LYSANDER, Spartan general: d. 395. His father was Aristocritus, a Lace dsemonian of the purest blood, heinct of Hera cleidan descent, his mother a Helot who brought him up in poverty. His fine qualities, however, procured him the command of the Spartan fleet off the coasts of Asia Minor (408). He established his headquarters at Ephesus, which he raised to prosperity. Next year he was succeeded by Callicratidas. In a short time his reputation had so increased that the Asiatic allies of Sparta requested the Lace dwmonians to invest him a second time with the command. Accordingly, Lysander, with the title of vice-admiral (405 a.c.), defeated and captured the Athenian fleet off lEgospo tamos. This decisive victory put an end to the Peloponnesian War. Shortly afterward he set sail for Athens, which he blockaded. The city was starved into capitulation (404); the long walls and the fortifications of the Piraeus were demolished; and the oligarchy of the Thirty Tyrants was established, which gov erned with terrible cruelty. Lysander then re
turned to Lacedzmon, where his ambitious and unscrupulous character made itself more pal pable than ever. He was excessively fond of praise, and was the first of their own country men to whom the Greeks erected altars, offered sacrifices as to a god and celebrated festivals. On his return to Sparta Lysander, stung by the ingratitude of Agesilaus, whose succession to the throne he had secured, resolved to de stroy the constitution of his country by abolish ing hereditary monarchy, making the throne elective, but the Delphic and other oracles were unfavorable, in spite even of his bribes. On the outbreak of the Boeotian War (395 a.c.) he marched against Haliartus and was killed in battle under its walls.