Corinth had been in dispute with Corcyra, an old Corinthian colony which no longer wanted to remain under Corinthian influence. Corcyra, which had the second largest navy in Greece at the time, allied with Athens, an enemy of Corinth (Corinth was allied with Sparta). Athens sent ten ships to Corcyra to reinforce the Corcyraean fleet, with instructions not to fight the Corinthian fleet unless they attempted to land on the island. Corinth, meanwhile, assembled a fleet of ships under the command of Xenoclides and prepared to sail to Corcyra.