![]() The Thirty Tyrants' brief reign was marred by violence and corruption. Critias was killed in the fighting at the doors of Athens. The uprising that overthrew the Thirty in 403 BCE was orchestrated by a group of exiles led by Thrasybulus. Some supporters of democracy chose to fight and were exiled, among them Thrasybulus, a trierarch in the Athenian navy and noted supporter of democratic government. Those who did not approve of the new laws could either fight ‒ risking exile or execution ‒ or accept the Thirty's rule. The Thirty's regime did not meet with much overt opposition, although many Athenians disliked the new form of government. They also hired 300 "lash-bearers" or whip-bearing men to intimidate Athenian citizens. Many wealthy citizens were executed simply so the oligarchs could confiscate their assets, which were then distributed among the Thirty and their supporters. Critias accused Theramenes of conspiracy and treason, and then forced him to drink hemlock. One of their targets was one of their own, Theramenes, whom Xenophon depicts as revolted by Critias' excessive violence and injustice and trying to oppose him. The Thirty removed criminals as well as many ordinary citizens whom they considered "unfriendly" to the new regime for expressing support for the democracy. Critias, a former pupil of Socrates, has been described as "the first Robespierre" because of his cruelty and inhumanity he evidently aimed to end democracy, regardless of the human cost. Both Isocrates and Aristotle (the latter in the Athenian Constitution) have reported that the Thirty executed 1,500 people without trial. Led by Critias, the Thirty Tyrants presided over a reign of terror in which they executed, murdered, and exiled hundreds of Athenians, seizing their possessions afterward. Although little is known about these 3,000 men ‒ for a complete record was never documented ‒ it is hypothesised that the Thirty appointed these select few as the only men the Thirty could find who were devotedly loyal to their regime. The list of the selected 3,000 was constantly revised. These hand-selected individuals had the right to carry weapons, to have a jury trial, and to reside within city limits. In fact, the Thirty chose 3,000 Athenian men "to share in the government". However, not all Athenian men had their rights removed. The Thirty appointed a council of 500 to serve the judicial functions formerly belonging to all the citizens. Consequently, the Thirty reduced the rights of Athenian citizens in order to institute an oligarchical regime. ![]() The Thirty were concerned with the revision, if not erasure, of democratic laws inscribed on the wall next to the Stoa Basileios. With Spartan support, the Thirty established an interim government in Athens. The two leading members were Critias and Theramenes. They became known as the "Thirty Tyrants" because of their cruel and oppressive tactics. Although they maintained power for only a brief eight months, their reign resulted in the killing of 5% of the Athenian population, the confiscation of citizens' property and the exile of other democratic supporters. Upon Lysander's request, the Thirty were elected as a tyrannical government, not just as a legislative committee. The Thirty Tyrants ( Ancient Greek: οἱ τριάκοντα τύραννοι, hoi triákonta týrannoi) were a pro-Spartan oligarchy installed in Athens in 404 BC, after the Athenian democracy had been defeated by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War. For the later Roman tyrants, see Thirty Tyrants (Roman). ![]()
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