Dionysius the Younger

Tyrant of Syracuse (r. 367-357 b. c.e. and 354-344 b. c.e.) Born: c. 396 b. c.e.; Sicily

Died: Late fourth century b. c.e.; probably Corinth Category: Government and politics

Life  Son of Dionysius the Elder, the militarily successful tyrant of Syra

Cuse, Dionysius the Younger (di-uh-NISH-ee-uhs) succeeded his father in 367 b. c.e. Not as gifted as his father, he was greatly influenced by his uncle Dion, a devoted follower of Plato, and by the historian Philistius. Dion persuaded his nephew to invite Plato to the Syracusan court, no doubt in the hope that Plato would carry out some of his political dreams there. Plato imposed a course of mathematical and philosophical studies on Dionysius, studies perhaps not suited to the young man’s nature, and when Plato was rumored to be plotting to turn Syracuse over to Athens, Dionysius banished both Plato and Dion. In 357 b. c.e., Dion defeated his nephew in battle, but the Syracusan assembly, perhaps frightened at the prospect of a strong leader, removed Dion from command. After more turmoil, Dion was murdered, and Dionysius resumed his despotism, now hardened or jaded into cruelty. The Corinthian hero Timoleon organized an army of volunteers and liberated Syracuse from Dionysius, sending the deposed tyrant to Corinth, where he lived the remainder of his life teaching and begging for a living.

Influence Dionysius made his mark on history as a cautionary example of the folly of philosophers who think that they can change the world by influencing a prince and as an example of the power of a capricious fortune that could change a man from a tyrant to a beggar to a tyrant and again to a poor man.

Further Reading

Caven, Brian. Dionysius I: War-Lord of Sicily. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1990.

Lilla, Mark. “The Lure of Syracuse.”  York Review of Books 48, no. 14

(September 20, 2001): 81.

Smith, Christopher, and John Serrati, eds. Sicily from Aeneas to Augustus: New Approaches in Archaeology and History. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press, 2000.

James A. Arieti

See also: Dionysius the Elder; Plato; Syracuse; Timoleon of Corinth.