Thrasybulus (tyrant)

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This article is about the tyrant of Miletus. For the Athenian general, see Thrasybulus.

Thrasybulus was the tyrant of Miletus in the 7th century BC. Under his rule, Miletus fought a lengthy war against Lydia. This war ended without a decisive victor (a result that Herodotus credits to Thrasybulus's tricking Alyattes II into making peace). Following the war, Miletus and Lydia concluded an alliance.

Thrasybulus was an ally of Periander, the tyrant of Corinth. He features in a famous anecdote from Herodotus's Histories, in which a messenger from Periander asks Thrasybulus for advice on ruling. Thrasybulus, instead of responding, takes the messenger for a walk in a corn field, where he slices off all the tallest stalks by swinging a stick. The message, correctly interpreted by Periander, was that a wise ruler would preempt challenges to his rule by removing from the scene those men who might be powerful enough to challenge him.