Thirty Tyrants

The Thirty were an oligarchic government imposed on Athens in 404 BCE after its defeat in the Peloponnesian War. Their rule became notorious for executions, confiscations, and the expulsion of opponents.

Thirty: The board of thirty men that governed Athens as an oligarchy in 404–403 BCE. The regime took its name from this ruling board, which wielded concentrated political power.
Peloponnesian War: A prolonged war between the Athenian-led empire and the Spartan-led alliance, fought from 431 to 404 BCE. The Thirty came to power immediately after Athens lost this war.
Democratic restoration in Athens: The reestablishment of democracy in Athens in 403 BCE after the Thirty’s defeat. The restoration ended the oligarchy and reopened Athenian political institutions.
Four Hundred: An oligarchic government that briefly ruled Athens in 411 BCE during the Peloponnesian War. It was an earlier coup that likewise displaced democracy but arose before Athens’s final defeat.
Athens under the Thirty: The period of oligarchic government in Athens from 404 to 403 BCE. This episode shows how the Thirty governed the city and targeted political opponents.
Siege of Athens (404 BCE): The Spartan blockade that forced Athens to surrender in 404 BCE. The city’s capitulation created the conditions for Sparta’s political settlement.
Athenian amnesty of 403 BCE: A settlement after the civil conflict that limited prosecutions for past political acts, with specified exceptions. The amnesty helped reconcile the city after the Thirty’s rule and civil war.
Athenian coup of 411 BCE: The political upheaval that replaced Athenian democracy with oligarchic rule in 411 BCE. Its short-lived oligarchy offers a direct comparison with the Thirty’s postwar takeover.
Athenian democracy: A system of government in which Athenian citizens exercised political authority through assemblies and courts. The Thirty dismantled democratic institutions and restricted political participation.
Thirty Years' Peace: A peace treaty concluded in 446/445 BCE between Athens and Sparta, ending an earlier phase of conflict. Its breakdown began the war whose defeat led to the Thirty’s installation.

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