Tyrannos; tyrant

Japanese: 僭主 - せんしゅ（英語表記）tyrannos; tyrant

In ancient Greece, a ruler who established an illegal dictatorship. Originally, the word did not include the meaning of "tyrant," and it was only during the democratic period, especially after Plato in the 4th century BC, that a negative meaning was added. Unlike monarchies, tyrants had difficulty maintaining their position because their rule was not legitimate, and many of them only lasted one or two generations. They are divided into early tyrants from the 7th to 6th centuries BC and later tyrants from the 4th to 3rd centuries BC. The former include Cypselus and Periander of Corinth, Peisistratos of Athens, and Cleisthenes of Sicyon. Many of them were from aristocratic families, and they established dictatorships by taking advantage of the conflict between aristocrats and commoners during a period of turmoil in the aristocratic government, and in the transitional period of the political system to democracy, they played the role of leaders of the people through skillful policies, often contributing to the development of the political system. Later tyrants included Jason of Pherae in Thessaly, Agathocles of Syracuse, and Hiero II. They wielded dictatorial power backed by military force more than the earlier tyrants, and although they maintained the formalities of democracy, this was more for the sake of maintaining their own control than for the benefit of the civic community.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

古代ギリシアのポリスで，非合法に独裁政を樹立した支配者。本来この語には「暴君」の意は含まれず，悪い意味が付加されるようになったのは民主政期，特に前4世紀のプラトン以降である。王政と違いその支配が正統ではないため，僭主の地位維持には困難もあり，多くは1，2代で終っている。前7～6世紀の前期僭主と，前4～3世紀の後期僭主とに分けられ，前者にはコリントのキュプセロス，ペリアンドロス，アテネのペイシストラトス，シキュオンのクレイステネスらがおり，多くは貴族の出身で，貴族政の動揺期に貴族と平民の対立を利用して独裁政を打立て，民主政への過渡期のポリスにおいて，巧みな政策によって民衆の指導者の役割を果し，ポリスの発展に貢献した場合も多かった。後期僭主にはテッサリアのフェライのイアソン，シラクサのアガトクレス，ヒエロン2世らがおり，前期僭主以上に軍事力を背景に独裁権を握り，民主政の形式は守ったが，それも市民共同体のためであるよりも，自己の支配権保持のためであった。

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