Warfare > Peace of Antalcidas

Peace of Antalcidas

Background

The Peace of Antalcidas, also known as the King's Peace, was a significant treaty signed in 387 BCE that brought an end to the Corinthian War, a conflict between Sparta and its allies against the Delian League, led by Athens, along with other Greek city-states. The Corinthian War (395-387 BCE) was a complex conflict that arose from power struggles and rivalries among Greek city-states in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War. Sparta, seeking to maintain its dominance in Greece, formed alliances with Persia and other Greek states to challenge the growing power of Athens and its allies.

Key Players:

Sparta: Led by King Agesilaus II, Sparta was the dominant military power in Greece and sought to assert its hegemony over the Greek city-states. Delian League and Athens: The Delian League, originally formed to counter Persian aggression, evolved into an Athenian-led alliance that opposed Spartan hegemony in Greece.

Persia: The Persian Empire, under King Artaxerxes II, intervened in Greek affairs by offering support to various Greek city-states, including Sparta and Athens, in exchange for weakening their power and influence.

Terms of the Peace:

The Peace of Antalcidas was negotiated by the Spartan general Antalcidas and representatives of the warring Greek city-states, as well as Persian envoys. The treaty stipulated that all Greek city-states would be granted autonomy and independence, effectively ending the alliances and leagues that had formed during the Corinthian War. Key provisions of the peace included the recognition of Spartan hegemony over Greece, the return of all Greek cities to their pre-war status quo, and the cessation of hostilities between Sparta and its adversaries. The most controversial aspect of the Peace of Antalcidas was the requirement that all Greek city-states submit to the authority of the Persian Empire and refrain from interfering in Persian affairs.

Legacy:

The Peace of Antalcidas marked the end of the Corinthian War and established a period of relative stability in Greece. However, the peace was deeply divisive among the Greek city-states, with many resentful of Sparta's dominance and the perceived betrayal of Greek autonomy to Persian interests. The peace ultimately failed to bring lasting stability to Greece, as tensions and conflicts among the Greek city-states persisted, leading to further wars and upheavals in the decades that followed.

The Peace of Antalcidas highlighted the complex interplay of power, diplomacy, and external influences in ancient Greek politics and demonstrated the challenges of achieving unity and peace among the fiercely independent Greek city-states. In summary, the Peace of Antalcidas was a treaty that brought an end to the Corinthian War and sought to establish peace and stability in Greece. However, its controversial provisions, including the subjugation of Greek city-states to Persian authority, ultimately failed to resolve the underlying tensions and conflicts that plagued the Greek world.

Sources

Xenophon, Hellenica 5.1.31

Durant, The Life of Greece 1939:461.

Fine, John V.A. The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History (Harvard University Press, 1983) ISBN 0-674-03314-0.

Simon Hornblower, in John Boardman, Jasper Griffin and Oswyn Murray, Greece and the Hellenistic World (Oxford)141.