Events related to Euboea

Lelantine War

There is controversy over its date and duration. The probable chronology ranges between the 8th and 6th centuries BC.

 

Eretria and Chalcis were the leading powers on the island at that time.

 

Until the war, they were not in competition with each other. Moreover, they shared the benefits of the Lelantine Plain, which lay between them.

 

The Lelantine Plain is a fertile area on an otherwise sparsely infertile island. The Lelas River likely contributed to the fertile soil. The plain was used for agricultural purposes, including growing grapes.

 

For some time Chalcis and Eretria jointly used the plain, taking advantage of its benefits.

 

The exact date of the outbreak of the war is unknown. It is believed to have occurred around 710.

 

The exact cause of the conflict is also unknown. It is known that at the end of the 8th century BC, Euboea was hit by a severe drought. The accompanying famine may have led each of the polis to lay claim to the fertile Lelantine Plain.

 

It is known that the war between Chalcis and Eretria spread to other regions. It is certain that Miletus, Chios, and Magara sided with Eretria, while Samos, Corinth, and Sparta sided with Chalcis.

 

After such a long war, Euboea became a backwater. Chalcis and Eretria emerged devastated, losing their former political and economic importance.

 

Chalcis emerged victorious from the battle, capturing the best agricultural region of Euboea, and becoming the island's principal city.

The mythological origins of the Trojan War

Tyndareus, king of Sparta, had two daughters, the elder and beloved Clytemnestra, and Helen, the cause of many worries.

 

Clytemnestra was originally married to Tantalus, king of the nearby land called Amyklai. Together they formed a loving family. Their love was consummated by the birth of a son.

 

Unfortunately, where there is power, happiness is fleeting.

 

Clytemnestra, still in labor, experienced a terrible tragedy. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, attacked Amykla, killed Tantalus and the infant child, and abducted Clytemnestra. He traveled with her to Sparta to marry the princess of Sparta with Tyndareus's consent, thus assuming control of the land.

 

Tyndareus, fearing the wrath of the mighty warrior, was insensitive to the pleas of his tormented and unhappy daughter. He chose peace for the land. He gave Clytemnestra's hand in marriage to Agamemno, who thus became the future ruler of Sparta.

 

Helen, Clytemnestra's younger sister, was not the legitimate daughter of Tyndareus, but of Zeus. The god of Olympus, captivated by Leda, Queen of Sparta, appeared in the form of a white swan to possess her.

 

Helen, the product of Zeus and Leda's intoxicating night, from a young age bore no resemblance to Tyndareus, who suspected he was not the princess's father. This resulted in a lack of love for the girl and scenes of jealousy towards his wife.

 

Unable to cope with the constant humiliation, Leda committed suicide when Helena was only a few years old.

 

When she was about seven years old, Helen was kidnapped by 50-year-old Theseus, King of Athens. The purpose of the kidnapping was to secure a ransom, but the two became infatuated with each other. Young Helen returned to her father's house pregnan

 

Fortunately for both sisters, Clytemnestra adopted the newborn Iphigenia as her daughter. Upon returning from battle, the unsuspecting Agamemnon learned that he had become a father. He loved Iphigenia with all his heart; she became the apple of his eye.

 

Tyndareus, unable to bear Helen at home, decided to marry her off. He announced a contest in which the winner would win the hand of the beautiful princess.

 

Many suitors came, even from distant lands, as the legend of Helena's beauty was far-reaching.

 

When the competition had been going on for many days, Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his brothers Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and husband of Clytemnestra, and Menelaus appeared.

 

All three convinced the king of Sparta to give Helen's hand to Menelaus.

 

But not only that.

Before announcing the name of his daughter's future husband, Tyndareus is said to have made the suitors promise to always defend Helen's husband.

 

It is believed that this promise caused ships from many distant lands to be sent to the Trojan War.

 

Helen married Menelaus. The marriage, though not considered a success, seemed stable. They had a daughter, Hermione.

 

One year, while Menelaus was away at battle, Paris Alexander, prince from distant Troy, arrived in Sparta. Sparks quickly flew between the young couple, and a passionate love blossomed. Seizing the opportunity to remain hidden during the festive festivities, they spent every moment together.

 

When the time came for Paris to return to Troy, Helen chose love. She sailed away with her beloved, leaving behind her country, her husband, and her daughter. The betrayed Manealus could not tolerate such an insult. He and his brother organized an army from all over Greece to attack Troy and rescue Helen.

 

This is what mythology "says".

 

Could a woman really have been the cause of the devastating and genocidal 10-year war that involved all of Greece? Historians say not necessarily. War is a business, with precious loot and conquered territories…

 

What does the island of Euboea have to do with the Trojan War?

The Euboean Strait (Euripos) is known from Greek mythology. It was mentioned by Homer in the famous "Iliad." It was here that the entire Greek fleet, arriving from distant lands, gathered to join Agamemnon and Menelaus in their conquest of Troy.

 

Opposite the island of Euboea, near the modern city of Chalcis, right on the Gulf of Euboea, lies Aulis, where the remains of the Temple of Artemis of Aulis can still be seen. Agamemnon invaded the surrounding lands and killed the sacred deer, causing the goddess to stop the winds necessary for ships to sail.

Cleruchy

Cleruchs were a specific type of colonists from Athens in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE.

 

Athenian settlers were typically wealthy. They lived on their estates in Athens, while their slaves worked on occupied estates abroad.

 

Cleruchs thus became a source of income for their owners.

 

The first territory occupied in this way was Salamis.

 

At the end of the 6th century BCE, Evia suffered a devastating defeat in a war with the Athenians. The wealthy aristocracy was expelled from the island, particularly from Chalcis. Their homes and property were seized by cleruchs, or settlers from Athens.

 

In the following years, Athens established numerous additional cleruchia, reaching its peak in the late 5th century BCE, with the seizure of vast territories stretching all the way to the Black Sea.

Delian League

Two invasions by Persia, in 490 and 480 BCE, made the Greeks realize that they faced a strong and valiant enemy and that a solitary struggle was doomed to failure. In 478 BCE, under the leadership of Athens, the Delian League was founded.

 

Initially, the league was governed by the Allied Assembly, headquartered on the island of Delos. There, meetings were held in the Temple of Apollo. The treasury was also located there.

 

Each member of the League was required to pay an annual dues or provide ships. Payment of dues guaranteed security. Over time, Athens completely dominated the Delian League, severely punishing members who attempted to pursue their own policies or leave the league.

 

In 454 BCE, Pericles transferred the treasury to Athens, which quickly began to allocate the funds to expanding its military power. The alliance evolved into a maritime imperial power known as the Athenian Empire, in which Athens established complete dominance, while the allies became increasingly dependent.

 

The enormous material, military, and human losses resulting from the defeat in the Peloponnesian War (431 to 404 BCE) by Sparta led to the complete dissolution of the League.

 

The rule of the victorious Sparta quickly and severely affected Athens' former allies.

 

In 378 BCE, the Second Delian League was formed.

 

This time, Athens had to commit to abandoning imperial policy. The principle of non-interference in internal affairs was in force, and disputes were resolved by a General Assembly composed of representatives of the member city-states.

 

The fall of Sparta and disagreements between the league's members led to its dissolution.

Battle of Artemision

In August 480 BC, a naval battle between Persia and Greece took place on the northern coast of Evia, near Cape Artemisio.

 

The Strait of Artemisio was the site of the first major naval battle between the Greeks and Persians. The plan to stop the Persian invasion was twofold:

• a land battle at the Thermopylae Gorge, intended to defend the lands of Central Greece, and

• a naval battle near Artemisio, which would defend the entrance to the Strait of Euboea.

 

The proximity of both operations was intended to ensure mutual communication and possible assistance.

 

A favorable circumstance for Greece was a storm encountered by the Persian ships as they sailed towards Euboea. Being in unfamiliar territory and unaware of the local sea currents, Persia lost approximately 200 galleries.

 

The naval battle of Artemisio began on the third day of the land battle at Thermopylae. By then, news had reached Persia that, although Persia had a significant numerical advantage, it had so far failed to breach the defending Greek lands.

 

As Persian ships approached Euboea, Greek forces blocked the route just off the Oreos Channel (modern-day Oreoia). The Persians failed to break through.

 

Persia attempted an attack from the other side. It sent 200 ships to circle the island and attack from the other side.

 

History repeated itself: a severe storm engulfed all the galleries.

 

Despite Persia's losses, it still had a numerical advantage in ships. The following days of fighting brought no victory for either side.

 

On the third day, news of the defeat at Thermopylae arrived.

 

This information prompted the commander to decide to withdraw the fleet south by night. The ships reached the Saronic Gulf near Salamis, where, reinforced by Athenian and other forces, they prepared for further military operations.

Triarchy of Negroponte

The Fourth Crusade, launched in 1202 by the Crusaders, resulted in the ceding of Euboea to the Venetians.

 

In exchange for regaining their rights to Crete, the Venetians sold Euboea to the commander of the Fourth Crusade.

 

After successive and short-lived transfers of the island, Euboea was divided among three related Venetian families.

 

Each of them received a barony, known as a triarchy:

• the northern one, with Oreoi as its main city,

• the southern one, with its center at Karystos,

• the central one, with its center at Chalcis.

 

Chalcis was renamed Negroponte, and the entire island – the Negroponte Triarchy.

 

After the expulsion of the Greek aristocracy that had lived there, entire triarch families moved in.

 

The city of Negroponte (Chalcis) did not belong to the baron ruling the central triarchy. It was the joint property of all three families.

 

In 1209, Ravano (one of the triarchs) united the island, declaring himself lord of the entire island of Negroponte. He died in 1216.

 

Each of the existing three triarchies was divided into two twin baronies.

 

It was agreed that in the event of the death of one of the barons, power would not pass to his children, but to the co-ruler of the twin barony. This was intended to lead to a return to triarchy, i.e., the division of the island into three territories.

 

In the following years, disputes arose between the barons.

 

For example, when the owner of one of the twin parts of the northern triarchy died in 1255, her husband, William II, sought to take over his wife's estates. His actions led to the so-called War of the Euboean Succession.

 

In May 1258, he triumphed over the barons.

 

In 1262, a peace treaty was signed, under which William II became suzerain, or the highest ranking baron of the Triarchi Negroponte, but he did not include Oreoi itself in his personal domain.

 

The island belonged to Venice until 1470, when it was conquered by Turkish troops.