Title: tyranny | Meaning & Facts | Britannica
Headings: Tyranny
Tyranny
politics
Evolution of the concept
Classic definitions
Tyranny

Content: Peisistratus did not dismantle the structure of government, and assemblies of the people continued to be held and magistrates continued to be appointed under his rule. Most notably, he was succeeded by his two sons, Hippias and Hipparchos, turning the rule into a hereditary one. Some tyrants had power conferred on them by the state, such as Clearchus at Heracleia on the Black Sea, who was appointed in 364 bce to resolve a civil conflict, whereas others, such as Mausolus and Artemisia of Halicarnassus (creators of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), ruled with tyrannical power but were in constitutional terms satraps (governors) within the Persian Empire. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now
But even if there was no simple definition of a tyrant, there were classical rulers who, for a long or short period of time, dominated a state and had the ability to do whatever they wanted—found cities, move populations, wage war, create new citizens, build monuments, or accumulate money. Those rulers had certain fundamental features in common. They were sole rulers with direct and personal power over the state, unconstrained by political institutions. Their power was dependent not on a right to rule but on their own ability to command and retain control. All tyrants aimed to hand power on within their family, and some succeeded in establishing a rule lasting many generations. Although few surviving classical authors have anything good to say of tyrants, they were generally successful in government, bringing economic prosperity and expansion to their cities.