Demosthenes' bitter struggle to destroy Alexander the Great’s father

Demosthenes was born in Athens in 384 BC into a wealthy family. His father, also named Demosthenes, was a respected sword-maker.

Tragically, Demosthenes lost both of his parents by the time he turned seven.

Those who were appointed guardians ended up mishandling his inheritance, which left him with significantly less wealth.

Determined to reclaim his rightful property, Demosthenes turned to the courts, a decision that started his interest in powerful oratory. 

Demosthenes studied philosophy, politics, and law, to draw inspiration from great Athenian leaders and thinkers from the past.

Unfortunately, the young Demosthenes faced a daunting challenge: he had a speech impediment.

In an effort to counter-act this, he engaged in rigorous training, even practicing speeches with pebbles in his mouth and reciting verses while running uphill.

Through sheer perseverance, he overcame his limitations.  

By his late twenties, Demosthenes had not only managed to successfully secured his inheritance through legal victories but also established himself as one of the most formidable orators in Athens. 

After settling his personal legal battle, Demosthenes then entered the broader political arena of Athens in 354 BC.

It was at this time that he gave a speech against a proposal from a man called Leptines, who sought to revoke certain tax exemptions.

This debut, plus other early speeches, met with mixed success, but demonstrated his powerful speaking abilities. 

By the mid-4th century BC, Macedonia, led by King Philip II, had transformed into a powerful kingdom with a well-disciplined army.

His military successes and strategic alliances with other Greek states had raised concerns Athens, as it saw its own influence in the region diminishing. 

Many feared that Philip sought to dominate the entire Greek world. His conquests had brought him closer to Athens and his interference in the affairs of the Delian League, an alliance led by Athens, built tensions between the two states.

The prospect of a Macedonian hegemony was interpreted as a direct challenged the independence Athens’ democratic values. 

It was in this period of rising tensions that Demosthenes gave his most famous speeches, called The Philippics.

The First Philippic was delivered in 351 BC. Philip had recently captured the city of Methone, which was close to Athens.

The news of its fall heightening the sense of urgency. In this speech, Demosthenes criticized the Athenian assembly for its complacency and urged for an immediate military response.

More specifically, he proposed significant reforms to the city's defense and advocated for the establishment of a permanent standing army. 

Throughout the 340s BC, Demosthenes continued to warn Athens about the Macedonian danger.

In 344 BC, Demosthenes delivered the Second Philippic. This time, Philip had made significant gains in Thrace, and the speech was a direct attack on Philip's character and policies.

It accused him of deceit and aggression. Demosthenes also targeted Athenian politicians who had advocated for peace with Macedon, in particular, the Peace of Philocrates.

He was successful in arguing that such ‘peace’ favored Macedonian interests over Athenian security.  

The Third Philippic, which was delivered in 341 BC, came after Philip's intervention in the Sacred War.

This speech, considered to be one of Demosthenes' most forceful and compelling orations, called for the formation of a pan-Hellenic alliance.

To achieve this goal, Demosthenes emphasizes the threat Philip that posed not just to Athens but to all of Greece.

It achieved its aim by galvanized support for resistance and led to the formation of an anti-Macedonian coalition. 

The Fourth and final Philippic occurred in 340 BC. It continued Demosthenes' efforts to unite Greece against Philip.

At this time, Philip was laying siege to Byzantium, a strategic city that controlled access to the Black Sea.

The speech focused on the need for immediate action and military support for Byzantium.

Demosthenes argued that the fall of the city would have dire consequences for the rest of Greece.  

The Fourth Philippic solidified Athens' opposition to Macedon. However, when Macedon finally attacked the alliance led by Athens at Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, Philip emerged triumphant.  

After the domination of Greece by Philip and his son Alexander, Demosthenes' life took a dramatic turn as a result of his involvement in the Harpalus affair.

In 324 BC, Harpalus, the treasurer of Alexander the Great, fled to Athens seeking asylum. He brought with him a large sum of stolen money.

He hoped to secure protection from the Athenian state by bribing key politicians. 

Demosthenes, well-known for his anti-Macedonian stance, was quickly implicated in the scandal.

Accusations surfaced that he had accepted the bribes from Harpalus in return for his influence over Athenian politics in favor of the exiled treasurer.

The affair led to a series of trials that exposed the corruption and moral decay within the Athenian political system.

As a result, the scandal shook the confidence of the Athenian people in their leaders. 

In 323 BC, Demosthenes was indeed convicted of accepting bribes and faced severe penalties, including a hefty fine and imprisonment.

However, he managed to escape from the city before it could be carried out. He found refuge on the island of Calauria.  

During his exile, Demosthenes continued to correspond with his allies in Athens, never abandoning his hope for the city's freedom from Macedonian control. 

While in exile, the Lamian War broke out. This conflict, which began in 323 BC following the death of Alexander the Great, saw Athens and other Greek states attempting to regain their independence from Macedonian rule.

As was to be expected, Demosthenes played a crucial role in this conflict. He attempted to use his influence to rally support for the war effort and form a new military alliance against the Macedonians. 

However, despite some early successes in the struggle, the war rapidly turned against the Greeks.

In 322 BC, the Macedonian forces, led by Antipater, finally defeated the Greeks at the Battle of Crannon.

The aftermath of the war was disastrous for Demosthenes. The Athenian leaders were forced to surrender, and the new Macedonian-backed government in Athens demanded Demosthenes return to face execution.

Faced with this grim prospect, Demosthenes chose a dignified end. In the same year, he took poison and died in the temple of Poseidon on Calauria, avoiding capture by his enemies.