A tyrant, from the Ancient Greek word týrannos meaning "absolute ruler," is a leader who rules without being limited by laws. A tyrant may take power without the right to do so, such as by taking control from a ruler who is legally in charge. Tyrants are often described as cruel and may use harsh methods to keep their power. The Greek word týrannos originally did not have a negative meaning during the Archaic and early Classical periods. However, the philosopher Plato later viewed tyranny as a bad form of government, calling it "the fourth and worst disorder of a state."

Philosophers Plato and Aristotle described a tyrant as someone who rules without following laws and uses extreme and cruel actions against people. The Encyclopédie defined a tyrant as someone who takes control of a government and forces people to suffer because of the tyrant’s personal desires instead of following laws. In the late fifth and fourth centuries BC, a new type of tyrant appeared, especially in Sicily, who gained power with the help of the military.

The term "tyranny" can be used to describe different kinds of governments.

Etymology

The English word "tyrant" was first used in Middle English, borrowed from Old French, around the 1290s. It comes from the Latin word tyrannus, which meant "a ruler who does not have the right to rule." This Latin word is based on the Greek word túrannos, meaning "monarch, ruler of a polis." The Greek word túrannos may have come from a language older than Greek, possibly Lydian. The ending "-t" in the English word appeared in Old French because of words that ended in "-ant."

Definition

The word "tyranny" has many meanings, used by the Greeks and in other important writings throughout history. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it can mean a ruler, a ruler who does not have the right to rule, a ruler with complete power, or a ruler who is harsh, unfair, or cruel. The term is often used to describe rulers who are cruel and control their people through harsh and cruel methods. Scholar Paul Rahe stated that tyrannical rule, in some form, has been common throughout human history and that it is unlikely to disappear.

Greco-Roman culture

Ancient Greek and Sicilian tyrants were powerful leaders who gained control by gaining support from different groups in their local communities. The word "tyrannos" may have come from ancient languages other than Greek. It described someone who took political power in a city without following the law. Tyrants could get help from wealthy leaders, middle-class people, or poor farmers who had no land or owed money to rich landowners.

Greek tyrants stayed in power by hiring soldiers from outside their city. To criticize tyranny, the thinker Thales said that the strangest thing to see is "an aged tyrant," meaning that tyrants often lost public support over time.

One of the earliest known uses of the word "tyrant" (in Greek) was by the poet Archilochus, who used it to describe King Gyges of Lydia. Gyges took power by killing King Candaules and marrying his queen.

The most powerful Greek tyrants ruled during the early 6th century BC. Cleisthenes led Sicyon in the Peloponnesus, and Polycrates ruled Samos. During this time, many governments in the Aegean world were overthrown. Chilon, a leader in Sparta, formed alliances with groups opposing tyrannical rule. By fighting against tyrants in Sicyon, Corinth, and Athens, Sparta became a leading power in Greece before the Persian invasions. At the same time, as Persia expanded into Greece, some tyrants sought help from Persia to stay in power.

Corinth had one of the earliest Greek tyrants. Growing wealth from trade, new ideas from the Eastern Mediterranean, and the return of soldiers from overseas created new conditions. These changes allowed Cypselus to overthrow the powerful but unpopular Bacchiadae clan in 657 BC. Clan members were killed, exiled, or driven out. Corinth prospered under Cypselus, who ruled without a bodyguard. When he died, his son, Periander, took over. Periander was less popular and known for harsh actions.

Under Cypselus and Periander, Corinth controlled its trade and exported pottery widely. However, tyrants rarely passed power smoothly. Periander committed violent acts, including killing his wife, burning his concubines, exiling his son, warring with his father-in-law, and attempting to harm the sons of his enemies. He kept his position, but his successor was later forced out. Afterward, Corinth was ruled by an oligarchy until a pro-democratic revolution in the 4th century.

Athens had its tyrants later in the Archaic period. Peisistratos, a relative of Solon, became tyrant in 546 BC after two failed attempts. He gained support from farmers and landowners who benefited from olive oil exports and from soldiers who fought in Marathon. He promoted public projects, such as festivals, religious events, and the Panathenaic Games, which awarded olive oil prizes. His rule remained popular.

Peisistratos was followed by his sons. As Athenian democracy grew, the term "tyrant" became more negative. In 514 BC, Peisistratos' son, Hipparchus, was killed by two men known as the tyrannicides. In 510 BC, Hipparchus' brother, Hippias, was driven out by a mix of political actions and Spartan help. After 508 BC, Cleisthenes reformed Athens to create a democracy. Hippias later offered to help the Persians against Greece.

Sicilian tyrants rose later than Greek ones. Similar causes led to tyranny in Sicily, but the threat of Carthaginian attacks helped tyrants stay in power by uniting people behind strong leaders. Examples of Sicilian tyrants include Gelo, Hiero I, Dionysius the Elder, Dionysius the Younger, and Agathocles of Syracuse. The story of the Sword of Damocles highlights the dangers faced by Sicilian tyrants.

During the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, under Macedonian rule, new tyrants appeared in Greece. King Antigonus II Gonatas placed his puppets in cities like Sicyon and Argos. Examples include Cleon of Sicyon, Aristodemus of Megalopolis, and others.

In 280 BC, democratic cities formed the Achaean League, which expanded its influence into regions like Corinthia and Arcadia. Under Aratus of Sicyon, the Achaeans freed many cities by persuading tyrants to step down. By 213 BC, Hellas had been free of tyrants for over 15 years. The last tyrant on the Greek mainland, Nabis of Sparta, was killed in 192 BC.

Roman historians like Suetonius, Tacitus, Plutarch, and Josephus often compared "tyranny" with "liberty." Tyranny was linked to rulers who took too much power from the Roman Senate. Supporters of "liberty" favored the Republic and Senate. For example, Suetonius wrote about Julius Caesar and his assassins, noting that Cicero’s head and hands were displayed as a warning against opposing tyranny. Josephus also identified tyrants in Biblical history, such as Herod the Great.

The Greeks defined both people who seized power and those who inherited power from such people as tyrants. Polybius, writing around 150 BC, said that any single ruler could eventually become a tyrant. Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle focused on the quality of rule. They believed that a good ruler acts for the people’s benefit, while a tyrant acts

In the classics

Tyranny is an important topic studied in Western thought, often called one of the "Great Ideas." Classic writings discuss tyranny and its causes, effects, methods, people who practiced it, and possible alternatives. These works examine tyranny from historical, religious, ethical, political, and fictional viewpoints. One idea is that tyranny is the worst form of government corruption, involving the bad use of power and harm to people under its control. While many classic writers agree on this view, not all do. For example, Thomas Hobbes believed there was no clear difference between good and bad rulers. He said people who dislike monarchy call it tyranny, those who dislike aristocracy call it oligarchy, and those who dislike democracy call it anarchy.

In Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, tyrants ("who took blood and stolen goods") are placed in the seventh level of Hell, where they are drowning in boiling blood. This level includes figures like Alexander the Great and Attila the Hun, who are grouped with highway robbers.

Niccolò Machiavelli wrote about tyrannical rule in The Prince, though he never used the word "tyrant." Instead, he called such leaders "princes," regardless of whether their rule was legitimate. In his Discourses on Livy, he even referred to leaders of republics as "princes" at times. Machiavelli did not fully agree with the traditional view of tyranny and sometimes gave advice to tyrants in his writings.

The Ancient Greeks and people who lived in the Roman Republic were often worried about many people trying to take over through popular support. Shakespeare showed the efforts of one Roman who opposed tyranny, Marcus Junius Brutus, in his play Julius Caesar.

In Edward Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume I, Chapter III, Augustus is described as taking the power of a tyrant while sharing authority with the reformed senate. After some resistance, Augustus agreed to follow the senate's orders, accepting control of the provinces and the Roman armies. Emperors claimed to be servants of the senate, carrying out its decisions. Gibbon noted that the Roman Empire could be described as a monarchy that appeared to be a republic.

Enlightenment

During the Age of Enlightenment, Western thinkers used the word "tyranny" to describe a system of government. This system was based on aristocracy and monarchy. The English philosopher John Locke, in his 1689 book Two Treatises of Government, explained tyranny as the misuse of power for personal gain instead of the good of the people. Locke’s ideas about tyranny influenced later writers who connected tyranny to the development of human rights and democracy. In the United States Declaration of Independence, American leader Thomas Jefferson called King George III’s actions "tyrannical."

Enlightenment philosophers often described tyranny by its traits.

• Voltaire wrote in Philosophical Dictionary: "A tyrant is a ruler who follows only his own desires, not laws."
• Locke stated in Two Treatises of Government: "Tyranny begins when laws no longer apply."
• Medrano wrote in República Mista: "People who misuse power are called tyrants, not just ordinary people."

In 1657, Edward Sexby’s pamphlet Killing, No Murder listed 14 traits of tyrants. The pamphlet aimed to justify the assassination of Oliver Cromwell and explained when such an act might be considered honorable. The document discussed historical examples from early times to the 17th century. Key traits of tyranny included:

• Military experience – Tyrants often have backgrounds as officers or generals, which gives them a sense of authority.
• Deception – Tyrants usually gain power through trickery, not force.
• Discrediting others – Tyrants may attack respected people, intellectuals, or institutions and discourage public involvement in government.
• Suppressing debate – Tyrants avoid allowing public discussion or decision-making.
• Increasing military activity – Tyrants may use war or military actions to distract the public or prepare for future plans.
• Favoring loyalty – Tyrants may support religious or noble groups only if they serve their own goals.
• Claiming divine approval – Tyrants may pretend to be guided by God.
• Pretending to care about religion – Tyrants may act as if they value faith, even if it is not true.
• Causing poverty – Tyrants may allow or create poverty to weaken the people’s ability to act.

In Scotland, Samuel Rutherford’s Lex Rex and Alexander Shields’ A Hind Let Loose were religious writings that opposed tyranny.

In his 1602 work República Mista, Tomás Fernández de Medrano described tyranny as a form of oligarchy that happens when rulers believe they have the right to govern without limits or responsibility. He argued that tyrants rarely act wisely or fairly. Medrano wrote, "People deeply dislike tyrants and greatly respect just rulers."

Today, a modern tyrant might be defined by breaking international laws, such as committing crimes against humanity.

Lists of tyrants

Different lists of tyrants include:
• 100 throughout history, including 40 from the 20th century
• 13 tyrants from the 20th century
• 20 tyrants from the early 21st century

Many books also name tyrants or describe their actions.

Among English rulers, some have been called tyrants in books: John, King of England (who signed the Magna Carta), Henry VIII of England, and Oliver Cromwell.

Wallechinsky said that every leader acted like a tyrant in some way. Daniel Chirot noted that "In ancient farming societies, politics was often very different from today's democratic systems, and could be seen as tyrannical."

Methods of obtaining and retaining power

A tyrant's path might seem easy and pleasant, except for the aristocracy. In 1939, Will Durant wrote:

In the Republic, Plato stated: "The people often choose someone to lead them and help them grow. […] This is how tyrants begin—they start as protectors."

Tyrants may gain power by inheriting it from a previous ruler, rising through military or political ranks, or taking control through force.

Sometimes, tyrants use tricks or violence to seize power. Peisistratus of Athens claimed enemies had hurt him to get a bodyguard, which he used to take control. Later, he wore a woman dressed as a goddess to show his rule was approved by the gods. The third time, he used soldiers to take and keep power. Dionysius of Syracuse used a similar method, saying enemies had plotted against him to gain an armed group to protect him.

Aristotle and Niccolò Machiavelli wrote about how tyrants keep power. They suggested using force and deception, such as hiring guards, starting wars to distract people, removing enemies, killing opponents, and making unfair arrests. Aristotle also suggested a different way to keep power—ruling fairly.

Tyrants often keep power by holding fake elections, using or threatening violence, appealing to people’s love for their country, and claiming life has improved.