Themistocles
~524–459 BCE · Greek (Athens) · Greco-Persian Wars
Known for: Built the Athenian navy and masterminded the Greek victory over Persia at the Battle of Salamis
Themistocles was the Athenian statesman and general who saved Greek civilization from Persian conquest. He convinced Athens to build a massive fleet of 200 warships—the decision that made Athens a naval power—and then masterminded the Greek victory at Salamis in 480 BCE by luring the Persian fleet into narrow straits where their numbers counted for nothing.
He was brilliant, ambitious, and utterly shameless in his political maneuvering. After saving Greece, he was ostracized by ungrateful Athenians and eventually fled to Persia, where he died serving the very empire he had defeated. The irony was not lost on the ancient world.
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