Leonidas I was a king in the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta.[1] He was also a warrior, and he fought and led Sparta in the Second Persian War, until his death which occurred during the battle of Thermopylae.[2] Leonidas did not have a traditional upbringing in regards to Spartan royalty standards.[3] Leonidas’ father was king Anaxandridas, who was originally only married to Leonidas’ mother.[4] His mother’s name is unknown, but she was known to be King Anaxandridas’ niece.[5] According to Herodotus, she would not bare children, so the Ephors of Sparta proposed that the king get rid of his wife.[6] He refused, and made a deal with the Ephors, stating that he would keep his current wife and marry another woman simultaneously so that his lineage would be passed on, an act not at all custom with Spartan ideals.[7] Anaxandridas’ first wife ended up bearing children, and Leonidas was the second child born to her.[8] Leonidas was technically the third born son in the family, because Anaxandridas’ second wife had the first child.[9] The child’s name was Cleomenes, and inherited the thrown according the Spartan tradition of taking the eldest son once the king died. The second born son, who was born to the first wife and was named Dorieus, was angry because he was a much more competent ruler than Cleomenes, who was said to be “not in his right mind”.[10] Therefore, Dorieus decided to leave Sparta to establish a colony.[11] Once Cleomenes died, Leonidas became king of Sparta, because he married Cleomenes daughter, and was next in line for the throne. He did not expect to be King at any point in time, and had previously renounced all thoughts of kingship.[12]

Leonidas was not initially the heir to the throne, so he attended the Spartan agoge, which was the public education given to Spartan males in which they had to complete to qualify for citizenship.[13] Therefore, Leonidas was one of the few Spartan kings to go through the tough warrior system that the Spartan citizens were brought up with.[14] King Leonidas’ upbringing as a soldier and competent military leader was clear when he was asked to become the commander of the Greek forces during the second Persian war in 481 B.C., before he was killed in battle at Thermopylae.[15] After Leonidas’ death, the Spartan reputation had never stood in higher regard.[16]  King Leonidas had ruled from 490 BC until his death at Thermopylae in 480 BC.[17] He became a king of Sparta when his older half-brother Cleomenes was killed in violent and mysterious circumstances, who did not have a male heir.[18] Most of what is understood of King Leonidas is written by Herodotus, who lived between 484-425 BC. [19]

After Leonidas became king, he had to respond to the plea of the other Greek city-states seeking aid to fight back the Persians who were invading Greece during the Second Persian War.[20] King Leonidas sought out the Delphic oracle, and the oracle told him “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.”[21] King Leonidas took the message as a reason to stay behind and fight the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae. It was calculated that they had to partake in a risky land operation in order to buy time for The Greeks as a whole while the Athenian Navy could destroy the Persian Navy at the battle of Salamis.[22] Leonidas moved to Thermopylae with around seven thousand men, which was a small force of soldiers.[23] A hidden road over the mountains was discovered by the Persian forces due to a Greek traitor. Leonidas dismissed the majority of his forces, around seven thousand men, possibly due to his doubts about their loyalty, or because he wanted to save as many troops as possible for future battles while still delaying the enemy forces.[24]

A small force of around four hundred men sent by the Thebians and Thespians, and three hundred Spartan soldiers were left to defend the pass at Thermopylae.[25] King Leonidas and his soldiers defended the pass and were all killed, however they inflicted many casualties to the Persian forces, and killed two brothers of Xerxes, who was the Persian King. The actions of Leonidas and his soldiers bought time for the main Greek force, and is also remembered in history as an extraordinary act of heroism in battle.[26] Once King Leonidas and his men were finally killed in battle, Xerxes had Leonidas’ body decapitated and displayed on a cross.[27]

The legacy of Leonidas is still popular modern day. Recently, in 2007, a movie labeled “300” was filmed based off of Leonidas and his men[28] (although historically it was inaccurate). A monument dedicated to Leonidas was placed in Thermopylae in 1955, which features a bronze statue of King Leonidas. [29] There is a sign under the monument in Greek, which translates to “Come and take”.[30] King Leonidas was a hero for his actions and continues to be revered thousands of years later.

Bibliography

Herodotus. The Histories. Trans. A. D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920.

History Channel. “Leonidas”. www.history.com. http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/leonidas

Pomeroy, Sarah B. Ancient Greece, a Political, Social, and Cultural History. Oxford University Press. 2008. Greece text book

Wikipedia. “Leonidas I”. en.wikipedia.org. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_I