Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1192

 IIGS THESSALIA. test with Larissa, which was then under tlie srn- vernment of JMedius, probably the head of the Alenadae. Lycophron was supported by Sparta; and Jledius accordingly applied for succour to the confederacy of Greek states which had been lately formed to resist the Lacedaemonian power. With their assistance Medius took Pharsalus, which was then occupied by a Lacedaemonian sjarrison, and is said to have sold all its inhabitants as slaves. (Diod. xiv. 82.) The return of Atresilaus, and hi.s victory over the Thessalians, probably deprived Me- dius and his party of their power, and Larissa no longer appears as the rival of Pherae for the supre- macy of Thessaly. Pl;ar.salus soon recovered from the blow which it had received from Jledius, and became, nest to Pherae, the most important city in Thessaly. The inhabitants of Pharsalus agreed to entrust the supreme power to Polydamas, one of their own citizens, in whose integrity and abilities .all parties placed the greatest confidence. The acropolis and the whole management of the fin.ances were placed in his hands, and he discharged his trust to the satisfaction of all parties. (Xen. Eell. vi. 1. §§ 2, 3.) Meantime the supreme power at Pherae had passed into the hands of Jason, a man of great energy and ability, and probably the son of Lycophron, though this is not expressly stated. He inherited the ambi- tious views of Lycophron, and meditated nothing less than extending his dominion over the whole of Greece, for which his central situation seemed to offer many facilities. He cherished even still more extensive projects of aggrandisement, and, once mas- ter of Greece, he looked forward to conquer the Per- sian empire, which the retreat of the Ten Thousand Greeks and the campaigns of Agesilaus in Asia seemed to point out as an easy enterprise. But the first step was his election as Tagus of Thessaly, and the submission of all the Thessalian cities to his authority. For this purpose it was necessary to ob- tain the acquiescence of Pharsalus, and although he might have gained his object by force, he prefen-ed to effect it by negotiation, and accordingly fr.ankly disclosed his schemes to Polydamas, and offered him the second place in Thessaly, if he would support his views. Polydamas asked the advice of the Spartans, and finding that he could receive from them no help, he acceded to the proposals of Jason, and induced the Pbarsalians to espouse his cause. Soon after this, probably in b. c. 374, Jason was elected Tagus of Thessaly, and proceeded to settle the contingent of cavalry and heavy-armed troops which the Phar- salian cities were to furnish. He now possessed a force of 8000 cavalry and more than 20,000 in- fantry; and Alcetas L, king of Epeirus, and Amyn- tas II., king of Macedonia were his allies. (Xen. Hell. vi. 1. §§ 2—19; Diod. xv. 60.) He could in effect command a greater force than any other state in Greece; and from the disunion and exhaustion of the other Grecian states, it seemed not improbable that he might be able to carry his ambitious projects into effect. He had already formed an alliance with Thebes, and after the battle of Leuctra (b. c. 371) he was invited by the Thebans to join them in attacking the Lacedaemonian camp. But Jason's policy was to prevent any other power from obtaining the preponderance in Greece, and accordingly upon his .arrival at Leuctra he advised the Thebans not to drive the Lacedaemonians to despair, and obtained a truce for the latter, which enabled them to secure their safety by a retreat. (Xen. Hell. vi. 4. § 20, THESSALIA. seq.) In the following ye.ar he announced his in- tention of marching to Delphi at the head of a body of Thessalian troops and presiding at the Pythian festiv.al. Great alarm was felt throughout Greece ; but before the time came, he was assassinated by seven youths as he sat in public to give audience to all comers. His death was felt as a relief by Greece; and the honours paid in many of the Grecian cities to his assassins prove the general fear which his ambitious schemes had excited. (Xen. Eell. vi. 4. §§ 28-32.) Jason had so firmly established his power that he was succeeded in the post of Tagus of Thessaly by his two brothers Polyphron and Polydorus ; but they did not possess his abilities or energy, and Thessaly again sank into political insignificance. Polyphron was a.ssassinated by his brother Polydorus, who be- came sole Tagus. Polydorus exercised his authority with great cruelty; he put to death Polydamas of Pharsalus. and killed or drove into exile many other distinguished persons of this city and of Larissa. (Xen." Hell. vi. 4. §§ 33, 34.) At the end of a year he was also assassinated by Alexander, who was either his brother (Diod. xv. 61) or his nephew (Pint. Pelopid. 29.) Alexander surpassed even Polyphron in cruelty, and was guilty of gross enor- mities. The Aleuadae and other noble families, who were chiefly expo.'^ed to his vengeance, applied in their distress to Alexander, the youthful king of Macedonia, who had recently succeeded his father Amyntas. Alexander invaded Thessaly, defeated the tyrant, and took possession of Larissa and Crannon, which he garrisoned with his troops. (Diodor. xv. 61.) It would seem, however, that the necessities of his own kingdom compelled him shortly afterwards to withdraw his troops from Thessaly ; since we find the Thessalian cities opposed to the tyrant invit- ing the aid of the Theban.s. Accordingly, about B. c. 369, Pelopidas invaded Thessaly, and took Larissa and several other cities under his protection, apparently with the sanction of Alexander of Mace- donia, with whom he formed an alliance. (Diodor. XV. 67.) In the following year (B.C. 368) Pelopidas again marched into Thessaly at the head of a Tbeban force, to protect Larissa and the other cities against the projects of Alexander of Pherae, who had solicited aid from Athens. Alexander was compelled to sue for peace; and Pelopidas, after arranging the afiiiirs of Thessaly, marched into Macedoni.a, where the young king had been lately assassinated. Ptolemy, the regent of the kingdom, was also compelled to enter into alliance with Pelopidas, and to give him several hostages, among whom was the youthful Piiilip, afterwards king of Macedonia. (Diod. xv. 71 ; Plut. Pelop, c. 26.) By these means the influence of Thebes was extended over the greater part of Thes- saly. Two years afterwards (b.c. 366) the Thebaus obtained from the Persian court a rescript acknow- ledging their claims to the headship of Greece ; and in the same year Pelopidas, accompanied by Ismenias, visited Thessaly with the view of obtaining the re- cognition of their claim from Alexander of Pherae and the other Thessalian cities. Alexander met them at Pharsalus, but when he found that they were not supported by any armed force, he seized them as prisoners and carried them off to Pherae. The first attempt of the Thebans to rescue their countryman proved unsuccessful ; and the army which they sent into Thessaly was only saved from destruction by the genius of Epaminonda.-!, who was then serving as a private, and was compelled