Hipparchus was said by some Greek authors to have been the
tyrant of
Athens, along with his brother
Hippias, after the death of their father
Peisistratos in about 528/7 BC. The word
tyrant refers to a ruler who usurped power illegitimately, as opposed to a ruler who inherited a monarchy. According to Thucydides, Hippias was the only 'tyrant'. Both Hipparchus and his father
Pisistratus enjoyed the popular support of the people. Hipparchus was a patron of the arts; it was he who invited
Simonides of Ceos to Athens. In 514 BC, Hipparchus was assassinated by the tyrannicides,
Harmodius and Aristogeiton. This was a personal dispute according to
Herodotus and
Thucydides. Hipparchus had fallen in love with Harmodius, who was already the lover of Aristogeiton. Not only did Harmodius reject him, but humiliated him by telling Aristogeiton of his advances. Hipparchus then invited Harmodius's sister to participate in the
Panathenaic Festival as
kanephoros only to publicly disqualify her on the grounds that she was not a virgin. Harmodius and Aristogeiton then organized a revolt for the Panathenaic Games but they panicked and attacked too early. Although they killed Hipparchus, Harmodius was killed by his bodyguard and Aristogeiton was arrested, tortured, and later killed. After the assassination of his brother, Hippias is said to have become a bitter and cruel tyrant, and was overthrown a few years later in 510 BC by the
Spartan king
Cleomenes I. ==Notes==