King Leonidas of Sparta and The Battle of Thermopylae. Information about the story of the 300 Spartans and ancient Sparta.

Leonidas (521BC - 480BC) - Meaning Lion’s son or Lion like was a king of Sparta, and one of the three sons of Anaxandridas II, his older brother Dorieus and his younger brother Cleombrotus. Leonidas was married to Gorgo, his predecessors (Cleomenes) daughter. The events of the battle of Thermopylae (480BC) elevated leonidas to heroic status. His story has been brought to a modern day audience, through  depictions in films such as ‘The 300 Spartans’ in 1962 and ‘300′ in 2007 inspired by Frank Millers graphic novels.

The Battle of Thermopylae

In August 480 BC, Leonidas set out to meet Xerxes’ army at Thermopylae with 300 of his personal body guards, where he was joined by forces from other Greek city states, which put themselves under his command to form an army 7,000 strong. This force was assembled in an attempt to hold the pass of Thermopylae against a vast army of Persian soldiers who had invaded from the north of Greece under Xerxes I. This action was undertaken after a request from the confederation of Greek forces, upon which Sparta as was the custom, consulted the oracle at Delphi and is said to have received the following prophecy:

O ye men who dwell in the streets of sickness and death Lacedaemon!
Either your glorious town shall be sacked by the children of Perseus,
Or, in exchange, must all through the whole Laconian country
Mourn for the loss of a king, descendant of great Heracles.

Leonidas took only his personal bodyguards, and not the army, because the majority of the Spartan Army was coordinating with the massed naval forces of the Greeks against the Persian Navy.

The Persian attack was repulsed for the first 2 days of battle, with an estimated 20,000 Persians killed including 2 of Xerxes brothers. The Persian elite fighting force ‘The Immortals’ were fought off. On the 3rd day of battle Ephialtes, a Malian Greek traitor led the Persian army to a track at the rear of the Spartan and Greek force, at which point the battle was effectively over. Upon this news Leonidas ordered the Greek troops away, and remained with 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians and 900 Helots who refused to leave.

The small remaining force now attacked from both sides was destroyed. Leonidas was killed, and the Spartans protected his body until their final defeat. Xerxes’ ordered leonidas’ head to be cut off and his body crucified.

A monument of a lion can be found at the site of Leonidas’ death bearing the inscription:

“Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.”

Posted: April 7th, 2008 under Leonidas of Sparta.
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