Philopoemen
Family: Achaeans · Role: general · First appears: Philopoemen
Philopoemen was raised under Cleander, who cared for him after the death of his father, Craugis: “When Craugis died, he repaid the father's hospitable kindness in the care of the orphan son.” After childhood, Ecdemus and Demophanes became his principal tutors, while Epaminondas served as his great example. Antigonus later sought him for his service and offered him advantageous command and pay.
As an Achaean general, Philopoemen fought the enemies of the Achaeans, including Machanidas, Cleomenes, Damophantus, Nabis, and Dinocrates. Simmias and Polyaenus fought beside him, while he faced rivalry with Titus Flamininus and Manius. He deprived his country of supremacy over neighboring villages, later destroyed the Lacedaemonian walls and government, and, while a private citizen, restored the Messenians’ liberty and delivered their city from Nabis. He also rescued the Lacedaemonians and barred Diophanes and Titus from Sparta.
Philopoemen entertained Timolaus at Megalopolis and differed with Aristaeus, who nevertheless opposed his banishment. He urged Diophanes to remain quiet while Antiochus and the Romans disputed their claims in Greece, and crossed Manius and Titus over the restoration of the banished Lacedaemonians. Philip later employed agents to assassinate him, while Lycortas was associated with inquiries about the horsemen near his final moments; afterward, Polybius, his general’s son, carried his garlanded urn.
Relationship record
Life events
- Philopoemen deprived his country of supremacy over adjacent villages.(Comparison of Philopoemen with Flamininus)
- “Philopoemen, exasperated against his country, deprived it of its supremacy over the adjacent villages.”
- Philopoemen destroyed Lacedaemonian walls, devastated their country, and overturned their government.(Comparison of Philopoemen with Flamininus)
- “afterwards laid their walls level with the ground, wasted their country, and in the end changed and destroyed the whole frame of their government.”
- Philopoemen restored the Messenians’ liberty and delivered their city from Nabis.(Comparison of Philopoemen with Flamininus)
- With: Nabis
- “He was a private citizen when he restored the Messenians to their liberty, and delivered their city from Nabis;”
- Philopoemen rescued the Lacedaemonians and barred Diophanes and Titus from Sparta.(Comparison of Philopoemen with Flamininus · 📍 Sparta)