The Probert Encyclopaedia of People

DIONYSIUS

Dionysius the Elder was a tyrant of Syracuse. He was born around 430 BC and died around 367 BC. He obtained the rank of general, and afterwards of commander-in-chief; and gaining the support of the army he gained control of the city during the war with Carthage, in 405 BC and extended his power by defeating the Carthaginians in 397 BC. His successful campaign against Rhegium and other Greek cities in Italy between 391 BC and 386 BC further extended his power, but he was defeated by the Carthaginians soon after. Dionysius raised Syracuse to the position of a leading city and was a patron of literature. He is said to have died from a potion administered at the instigation of his son Dionysius the Younger.
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