Peloponnesian war

Cimon

510 BCE

an Athenian statesman and frequent commander of the Athenian fleet when the city was at the height of its power. He won military glory by defeating a Spartan rival and then the Persians in a land and sea battle to expand the membership/power of the Delian League which he led for over a decade. Not helped by his political rival Pericles, Cimon was later exiled from Athens and never recovered his political position but his reputation remained as one of Athens’ greatest generals.

Battle of Salamis

480 BCE

In this battle, the Athenian naval fleet, which was led by Themistocles, defeated that of Xerxes I of Persia. Athens was then accredited to the expulsion of the Persians from Greece even though the war continued for another 2 years. Spartans had refused to take part in this war as they believed the act of the battle was cowardly. For this, Athens' prestige and wealth grew and Sparta did not like the superiority Athens felt over the other city states.

Athens rise in power- builds walls

479 BCE

Athens gained tremendous power after the war with Persia and made decisions that led to power growth over those city-states economically and militarily weaker. Sparta didn't like this. One decision was building ‘walls’ connecting Athens to Piraeus (an important harbour city), making it almost impossible for a land army to attack Athens from the Peloponnese Peninsula. Athens then began to build walls between their ally city-states in the Delian League. Athens had a very strong leader Pericles.

Battle of Plataea

479 BCE

The Battle of Plataea was the final land battle during the second Persian invasion of Greece. This was the final battle between Greeks and Persians that would expel the Persians from Greece. For the next century, the Greek city states would remain in allegiance to fight any external enemy.

Delian League created by Athens

478 BCE

Athens controlled the Delian League (an organisation of Greek city-states) from 578 BCE (basically, an empire with subject city-states).

Pericles takes part in Athenian politics

460 BCE

Pericles was an Athenian statesman. He was a fierce proponent of democracy although only for male Athenian citizens. Even so, his reforms would lay the groundwork for the development of later democratic political systems. He increased Athens’ power through his use of the Delian League to form the Athenian empire and led his city through the First Peloponnesian War and the first two years of the Second. He was still actively engaged in political life when he died of the plague.

Tensions rise between Sparta and Athens

460 BCE

Sparta and Athens became publically ‘hostile’ towards one another and began manoeuvring so that each of their allies could be called upon if it came to war. War was imminent

Key events of the First Peloponnesian War in 460BCE

460 BCE

Athens broke long-standing alliance with Sparta.
Athens and Argos (Sparta’s enemy) form an alliance.
Athens drew Megara (a Peloponnesian city-state) into the Delian League (angering Sparta further).
Athens begins building the Long Walls.

Peloponnesian war

Period: 460 BCE to 403 BCE

First Peloponnesian war

Period: 460 BCE to 445 BCE

was fought between Sparta (Peloponnesian League) and Athens (Delian League) and their allies. This war consisted of a series of conflicts and minor wars and was primarily the result of the envy and concern felt by Sparta at the growth of the Athenian Empire and Athenian fear of Spartan power.

Myronides

458 BCE

an Athenian general of the First Peloponnesian War. In 458 BC he defeated the Corinthians at Megara and then in 457 BC he defeated the Boeotians at the Battle of Oenophyta. Myronides' victory at Oenophyta led to a decade of Athenian domination over Boeotia, Locris and Phocis sometimes called the Athenian 'Land Empire'.
It has been debated, but it is unlikely he was the same Myronides who was sent to Sparta with Cimon and Xanthippus and who served as general at the Battle of Plataea.

Leocrates

458 BCE

a leading Athenian general of the First Peloponnesian War. He led the Athenian forces that conquered the island of Aegina, traditionally a naval rival of Athens. In 458 BC Leocrates led a large Athenian fleet that engaged the Aeginetan fleet in the Saronic Gulf near Aegina. After a major sea-battle in which the Athenians captured or sunk 70 ships, Leocrates led the Athenian forces ashore to besiege Aegina. The Aeginetans eventually surrendered to the Athenians and became subject allies of Athens

Key events of the First Peloponnesian War in 457BCE

457 BCE

Athens defeats Aegina (Spartan ally); forces them into Delian League.
Sparta wins the Battle of Oenoe.
The Athenians would then score crushing victories over several Peloponnese city-states and ravaged the Peloponnese peninsula by sea, taking control of several city-states in the process.

Key events of the First Peloponnesian War in 454BCE

454 BCE

Athens is defeated attempting to support the Greek colonists in Egypt who are fighting the Persians.
Athens moves the Delian League treasury from Delos to Athens, with all finances now being controlled by the Athenians (big deal).
Athens and Sparta sign a 5-year peace treaty, whilst the Persians are taken care of.

Delian league treasury moved to Athens

454 BCE

Sparta leaves Delian League

450 BCE

Sparta and their allies had left the league and formed the Peloponnesian League (550 BCE) long before the war with the Persians.

Tolmides

450 BCE

Athenian general of the First Peloponnesian War. He rivalled Pericles and Myronides for the military leadership of Athens. He was given command of a fleet and 4,000 soldiers to sail round the coasts of the Peloponnesus attacking the Spartans and their allies. Tolmides seized the city of Methone in Messenia but was then forced to abandon it due to the arrival of a Spartan force. Tolmides died in battle. The Athenian defeat at the Battle of Coronea heralded the end of the ‘Athenian Land Empire’.

Key events of the First Peloponnesian War in 448BCE

448 BCE

Persians finally expelled forever after defeats at Cyprus & Cilicia.
Peace of Callias is signed; leads to consolidation of Athens’ empire.
Athenian power over Delian states is more pronounced:
City-states must swear loyalty.
Athenian garrisons of soldiers stationed in member states.
Compliant or democratic governments installed.
Use of Athenian coinage as common currency.
Use of Athenian law courts to hear all major cases

Key events of the First Peloponnesian War in 447BCE

447 BCE

After the war flared up again, several defeated Peloponnese city-states (Boeotia, Phocis & Locris) revolted and defeating the Athenians to regain their independence.
Megara & Euboea revolted, with Athens losing Megara, but crushing Euboea to maintain control.

Pleistonax

446 BCE

an Agiad king of Sparta. Pleistoanax was most anxious for peace during the First Peloponnesian War. He was exiled, charged by the Spartans for taking a bribe, probably from Pericles, to withdraw from the plain of Eleusis in Attica after leading the Peloponnesian forces there following the revolts of Euboea and Megara from the Athenian empire. Accepting a bribe would've amounted to treason, but some scholars doubt this or at least agree that it's not enough information to explain the happenings

Key events of the First Peloponnesian War in 445BCE

445 BCE

The First Peloponnesian War ended in an arrangement between Sparta and Athens, which was ratified by the Thirty Years' Peace.

Thirty years peace

Period: 445 BCE to 432 BCE

The Thirty Years’ Peace was a treaty, signed between Athens and Sparta. The treaty brought an end to the 1st Peloponnesian War. The treaty was to prevent outbreak of war. The Thirty Years’ Peace ended when the Spartans declared war on the Athenians. During the peace Athens took steps in undermining the truce. These disputes prompted the Spartans to declare that the Athenians had violated the treaty, thus declaring war. The Thirty Years' Peace ended and the 2nd Peloponnesian War began.

The Crises at Corcyra and Potidea

Period: 435 BCE to 432 BCE

A dispute between the city-state of Corinth and her prosperous colony of Corcycra. Thucydides claimed that ‘it gave Corinth her cause for war against Athens”. Corinth tried to get the help of the Spartans, but they refused to break the peace. They took matters into their own hands and supported a revolt in the Delian League city-state of Potidea, angering Athens. RESULT: Corinth and Athens both sent in troops to Potidea, Athens defeated the Corinthians and laid siege to Potidea.

The Megarian Decree

432 BCE

While the situation in Potidea worsened, Pericles (the Athenian leader/General) prepared for war: He reorganised the city-states finances so that there was money for the navy and strengthening the city walls. He renewed alliances in Sicily and Italy. Most importantly, he issued the Megarian Decree, which excluded Megara from the markets and ports of the Athenian Empire. This would mean starvation and ruin for the people of Megara.

Second Peloponnesian war

Period: 431 BCE to 404 BCE

Pericles dies due to plague

429 BCE

Mytilenian debate

428 BCE

Destruction of Plataea

427 BCE

Corcyra civil war

427 BCE

Peace of Nicias

421 BCE

Sicilian expedition

415 BCE

Battle of Arginousae

406 BCE

Battle of Notium

406 BCE

Battle of Aegospotami

405 BCE

Battle of Piraeus

403 BCE

Athens signs treaty with Sparta