Charidemus

Charidemus

Charidemus (in Greek Χαρίδημος), of Oreus in Euboea, was a Greek mercenary leader of the 4th century BC.

About 367 BC he fought under the Athenian general Iphicrates against Amphipolis. Being ordered by Iphicrates to take the Amphipolitan hostages to Athens, he allowed them to return to their own people, and joined Cotys, king of Thrace, against Athens.

Soon afterwards he fell into the hands of the Athenians and accepted the offer of Timotheus to re-enter their service. Having been dismissed by Timotheus (362 BC) he joined the revolted satraps Memnon and Mentor in Asia, but soon lost their confidence, and was obliged to seek the protection of the Athenians. Finding, however, that he had nothing to fear from the Persians, he again joined Cotys, on whose murder he was appointed guardian to his youthful son Cersobleptes.

In 357 BC, on the arrival of Chares with considerable forces, the Chersonese was restored to Athens. The supporters of Charidemus represented this as due to his efforts, and, in spite of the opposition of Demosthenes, he was honored with a golden crown and the franchise of the city. It was further resolved that his person should be inviolable.

In 351 BC he commanded the Athenian forces in the Chersonese against Philip II of Macedon, and in 349 BC he superseded Chares as commander in the Olynthian War. He achieved little success, but made himself detested by his insolence and profligacy, and was in turn replaced by Chares.

After Chaeroneia the war party would have entrusted Charidemus with the command against Philip, but the peace party secured the appointment of Phocion. He was one of those whose surrender was demanded by Alexander the Great after the destruction of Thebes, but escaped with banishment. He fled to Darius III, who received him with distinction. But, having expressed his dissatisfaction with the preparations made by the king just before the battle of Issus (333 BC), he was put to death.

References

  • Diodorus Siculus xvii.30
  • Plutarch, Phocion, 16, 17
  • Arrian, Anabasis, i.10
  • Quintus Curtius iii.2
  • Demosthenes, Contra Aristocratem
  • A. Schafer, Demosthenes und seine Zeit (1885)
  • H. W. Parke, Greek Mercenary Soldiers (1933)
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Charidemus — aus Oreos auf Euböa, ein Condottiere des Alterthums, der als Anführer atheniensischer Miethsoldaten 360 v. Chr. zum thrakischen König Kotys überging, alsdann den Olynthiern und wiederum den Athenern, endlich in Asien dem Memnon und Mentor und… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Charidemus — ▪ Greek mercenary died 333 BC       Greek mercenary leader from Euboea who fought sometimes on the side of the Athenians, at other times on the side of their enemies. He served under the Athenian general Iphicrates at Amphipolis about 367 BC but… …   Universalium

  • CHARIDEMUS — I. CHARIDEMUS Atheniensis, ab Alexandro M. exulare iussus, ἐς τὴν Α᾿σίαν παρὰ βασιλέα Δαρεῖον φεύγει. Arrian. Hist. l. 1. Qui magno usui Persis fuit, donec ob linguae libertatem, iussu Darii interfectus est. Diodoro dicitur ἀνὴρ θαυμαζόμενος ἐπ᾿… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Cersobleptes — (in Greek Kερσoβλέπτης) was son of Cotys, king of Thrace, on whose death in 358 BC he inherited the kingdom in conjunction with Berisades and Amadocus II, who were probably his brothers. He was very young at the time, and the whole management of… …   Wikipedia

  • Chares of Athens — Chares (Greek: Χάρης, lived in the 4th century BC) and was an Athenian general, who for a number of years was a key commander of Athenian forces. Contents 1 First campaigns 2 Wars against the Macedonians 3 Appraisal …   Wikipedia

  • Cephisodotus (general) — Cephisodotus (Greek: Κηφισόδοτος; lived 4th century BC) was an Athenian general and orator, who was sent with Callias, Autocles, and others in 371 BC to negotiate peace with Sparta.[1] Again, in 369 BC, when the Spartan ambassadors had come to… …   Wikipedia

  • 333 BC — NOTOC EventsBy placeMacedonia* King Alexander of Macedonia conquers western Asia Minor, subduing the hill tribes of Lycia and Pisidia. * King Darius III of Persia executes Charidemus, a Greek mercenary leader living in exile in Persia, for… …   Wikipedia

  • 335 BC — NOTOC EventsBy placeGreece* Returning to Macedonia by way of Delphi (where the Pythian priestess acclaims him invincible ), King Alexander III of Macedonia advances into Thrace in order to secure the Danube as the northern boundary of the… …   Wikipedia

  • 357 BC — NOTOC EventsBy placePersian Empire* Rhodes falls to the Persian satrap Mausolus of Halicarnassus.Greece* The Athenian general and mercenary commander, Chares and the Euboean mercenary Charidemus regain the Thracian Chersonese for Athens from the… …   Wikipedia

  • List of works by Lucian — A list of works by Lucian of Samosata (c. AD 125 – after AD 180), who wrote in Ancient Greek. The order of the works is that of the Oxford Classical Texts edition. The English titles are taken from Loeb (alternative translations are sometimes… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”