and able to sway opinions and reach goals by controlling these people. Greatness just means that attributes such as adaptability, intelligence, and power, grants the leader the opportunity to change the world on a mass scale, and to be remembered forever. Themistocles will be forever memorialized in his significance in saving Ancient Greece from foreign dominance, and indirectly setting up the foundation that became the Athenian Naval Empire which ruled Greece afterwards. Themistocles (529-459) [1] saved Greece, in a time of warfare and upheaval where people still believed in myths, by his winning attributes and leadership. This took place in the Persian wars, which took place from 499 BCE to 480 BCE [2]. His adaptability was shown in the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE, when he lost the Battle of Artemisium [3], quickly turned the tide of the war and stopped the Persians from ruling Greece. In the Battle of Salamis, he convinced the people of Athens to evacuate to the island of Salamis on the basis that he had a prophecy from oracle in which they were to be protected by wooden walls, which he interpreted as boats. He was smart in the way of being cautious of the threat the Persians posed and quickly fought to fund the navy, which would save them in Salamis. His influence is evident by the act of convincing the Athenian government to fund the Navy in the first place. Being a great speechmaker was also an important factor in being an effective leader in Greece, this is shown by his persuasion of Athens to create a strong Navy, which eventually saved them from the Persians. That also achieved him the position of Archon, one of the three leaders in Athens that fulfilled political and religious duties. His support of the navy and military strategy that won the battle of Salamis is what makes him the greatest leader of all time. But Themistocles was not one without failures. Themistocles’s failure began when he started the campaign to make peace with the Persians and an anti-Spartan policy [4], trying to use the Athenian democracy to do so. He became too influential and eventually was ostracized in 471 [5] for being so powerful. An example of his power would be in 479, where he visited Sparta and told the Spartans that the Athenians were not building walls to protect themselves. This was a lie and really was a diversion for the Athenians to complete their wall. Themistocles was eventually death sentenced on the grounds of treason, negotiating with King Xerxes of Persia, by suspicious Spartans [6]. Still in Exile, Themistocles escaped to the Asia Minor, abandoning Greece altogether and becoming a governor of Magnesia by Xerxes rule [7]. Themistocles died by his own hands in 459 [8], leaving behind an intact Europe and a Naval Empire to rule for the next few decades. Though he was ostracized and almost put to death, Themistocles was still a brilliant politician who used democracy to build a navy that would save Greece, set up the Athenian Naval Empire, and makes Athens one of the most cultural intellectual cities of the world.

Bibliography Lendering, Jona. "Themistocles." //Livius.org//. Livius. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. . Internet Score: 14 Livergood, Norman. "Historical Background." //Http://www.hermes-press.com///. The New Enlightenment. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. . Internet Score: 16 "Themistocles." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras//. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.

[1] Jona Lendering, “Themistocles” Livius.org, Livius, Accessed April 11, 2012, http://www.livius.org/th/themistocles/themistocles.html [2] Noman Livergood, “Historical Background” hermes-press.com, the New Enlightenment, Accessed April 11, 2012, http://www.hermes-press.com/RNC_background.htm [3] Lendering, “Themistocles” [4] // World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras //, s.v. "Themistocles," accessed April 11, 2012. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/. [5] Lendering, “Themistocles” [6] Lendering, “Themistocles” [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid.