From Imperial power to little Sparta: 386-362 Flashcards
(22 cards)
How did the Federation of Boiotia serve as a threat to Sparta before the Kings peace?
Federal state Boiotia:
1. Consisted of at least 24 poleis
2. Had federal officials, councils, coinage, military to which all member poleis contributed
3. Pooling of military resources made the Boiotian land army and cavalry a formidable force.
How did Sparta get rid of Boiotia?
- Used the terms of the Kings Peace as justification for demanding that the federation be dissolved, thus, Sparta’s most important rival was crippled.
How did Sparta get rid of the powerful land force of Argos-Korinthos?
- Used the terms of the Kings peace to demand the break up of the Argos-Korinthos union
How did Sparta get rid of the north newly emerging large polis Olynthos?
- Olynthos was in the process of establishing a federation of its own and some of the smaller poleis that did not want to join appealed to Sparta for helo.
Sparta laid siege to Olynthos; after 20 months Olynthos capitulated and forced to give up.
How did Sparta abuse the King’s Peace regarding Olynthos?
- Sparta forced Olynthos to enter an alliance with Sparta and to agree to supply troops for Sparta’s military ventures
How does Sparta go against the Kings Peace in 385 and 382
385: breaks into the polis of Mantinea and forces it to change its consitution into pro-spartan Oligarchy
382: Spartan troops, while on their way to Olynthos, stop at Thebes and occupy the polis, placing a garrison in the Kadmeia (Spartan acropolis) and an oligarchic government
How does Sparta’s interference at Thebes lead to an increase in threats?
- Spartan occupation at Thebes leads to a rapprochement of the leading Thebans who were drive out into exile due to the new regime and Athens
- Athens allows Theban resistance to operate in Athenian territory.
What happens in 379? (Thebes and Sparta)
Theban exiles stage a counter-coup, assassinating leading members of the pro-Spartan regime + evicting Spartan garrison.
What happens in 378? (Thebes and Sparta)
Spartan commander, after the eviction of the garrison, stages an unsuccessful attack on Athens, driving Athenians into the Boiotians.
What does Sparta try to do in the spring of 377? What does Athens do in return?
Try to invite other Greek poleis to join an alliance
Athens succeeds in persuading a large number of poleis on the North Aegean coast to join them. Thus, showing the strength of anti-Spartan sentiment.
What does Athens make sure to do after forming its naval confederacy?
Athens makes sure not to break the Kings peace too openly and not involving itself in the members government or autonomy and not involving Persian poleis.
What happened in the Battle of Leuktra? when was this?
371: Shattered Spartans immense influence, Spartan defeat against the Boeotians led by the Thebans, and the Spartans along with their allies.
The Spartans continued to be attacked by the Peloponnese in the following two years.
How does Sparta response to the growing power of the Boiotian confederacy?
Tries to reaffirm the Terms of the King’s peace treaty and force another break up of the federation.
The Boiotians refuse to do so, Spartans soon defeated in the battle of Leuktra.
What do the Boitians manage to do after the battle of Leuktra
Gain several Peloponnesian poleis as allies, and reverse many of Sparta’s achievemetns that had strengthened Sparta’s position after 386
What important Spartan regression occurred in 370?
Region of Messenia was liberated, and the polis of Messene was founded. This left Sparta with the loss of a large fertile terriotry and a hostile polis as its neighbour.
What democratic constitutions were reformed during the 370s?
Argos and Mantinea.
What mistakes do the Boiotians make during the mid 360s?
Resort to bullying tactics alike Athens and Sparta: between 365 and 363 tensions in the Arkadian confederancy lead Mantinea to ask Sparta for help.
What did tensions in the Arkadian confederacy lead to after Mantinea asked for help? When did this occur?
Large battle at Mantinea in 362
What were the external factors leading to Sparta’s decline in the fourth century?
- Rapid recovery of Sparta’s enemies after the King’s Peace, not least the formation of the Second Athenian Confederacy and re-creation of the Boiotian federation.
However, this recovery may be due to in part of Sparta’s own forgein policies in relation to Greek states.
International spartan relations were affected by?
- Arrogance of Spartan leaders at home and abroad, alongside a lack of ability to form a realistic assessment of Sparta’s military and financial limitations.
- Personal ambitions of individual Spartan commanders (e.g., Sphodrias in trying to attack Athens, leading them to the Boiotians)
this was exacerbated by the structure and principles of Spartan governance at home. With only 28 seats on the gerousia (minimum age of 60 for its members) and only five ephors, there were very few opportunities for successful Spartan commanders to achieve real political influence at home.
What were the internal factors leading to the decline of Sparta in the fourth century?
- Loss of territory of Messenia in 370/69
- Concentration of wealth on fewer and fewer hands, leading to significant number of Spartiates losing their active citizrnship because they couldnt afford to pay contributions to common messes.
- A system of partible inheritance which discouraged Spartan citizens from having large number of children (the more sons a man would have, the smaller the share of the inheritance that each son would get).
What is the aftermath of the Battle of Leuktra in 371?
- Spartans are completly defeated in 371
- over the following two years, the Spartans are attacked in their own back yard over the Peloponnese.
- The Boiotians manage to gain several Peloponnesian poleis as allies and they succeed in reversing any of the Spartan acheivements that had strengthened Sparta’s posiiton after 386
- A democratic consitution was reintroduced in Argos
- Manintea was reounded and its democracy reinstated.
