King Leonidas
Name: Leonidas I Father: King Anaxandridas of Sparta Job: Spartan King (Agiad) Leonidas was a Greek hero-king of Sparta, he was 17th of the Agiad line. He is most known for leading a small group of Greeks and 300 spartans against Persia in the famous battle at the pass of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Leonidas was the third son of Anaxandridas, but the second born of Anaxandridas' first wife. He was not heir to the throne so he was not exempt from the agoge, so he was one of the few spartan kings who actually went through the notoriously harsh and rigorous training of spartan youth. Leonidas was a descendent of the Agiad line which is one of the two lines of kings for Sparta, the Agiad line was considered superior to the Eurypontid line. When Sparta received word of the Persian invasion, they consulted the oracle Delphi. He said: 'For you, inhabitants of wide-wayed Sparta, Either your great and glorious city must be wasted by Persian men, Or if not that, then the bound of Lacedaemon must mourn a dead king, from Heracles' line. The might of bulls or lions will not restrain him with opposing strength; for he has the might of Zeus. I declare that he will not be restrained until he utterly tears apart one of these' In August 480 BC Leonidas marched with 300 men to meet Xerxes' army at Thermopylae. He was joined by many Greek forces who put themselves under his command to form an army 14,000 strong. Xerxes' army was said to number 2 million but modern day scholars believe it to be more like 200,000 men. After seven days Leonidas sent away all troops, but 300 Spartans, 900 Helots, and 700 Thespians who refused to leave. Leonidas was killed in the following battle and the Spartans retrieved his body and protected it. When someone said to him: 'Except for being king you are not at all superior to us,' Leonidas replied: 'But were I not better than you, I should not be king |   |
