|Occupation||General and Politician of Athens|
|Years active||369 BCE-336 BCE|
|Known for||Third Peloponnesian War|
|Title||First General of Athens|
|Term||358 BCE-336 BCE|
|Successor||Alexander the Great|
|Children||Alexander the Great (Adoptive)|
Helmetrus first appeared during an intense conflict between Athens and Thessaly around 368 BCE, where his father, Timotheus, granted him command of an army of 17,000. To solidify his position, he boldly moved against the enemy King, Alexander, defeating him soundly at the Battle of Ctemenae. Helmetrus then went on to defeat a Thracian Uprising before finally becoming the main military commander during the Third Peloponnesian War. Throughout the war, Helmetrus won decisive victories in Perachora and Corinth. He eventually secured total Athenian victory in the region and was bestowed the title of First General, which gave him total control of Athens military. In 357 BCE, following numerous successes, the First General defeated a Thracian force of 16,000 at the Battle of Sestus. Helmetrus then spent most of his remaining years battling the advances of the Macedonian King, Phillip, defeating him twice before sending the enemy kingdom spiriling into civil war, following Helmetrus's victory at the Battle of Volo.
Helmetrus's victories came to an end in the final Macedonian War, where the Macedonian King eventually drove Helmetrus to the verge of total defeat, despite some early successes. With the war seemed lost, and Helmetrus's supporters reeling away, an oppositionary coalition assassinated him in 336 BCE. This resulted in the coup and crowning of his adopted son, Alexander.