Meidias facts for kids
Meidias (lived in the 300s BC) was a rich and powerful man from Athens, an ancient Greek city. He was known as a strong opponent of Demosthenes, a famous speaker and politician. Their disagreements often led to conflicts.
Meidias first showed his dislike for Demosthenes around 361 BC. He and his brother, Thrasylochus, tried to take over Demosthenes' house. This started a long period of arguments and legal battles between the two men.
Early Conflicts with Demosthenes
After the house incident, Demosthenes accused Meidias of insulting him. Even after a court decision, Meidias did not follow through on his responsibilities. This led Demosthenes to start another legal case against him. Meidias managed to delay this case for eight years.
In 354 BC, Meidias found another chance to bother Demosthenes. That year, Demosthenes had volunteered to be a choregos. A choregos was a wealthy citizen who paid for and organized the chorus for plays and festivals in ancient Athens. It was a big honor and a way to show off wealth and support the city.
Meidias Tries to Stop Demosthenes
Meidias tried many ways to stop Demosthenes from doing his job as a choregos properly. Their relationship became even worse because Demosthenes disagreed with Meidias's friend, Plutarch of Eretria. Plutarch was a ruler in Eretria, and Meidias supported sending help to him.
The biggest conflict happened during the important Dionysia festival. Meidias openly attacked Demosthenes during the celebrations. This was a very serious act because it happened at a public religious event.
The Speech Against Meidias
Because of the attack at the festival, Demosthenes decided to bring a public charge against Meidias in 353 BC. For this case, Demosthenes wrote a famous speech called Against Meidias. This speech is still available today, showing how skilled Demosthenes was as an orator.
However, Demosthenes never actually gave this speech in court. Instead, Meidias and Demosthenes reached an agreement outside of court. Demosthenes dropped his accusation after Meidias paid him thirty minae. A mina was a unit of money in ancient Greece. This payment ended their long-standing public dispute.
