Extending Athenian Citizenship

The Athenians, like most Greeks, had a primordial view of citizenship, basing it on ancestry. Few people in Athen's history were granted it, such as Pasion and Pericles the Younger. This was granted occasionally by the state to individuals for services rendered, or through patronage. However, Athens had a very large population of Metics, the actual Polistai or citizen body composing 20% of Athens' population at the height of its power.

Metics could enlist for military service, but they could not vote, own landed property, or serve as jurors. Metics were either freed slaves, voluntary immigrants, or the descendents of either. A Metic family could reside in the city for several generations, consider it their home, and were still not considered citizens.

So, I'm wondering which of the influential politicians of Athens would have wanted to add to the number of citizen-rolls. Or alternately, if a situation similar to the Roman Conflict of the Orders were to happen, resulting in the Atheinan Metics forming their own assembly.
 
Maybe, at a moment of crisis, like after the loss to Syracuse and Sparta, you could have a politician reflect that immigration might be best served with opener citizenship policies and propose a bill.

Crises are how the metic rolls got extended a few times.

Though, that wasn't Athens' biggest problem. They also needed constitutional checks and balances. Too many of their best were regularly exiled by the demos, leaving too few for work at a given time. Themistocles patriotically granted amnesty for the Persian War, and then got exiled himself by one of those he'd pardoned, and that was the last general amnesty....
 
There was also an amnesty after the Oligarchic Revolution, that forbade prosecutions relating to the events of the Revolution or mentioning it publically. The trial of Socrates is extremely relevant to this, it was a nice cheap way of getting around the amnesty and finding some kind of scapegoat.

Also, the rules on Athenian citizenship differed at times. Perikles had some Athenian ancestry I believe, but the rules that he introduced requiring two Athenian parents meant that he would not have been able to receive citizenship originally, and nor would Miltiades or many other famous Athenians. What I mean to say is that although citizenship was understood as being related to ancestry, there was room for leeway depending on the political climate. Also that ancestry did not guarantee citizenship, it carried obligations that an individual Athenian could fail to meet.
 
Maybe that a social uprising of the lower classes of Athens, both second-class citizens and metics that have to endure high-citizens and rich metics concurrency could make something about it.

To be efficient, it should happen before the Persian Wars and make Athens being victorious. The city would be less powerful during the V, but could be a real power in the IV, sort of replacing Sparta or Thebes' role during this period.

But i don't think we could have more than a 40% citizens proportion in the better times. And i don't think it would make Athens use a citizen's army as the one of Rome, the hopiltic tactic is just not adapted.
 
Maybe that a social uprising of the lower classes of Athens, both second-class citizens and metics that have to endure high-citizens and rich metics concurrency could make something about it.

To be efficient, it should happen before the Persian Wars and make Athens being victorious. The city would be less powerful during the V, but could be a real power in the IV, sort of replacing Sparta or Thebes' role during this period.

But i don't think we could have more than a 40% citizens proportion in the better times. And i don't think it would make Athens use a citizen's army as the one of Rome, the hopiltic tactic is just not adapted.

I'm really looking for something that could help Athens endure for longer as a regional power. Multi-Polis suffrage across an alternate Delian League is one thing, but before anyone in Athens comes even close to conceiving this idea, they would have to recognise the potential in their substantial Metic population. At best, one might expect the solid unification of mainland Greece by the Third Century BCE.
 
I'm really looking for something that could help Athens endure for longer as a regional power. Multi-Polis suffrage across an alternate Delian League is one thing, but before anyone in Athens comes even close to conceiving this idea, they would have to recognise the potential in their substantial Metic population. At best, one might expect the solid unification of mainland Greece by the Third Century BCE.

I had more in mind some League as Etolian or Achean one. I don't think that a more popular democratic Athens would be interested on creating a Delian league : it was made up mainly for the interest of upper classes and the lower ones would have more interest about expanding the borders in central Greece.

It would make Athens less powerful, but if the city manage to hold Sparta's expansionnism, it could be a regional power in the mainland Greece in the IV. Maybe even able to create an alliance in order to keep the Macedonians out of Greece, IF Macedonia continues to act as OTL of course.
 
I had more in mind some League as Etolian or Achean one. I don't think that a more popular democratic Athens would be interested on creating a Delian league : it was made up mainly for the interest of upper classes and the lower ones would have more interest about expanding the borders in central Greece.

It would make Athens less powerful, but if the city manage to hold Sparta's expansionnism, it could be a regional power in the mainland Greece in the IV. Maybe even able to create an alliance in order to keep the Macedonians out of Greece, IF Macedonia continues to act as OTL of course.

Not the actual OTL Delian League, of course, but something like it established by separate events or in separate generations.

The navy, being manned by citizens and Metics alike, could be a reason to award voting rights.
 
Of course Aikiedes,the following are the requirements:
1) Have Ephialtes meet an accident any time before 458 BC so his citizenship law(requiring both parents citizens) does not pass.
2) When the allies request Athens to amend the constitution of the Delian League so that they can contribute money instead of men and ships for the prosecution of the war against Persia,Athens to entice the allies with Athenian citizenship,if they in fact participate with men and ships;achievement earns citizenship like the Samians were awarded later Athenian citizenship.
Amend also the Athenian constitution to forsee for additional Archons and increase the council of 500 in groups of 36(according to how many new members you have and also ad equal number of demes for the new members.
3) Pericles(in the course of one of his discussions with his young nephew
Alkibiades) must change his mind and not pass the Megarian Decree of 431,and instead,listen to the urgings of Alkiviades to strike a blow to Sparta by invading Sicily(Syracusae) commercial partner of the Peloponnesian alliance(exporter of wheat and corn to Peloponnese).
Avoiding a war with Sparta during the 30 year peace.
4) Some measures of attaining citizenship for metics should be arranged,that would almost triple the population of Athens in a generation....and anything similar you can think of...good luck
 
Of course Aikiedes,the following are the requirements:
1) Have Ephialtes meet an accident any time before 458 BC so his citizenship law(requiring both parents citizens) does not pass.
2) When the allies request Athens to amend the constitution of the Delian League so that they can contribute money instead of men and ships for the prosecution of the war against Persia,Athens to entice the allies with Athenian citizenship,if they in fact participate with men and ships;achievement earns citizenship like the Samians were awarded later Athenian citizenship.
Amend also the Athenian constitution to forsee for additional Archons and increase the council of 500 in groups of 36(according to how many new members you have and also ad equal number of demes for the new members.
3) Pericles(in the course of one of his discussions with his young nephew
Alkibiades) must change his mind and not pass the Megarian Decree of 431,and instead,listen to the urgings of Alkiviades to strike a blow to Sparta by invading Sicily(Syracusae) commercial partner of the Peloponnesian alliance(exporter of wheat and corn to Peloponnese).
Avoiding a war with Sparta during the 30 year peace.
4) Some measures of attaining citizenship for metics should be arranged,that would almost triple the population of Athens in a generation....and anything similar you can think of...good luck

Cheers, Cimon. You've given me much to think about.:)
 
Cheers, Cimon. You've given me much to think about.:)
A! AiΚiedes χαιρειν!
I think I can give you a bit more to think about:metics;some sort of special service whereby at the end of it citizenship can be attained DIRECTLY or INDIRECTLY;Athens is using state slaves for police work,I don't know about fire brigade though(in Rome these slaves become freedmen after five and six years respectively);these slaves in Athens can become metics-mind you,metics in Athens had a lot more rights than freedmen;they can serve in the army according to their means.Perhaps a form of army service as colonial guard with a cleruchy at the end is the solution,and since cleruchy qualifies for citizenship,there you have it BUT:
you will probably need 100000 cleruchies within a generation to accomodate the categories previoulsly mentioned,and the metic citizens;
a lot of that could be solved with the peace of Callias in 449 BC,but for that I will write more in my next message...
 
Maybe that a social uprising of the lower classes of Athens, both second-class citizens and metics that have to endure high-citizens and rich metics concurrency could make something about it.

To be efficient, it should happen before the Persian Wars and make Athens being victorious. The city would be less powerful during the V, but could be a real power in the IV, sort of replacing Sparta or Thebes' role during this period.

But i don't think we could have more than a 40% citizens proportion in the better times. And i don't think it would make Athens use a citizen's army as the one of Rome, the hopiltic tactic is just not adapted.
It did happen before the Persian wars and ended up with the reforms of Cleisthenes and the Athenians were victorious first against the alliance of Sparta-Thebes-Chalkis and then against the Persians;and the proportion of citizens then was near 40%,but we look for something more than that even 80% at the first stage hence we look for locations outside Attica for the awarding of citizenship with the given example of Samos that was awarded citizenship later on.
 
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