Dion

(circa 408-353 BCE) He was related to the tyrant of Syracuse on the island of Sicily, Dionysius I, in that his father, Hipparinus, was Dionysius’ father-in-law and his wife was Dionysius’ daughter, Arete.

When Dionysius II assumed control of Syracuse after the death of his father, Dion became an unpopular figure because of his wealth and political views; Dion was a firm believer in the philosophy of Plato and Dionysius II found these ideas contrary to his form of monarchy.

The island of Sicily had always had a strong Greek presence even though the Carthaginians also had several colonies on the island; when Dionysius II found that Dion had been in private communication with the Carthaginians, he banished Dion from the city; Dion fled to the city of Athens where he studied with Plato at the Academy; Plato, who had visited Syracuse as the guest of Dionysius I, tried, and failed, to reconcile the differences between Dion and Dionysius II, with the result being that Dion was dispossessed of his wife and fortune.

In 357 BCE Dion returned to Sicily and, for a short time, was de facto ruler of Syracuse; after a dispute with the more politically radical Heraklides (Heraclides), Dion left Syracuse but was recalled in 355 BCE to expel the last of the militant followers of Dionysius II.

Dion’s illusion of popular support compelled him to act imperiously and violently; he had the irritating political dissident Heraklides killed and this soon led to his own assassination in 353 BCE; his assertive fascination with idealistic political thought only succeeded in plunging Syracuse into twenty years of chaos.