Peace of Philocrates

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Peace of Philocrates is the unofficial name of the peace treaty concluded in 346 BC between ancient Athens and the Kingdom of Macedon. Philocrates was the name of the main Athenian negotiator of the Treaty.

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[edit] Historical background

In 349 BC Philip II of Macedon attacked Olynthus, an ally of Athens at the time. After a year-long siege, Philip conquered the city and razed it to the ground, assisted by his own partisans within Olynthus.[1] After the subjugation of all the cities of the federation of Chalcis, the Athenians aimed at a peace agreement with the Kingdom of Macedon. The prominent orator and statesman Demosthenes was among those who orientated themselves towards a compromise with Macedon, so that his city could have adequate time to regroup.

[edit] Negotiation of the peace treaty

In 347 an Athenian delegation, comprising Demosthenes, Aeschines and Philocrates, who had the initiative of the peace procedure, was officially sent by Athens to Pella. In his first encounter with Philip, Demosthenes is said to have mouthed forth a proem. He then got on a little way into the subject and suddenly stopped speaking and stood helpless, until he collapsed completely.[2] Philip dictated the following terms: Each side should keep the territory possessed at the moment of the official conclusion of the peace treaty; Phocis and Alos are excluded from the provisions of the treaty. With respect to these particular cities Philip demanded full freedom of action. He also gave the Athenians no undertaking to give back Oropos or not to destroy Phocis.

[edit] Conclusion of the Treaty

In 346 Parmenion and Antipater travelled to Athens to receive from the Athenians the oath of ratification. Ecclesia accepted Macedon's terms, but, when the Athenian delegation travelled once again to Pella to put Philip under oath for the final conclusion of the treaty, the King of Macedon was no more in a hurry. He marched out against Doriskos and other cities of Thrace,[3] expecting that he would hold safely any Athenian possessions which he might seize before the ratification.[4] Seizing these districts Philip modified the status quo that the Athenians had in mind, when they took their oath. Being very anxious about these delays, Demosthenes proposed that an Athenian delegation should sail without delay to any place where they might learn that Philip was to be found, and there receive from him the oath of ratification.[4] Demosthenes insisted that the embassy should repair to the place where they would find Philip and swear him in without delay, in order that the oath might be taken while the Thracians were still holding Serrium, Myrtenum, and Ergisce.[4] Despite his suggestions, the Athenian envoys, including himself and Aeschines, remained in Macedonia for three whole months, until Philip returned from Thrace, having subdued the whole country.[5] Finally, peace was sworn in Pherae, but Demosthenes accused the other envoys of dishonesty and venality.[6]

[edit] Controversy about the Treaty

Just after the conclusion of the treaty, known as the peace of Philocrates, Philip passed Thermopylae, since the Athenians did not block the pass as they did in 352 BC, convinced by Aeschines that the military excursion of Macedon is in their favor.[4] Then Philip subdued Phocis, whose cities were demolished.[7] Athens did not help Phocis misled by Philip's promises that he would offer Oropos and Euboea in exchange for Amphipolis, he would break up Thebes into villages and that he would rebuild Thespiae and Plataea.[8] After a proposal of Thebes and Thessaly,[9] Macedon took control of the two votes of Phocis in the Amphictyonic League. When Philip presided at the Council of the League, Athens recalled its delegation. Philip did not lose time, however, and sent envoys to the Athenians to ask them to vote for Macedon's admission to the Amphictyonic Council, but the people raised a clamor and refused to hear them.[10] Finally, Athens legitimated Philip's entrance into the Council of the League. Demosthenes was one of those who recommended this stance. His argumentation, exposed in the oration On the Peace, is based on the fact that Athens is not ready for a war against all the other members of the League led by Philip. Thereby, he advised his countrymen to abide by the provisions of the peace, but he opposes Aeschines, who believed in an alliance between Macedon and Athens.

[edit] Amendment of the Treaty

Philip accused the Athenians of violating the terms of the peace treaty in 344 BC, when Demosthenes barnstormed Peloponnese, in order to detach as many cities as possible from Macedon's influence, and in 341 BC, when an Athenian general, Diopeithes, ravaged the maritime district of Thrace. In both cases, Demosthenes opposed Philip's arguments with his fervent speeches (Second Philippic, On the Chersonese and Third Philippic). Finally Demosthenes proposed to the Athenian Assembly a decree modifying the treaty of 346 BC. This amendment that the Athenians accepted provided for the repulse of the most important term of the treaty, according to which "each side should retain its own possessions".[11]

[edit] Final collapse of the peace

In 341 BC Demosthenes travelled to Byzantium, which entered into an alliance with Athens. The Athenian statesman struck a similar deal with Abydos, triggering Philip's petulance. The Athenians responded to Philip's grievances, denouncing the terms of the peace treaty, an action entailing the official declaration of war. The peace officially collapsed in 338 BC, when Philip passed Thermopylae, attacked the Amfissians, entered Phocis and seized Elateia. Demosthenes convinced the Thebans to enter their alliance against Macedon, when Philip made a final attempt to appease his enemies, proposing a new peace treaty.[12] After his victory at the Battle of Chaeronea, Philip as the absolute ruler of ancient Greece imposed a new peace treaty, whose the terms were very favorable for the defeated party but not as favorable as in the Peace of Philocrates.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Demosthenes, Third Philippic, 56
  2. ^ Aeschines, The Speech on the Embassy, 34
  3. ^ Demosthenes, Third Philippic, 15
  4. ^ a b c d Demosthenes, On the Crown, 25-27
  5. ^ Demosthenes, On the Crown, 30
  6. ^ Demosthenes, On the Crown, 31
  7. ^ Demosthenes,On the Crown, 36
  8. ^ Demosthenes, On the Peace, 10
  9. ^ Demosthenes, On the Crown, 43
  10. ^ Demosthenes, On the False Embassy, 111-113
  11. ^ Demosthenes, On Halonnesus, 18
  12. ^ Plutarch, Demosthenes, 20
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