One of the brightest events in history can be called the Battle of Salamis. Its date is the distant 480 BC. Just after King Leonidas was defeated in battle with the Persians, Xerxes moved his army into the very heart of Greece. Not a single day of his campaigns was complete without the corpses that the Persian army left behind. The Persians wiped out all living things from the earth, and those who refused to go over to their side were defeated. Dozens of burned villages, fields and the desecration of Greek shrines - that's what King Xerxes brought to their land. It was during this period that the Battle of Salamis took place.
Surrender of Athens
Finally, the Persians reached the very heart of the city called Athens. Before they entered there, the Greek authorities carried out an emergency evacuation of the population, transporting women, children and the elderly to the island of Peloponnese. The rest took up arms and were assigned to the army and the navy.
However, there were those who refused to leave their home. Having erected barricades on the Acropolis, they decided to give battle to the Persian army. But they were defeated, not having lasted a day. Athens fell, and the inhabitants of the city had no choice but to look atburning city from the sides of floating triremes. Naturally, the sailors did not want to move far away from the city. On the contrary, they longed for the speedy reprisal against the Persians.
Themistocles
He was one of the leaders of that time. Despite his simple origin (his mother was not even an Athenian), Themistocles graduated with honors from the gymnasium and got into the high council, later becoming the father-creator of Athenian democracy.
Thanks to his reforms, Athens soared in its development to unprecedented heights. It was he who formed a powerful fleet that made the borders impregnable and repulsed the Persians on the day when the Battle of Salamis took place. The commander Themistocles, his tactics and cunning influenced the outcome of the battle. Only thanks to him, 380 Greek triremes were able to resist the enemy, whose fleet was almost three times larger than the Athenian one.
How the battle took place
The battle in the Strait of Salamis occurred due to the retreat of the Greek fleet. Having made a stop, the generals began to discuss a further plan of action. Most saw the way out in sailing to the Peloponnese and fighting there. This was explained by the fact that the sailors of the wrecked ships would be able to swim freely to land, where they would be met by their own. This made it possible to avoid the fate of being defeated or captured if the Persians were attacked in the strait.
At this time, the Persians gathered their entire fleet, landed troops on the nearby islands and were ready to go to the Greeks. However, Themistocles challenged the majority idea, focusing on strategic superiority. Persians are notthey knew these waters and, in addition, moved on heavy ships, which did not give them the opportunity to maneuver in the same way as the Greek triremes. In addition, Themistocles relied on information received from one of his associates. And it consisted in the fact that if the Greeks get to land, they will scatter to the settlements, and will not come together again. This blocked all the cards for other generals. And after some preparations, the Battle of Salamis began.
Themistocles trick
In order to win, it was necessary to divide the army of Xerxes. To do this, Themistocles went to the following trick. At night, before the Battle of Salamis took place, the commander sends his faithful servant (Persian by birth) with a message to King Xerxes himself that he, Themistocles, admires his greatness and wishes him a speedy victory over the Greek fleet. For which he reports that this morning the fleet of the Athenians departs from the strait in order to change their position to a more advantageous one near the island of Peloponnese.
Oddly enough, Xerxes falls for this hook and sends part of his fleet around the island to attack the Athenians from the other side, thus cutting off their escape route. With the main forces, he planned to hit the rear of the retreating enemy fleet.
The battle and its outcome
What was the surprise of the Persians when, instead of the numerous sterns of the retreating ships, they met the straightened sails of the triremes approaching them and the battle songs of the Greek sailors. This is how Salamis beganbattle. According to official sources, its date is September 28, 480 BC. Just two days before full moon. The result of the battle was the defeat of the Persian fleet. On the night when the opponents dispersed in their positions, Xerxes ordered the urgent construction of a dam, which was intended to avert the eyes of the Athenians. He himself planned to leave Athens as soon as possible, but left one of his many infantry regiments there for the winter.
The Greek generals, inspired by such a victory, only wanted to send their forces to inflict a second blow on the Persians, but even here they were stopped by Themistocles, who sensed something was wrong. According to him, if before that they met only clumsy barbarians who were arrogant because of their conquests, now they can completely put themselves in order and act more reasonably. The best option, according to the commander, was to let Xerxes and his army leave. Undoubtedly, the Battle of Salamis was a significant event for the Greeks, but this did not stop the war.
