Dion

Dion, a Syracusan, whose sister became the second wife of the elder Dionysius the Tyrant, while he himself was married to a daughter of Dionysius, his own niece. His close connection with the tyrant brought him great wealth, but his austere manners and devotion to philosophy made him hateful to Dionysius the Younger, who under the guidance of Philistus and his party disregarded the advice of Plato, and banished Dion. Thereupon he retired to Athens to devote himself to the study of philosophy under the guidance of Plato. His expedition to Syracuse resulted in his making himself master of the city (356 B.C.), but his severity made him unpopular among its luxurious citizens, and a plot was formed against him through which he was murdered in his own house three years later. His life was written by both Plutarch and Cornelius Nepos, and he is the subject of a noble poem by Wordsworth.