Alcibiades
General / Politician
"Athens could not endure my greatness."โ A later tradition captures his mix of ego and bitterness toward his city.
Biography
Alcibiades was a charismatic aristocrat raised in the circle of Pericles and reportedly taught by Socrates. Handsome, eloquent, and ambitious, he quickly became one of the most talked-about figures in Athens.
During the Peloponnesian War he pushed for bold, risky strategies, most famously the Sicilian Expedition. On the eve of departure, a scandal over the mutilation of sacred statues led to his recall on charges of impiety. Instead of returning to face trial, he defected to Sparta and advised them on how to hurt Athensโincluding sending a general to help turn the tide in Sicily.
When he fell out with Sparta, Alcibiades sought refuge with the Persians, then later returned to Athens as a kind of savior after a series of naval successes. For a brief time, his leadership restored Athenian confidence at sea. Yet suspicion and political enemies never left him, and he was exiled once more. He was eventually killed in Phrygia, his life ending as dramatically and controversially as he had lived.