One of the highlights in the history can be calledThe Salamis battle. Its date is a long 480 year BC. Just after Tsar Leonid was defeated in the 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, which the Persian army left behind. The Persians erased all living things from the earth, and those who refused to go 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 Salamis battle took place.
Surrender of athens
Finally, the Persians came to the heart - the citycalled Athens. Before they entered there, the Greek authorities carried out an emergency evacuation of the population, sending women, children and old people to the island of Peloponnese. The rest took up arms and who were distributed to the army, who in the fleet.
However, there were those who refused to leave their home.Having built barricades on the Acropolis, they decided to give battle to the Persian army. But they were defeated, not holding out a day. Athens fell, and the residents of the city had no choice but to look at the burning down city from the sides of the floating triremes. Naturally, the sailors did not want to move away from the city. On the contrary, they craved speedy reprisals against the Persians.
Themistoclus
He was one of the leaders of the time.Despite its simple origin (his mother was not even an Athenian), Themistocles graduated with distinction from the gymnasium and went to the High Council, later becoming the founding father of Athenian democracy.
Благодаря его реформам, Афины взлетели в своем development to unprecedented heights. It was he who formed a powerful fleet that made the borders impregnable and resisted the Persians on the day the Salamis battle took place. The commander Themistocles, his tactics and cunning influenced the outcome of the battle. Only thanks to him, 380 Greek Trier were able to resist the enemy, whose fleet exceeded the Athenian almost threefold.
How the battle took place
The battle in the Salamsky Strait was due toretreat of the Greek fleet. Having stopped, the commanders began to discuss a further plan of action. Most saw the way out to swim to the Peloponnese and give battle there. This was explained by the fact that the sailors of the wrecked ships will be able to swim freely to land, where they will be met by their own. This allowed to avoid the fate of being defeated or captured if you attack the Persians in the strait.
В это время персы собрали весь свой флот, landed troops on the nearby islands and were ready to go to the Greeks. However, Themistocles challenged the idea of the majority, focusing on strategic superiority. The Persians did not know these waters and, besides this, moved on heavy vessels, which prevented them from maneuvering in the same way as the Greek triremes. In addition, Themistocles relied on information obtained from one of his entourage. And it consisted in the fact that if the Greeks got to land, they would scatter to settlements, and again they would not get together again. This blocked all the cards to other generals. And after some preparations, the Salamis battle began.
Trick Themistocles
In order to win, it was necessarydivide the army of Xerxes. For this Themistocles went on to the next trick. At night, before the Salamis battle took place, the commander sends his faithful servant (Persian by birth) with a message to Tsar Xerxes himself that he, Themistocles, admires his greatness and wishes him a quick victory over the Greek fleet. For what and reports that this morning the fleet of the Athenians departs from the strait in order to change positions at a more profitable near the island of Peloponnese.
Oddly enough, but Xerxes comes across thishook and sends part of his fleet around the island to attack the Athenians on the other hand, thereby cutting off their ability to withdraw. With the main forces he planned to strike the enemy’s retreating fleet in the rear.
The battle and its outcome
What was the surprise of the Persians, when insteadthey encountered numerous feeds of retreating ships approaching them straightened sails of Trier and battle songs of Greek sailors. So began the battle of Salamis. His date according to official sources - September 28, 480 BC. Just two days before the full moon. The outcome of the battle was the defeat of the Persian fleet. On the night when the opponents dispersed in their positions, Xerxes ordered to urgently build a dam, which was intended to divert the eyes of the Athenians. He himself planned to leave Athens soon, but left one of his many infantry regiments there for the winter.
The Greek generals, inspired by such a victory,they just wanted to send their forces to deliver a second blow to the Persians, but here too they were stopped by the senseless, Themistocles. According to him, if before that they had met only clumsy barbarians who were conceited because of their conquests, now they can quite clean up and act more reasonably. The best option, according to the commander, was to let Xerxes and his army go. Undoubtedly, the Salamis battle was a significant event for the Greeks, but this did not stop the war.
