 Demosthenes

Demosthenes was born in 384 BC.

His father, also
named
Demosthenes was a
wealthy sword-maker belonging to the local tribe, Pandionis.
 He was orphaned at the age of seven. His father had left him a
hefty inheritance, but his legal guardians misused the wealth that
was rightfully his.
 He suffered from a speech impediment as a youngster and had to
work hard to overcome it.
 When he was 20, he sued his guardians for his inheritance but
was able to retrieve only a portion of what his father had actually
left him.
 While fighting for his legal rights he began improving his oratory
skills in order to effectively defend his case. From 364-361 BC, he
delivered five orations against his guardians.
 He underwent training to improve his oration. Different historians
provide varying details of his training but it is widely accepted
that he was trained under Isaeus.
 Demosthenes became a logographer—one who writes speeches for those involved in judicial cases—in 361 BC.
He could manage any kind of cases and had many influential clients. His legal career paved the way for a political
career later on.
 He served as a trierarch in 363 and 359 BC. A trierarch was an officer who commanded a trireme, or a ship.
 He continued practicing law from 355-541 BC. He also wrote speeches against individuals who tried to repeal tax
exemptions. His speeches were in opposition of corruption and were directed against people accused of illegal
activities.
 He delivered his first political oration, ‘On the Navy’ in 354 BC. In this speech, he proposed reforming boards in
order to fund the Athenian fleet.
 In 352 BC, he gave the speech, ‘For the Megalopolitans’ followed by ‘On the Liberty of the Rhodians’ in 351 BC.
He opposed Eubulus, the most powerful Athenian statesman in both of these speeches.
 Athens had been at war with Macedonia since 357 BC. King Philip of Macedon had already seized Amphipolis
and Pydna, and was trying to annex Athens. Demosthenes viewed the King as a danger to the independence of
all Greek cities and launched a series of speeches directed against him.
 He delivered the First Philippic in 351 BC in which he urged the Athenians to be ready for war and advocated the
creation of a flexible military force to fight Philip’s army.
 Philip II attacked Olynthus in 349 BC. Athens and Olynthus were allies and he urged Athens to help Olynthus
through three speeches known as the ‘Olynthiacs’ delivered in 349 BC.
 Demosthenes went to Peloponnese to detach certain cities from Macedon’s influence but was unsuccessful in
doing so. He delivered the Second Philippic as a bitter attack against Philip in 344 BC.
 He delivered the Third and Fourth Philippics in 341 BC.
 Philip II was assassinated in 336 BC and Alexander III was made the new King of Macedon. Demosthenes
celebrated the death of Philip II with his fellow Athenians.
 He was married to the daughter of Heliodorus, a prominent Athenian citizen. The name of his wife is not known.
He had one daughter who died young and unmarried.
 After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, the new ruler demanded that Demosthenes be handed over to him.
Demosthenes was sentenced to death but he managed to escape to a sanctuary in Kalaureia. However, he was
soon discovered and he committed suicide by drinking poison in order to escape his capture