Why did Athens ally corcyra?

Why did Athens ally corcyra?

Athens offered Corcyra a defensive alliance under which Athens would lend aid only if Corcyra was attacked. The Athenians had decided that if war with Sparta was necessary, it was better to have Corcyra’s navy than allow it to fall into the hands of the Peloponnesian League.

Why has the Corcyraeans never allied themselves with anybody before?

The Corcyraeans have no allies because they do not want to be ashamed (Thuc. 1.37. 2: aischunesthai). Thucydides, of course, is particularly sensitive to the gap between external appearance and inner feelings (see, for example, his ruthless analyses of Spartan actions).

Where is corcyra ancient Greece?

of Corfu
Korkyra (also Corcyra; Greek: Κόρκυρα, Kórkyra) was an ancient Greek city on the island of Corfu in the Ionian sea, adjacent to Epirus. It was a colony of Corinth, founded in the Archaic period.

Who was the author of Peloponnesian war?

Thucydides
The History of the Peloponnesian War/Authors

One of the greatest ancient historians, Thucydides (c. 460 B.C.–c. 400 B.C.) chronicled nearly 30 years of war and tension between Athens and Sparta. His “History of the Peloponnesian War” set a standard for scope, concision and accuracy that makes it a defining text of the historical genre.

Why did Athens fight in the Peloponnesian War?

The reasons for this war are sometimes traced back as far as the democratic reforms of Cleisthenes, which Sparta always opposed. However, the more immediate reason for the war was Athenian control of the Delian League, the vast naval alliance that allowed it to dominate the Mediterranean Sea.

What finally broke the Athenian defense?

Classical Greece Pericles, following a political uprising that led to his censure, succumbed to the plague in 429 B.C., fracturing the Athenian leadership.

Why did the Corinthians prepare for war against whom?

The immediate cause of the war was a local conflict in northwest Greece in which Thebes and Sparta intervened. The deeper cause was hostility towards Sparta, provoked by that city’s “expansionism in Asia Minor, central and northern Greece and even the west”.

Did Homer write about the Peloponnesian war?

He wrote The Histories in prose. Centuries earlier, Homer had used poetry to write The Iliad, which is about the Trojan Wars.

When was Peloponnesian war written?

History of the Peloponnesian War

What is the revolution at Corcyra about?

Overview of the Revolution The revolution began when Corinth, an ally of Sparta, released Corcyraean prisoners with the promise that the former prisoners would work to convince Corcyra to abandon its ally Athens and join the Peloponnesian side.

What was the relationship between Corinth and Corcyra?

Corcyra (modern Corfu) had originally be founded as a colony of Corinth, but for some time the younger city had refused to pay her parent city the usual honours, something that was greatly resented in Corinth. The relationship between the two cities had not always been so hostile.

How did the revolution at Corcyra take place?

The revolution began when Corinth, an ally of Sparta, released Corcyraean prisoners with the promise that the former prisoners would work to convince Corcyra to abandon its ally Athens and join the Peloponnesian side.

Why was Corcyra important in the Peloponnesian War?

Athens would enhance its reputation as a reliable partner upon which other states could rest their security. Corcyra would be indebted to Athens and thus extremely loyal. Although they had been neutral, the Corcyraeans insisted that they could be trusted as new partners.

What did the Athenian general Nicostratus do at Corcyra?

The Athenian general, Nicostratus, tried to bring about a peaceful settlement and ensure an offensive and defensive alliance between Corcyra and Athens. Nicostratus agreed to leave five Athenian ships to defend Corcyra while five Corcyraean ships accompanied him.