Alcibiades was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general.
The last famous member of an aristocratic family that fell from
prominence after the Peloponnesian War, he played a major role in the
second half of that conflict as a strategic advisor, military
commander, and politician. During the course of the Peloponnesian War,
Alcibiades changed his allegiance on several occasions. In his native
Athens in the early 410s BC, he advocated for an aggressive foreign
policy, and was a prominent proponent of the Sicilian Expedition, but
fled to Sparta after his political enemies brought charges of
sacrilege against him. In the years that he served Sparta, Alcibiades
played a crucial role in Athens' undoing; the capture of Decelea and
the revolts of several critical Athenian subjects occurred either at
his suggestion or under his supervision. Once restored to his native
city, however, he played a crucial role in a string of Athenian
victories that eventually brought Sparta to seek a peace with Athens.
He favored unconventional tactics, frequently winning cities over by
treachery or negotiation rather than by siege. Alcibiades' military
and political talents frequently proved valuable to whichever state
currently held his allegiance, but his capacity for making powerful
enemies ensured that he never remained in one place for long, and, by
the end of the war that he had helped rekindle in the early 410s, his
days of political relevance were a bygone memory.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcibiades
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1301:
The Árpád dynasty in Hungary ended with the death of King Andrew III.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Árpád_dynasty)
1639:
The Fundamental Orders, the first written constitution that created a
government, was adopted in Connecticut.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_Orders_of_Connecticut)
1900:
Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in
Rome.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosca)
1972:
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascended to the throne under a new act
of succession.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margrethe_II_of_Denmark)
2004:
The national flag of Georgia, the so-called Five Cross Flag, was
restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Georgia_(country))
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Wikiquote of the day:
I still feel that sincerity and realism are avant-garde, or can be,
just as I did when I started out. -- Edmund White
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_White)