World history in faces. Spartan king Leonidas I: biography King Leonidas 1
Leonidas I is one of the kings of ancient Sparta in Greece. The only act thanks to which he entered the annals of history was the unequal battle of Thermopylae, during which he died heroically. This battle is the most famous of the history of the second Persian invasion of Greece. Later, the hero became a model of military prowess and patriotism.
Spartan king Leonidas: biography
What is known about him today? The main information from the life of the Spartan king Leonidas I has survived to this day thanks to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. He came from the Agiad family. According to the data that Herodotus cites in his work "History", the roots of this dynasty go back to the legendary ancient Greek hero Hercules, the son of Zeus.
The exact date of birth of Leonid I is not determined, presumably, this is the 20s. 6th century BC e. Almost nothing is known about his life. In his youth, he received good physical training, like other Spartan boys. This is also evidenced by the fact that at the time of the historic battle of Thermopylae, he was no longer young - he was 40-50 years old, but the physique of the Greek commander was strong and athletic.
His father, Alexandrides II, was the first representative of the agiads. He had 4 sons - Cleomenes, Doria, Leonidas and Cleombrotus. The first wife, the daughter of Alexandrida's sister, could not get pregnant for a long time, but he did not want to part with her. Then the representatives of the government board of Ancient Sparta allowed him to become a bigamist so that the line of kings would not stop. From the second wife Cleomenes was born, and a year later the first wife Alexandrida gave birth to the other three sons.
Ascension to the throne
After Leonidas I in 520 BC. e. The popular assembly decided to elect Cleomenes as king of Sparta. Doria did not agree with this and left the state. He tried to establish his settlement in Africa, then in Sicily. After 10 years, he was killed, and in 487 BC. e. Cleomenes also died.
The cause of the latter's death is not known for certain. According to one version, he lost his mind and was arrested at the initiative of his brothers, and subsequently committed suicide. According to another hypothesis, Cleomenes was killed on the orders of the government board or Leonid I. After this tragic event, the latter was able to become the full ruler of Sparta. The years of the reign of King Leonid - 491-480. BC e.
Family and Children
The wife of King Leonidas - Gorgo - also belonged to the Agiad family. She was the daughter of his half-brother, the ruler of Sparta, Cleomenes I. In those days, marriages between close relatives were the norm in society, it was forbidden only to children from one mother. Childbearing in Sparta was greatly encouraged, and motherhood was the main purpose of a woman. There is even a historical anecdote, according to which, when asked how Greek women manage to manage their spouses, Gorgo answered: “We are the only ones who give birth to husbands.”
The wife of the Spartan king was beautiful, for her large and languid eyes she was called Volooka from childhood. At the age of 17, when her mother died, the girl was raised by her aunt, who instilled in her a love of poetry.
According to some researchers, Gorgo was not the first wife of Leonid. Before her, he had been married for 15 years to Mnesimacha, who bore him two daughters and two sons. Both boys died at an early age. The eldest daughter Dorida was 18 and the youngest Penelope 15 when Leonidas, at the urging of his older brother and elected officials, divorced their mother and married Gorga. This was done for political reasons.
The Spartan king was very worried about this, as he had good relations with his former family. He often visited his ex-wife and children. Mnesimacha never remarried because she loved him just as much.
In the year Leonidas was killed, Gorgo gave birth to her only child. After the Battle of Thermopylae, Plistarch, the son of Leonidas I, became the successor of his father. The uncle, Cleombrotus, was appointed regent for the boy, and after the death of the latter, his son Pausanias. Plistarch did not leave behind children, and the line of Leonidas, king of Sparta, was interrupted.
Greco-Persian Wars
At the end of the VI century. BC e. The Persian Empire has become a powerful state with claims to world domination. It included such developed territories as Egypt, Babylon, Lydia, Greek cities on the coast of Asia Minor. The beginning of the Greco-Persian wars is associated with the anti-Persian uprising in 500 BC. e. (Ionian revolt). After 6 years it was suppressed. According to Herodotus, this was the impetus for the Persian attack on the Balkan Peninsula.
The first military campaign was organized by them in 492 BC. e., but due to a strong storm, the Persian fleet suffered heavy losses, thanks to which the Greeks received a respite lasting 2 years. In many cities of the ancient Greek state, defeatist moods formed among the population, and only Sparta and Athens showed determination to fight the formidable enemy. In both cities, the ambassadors of the Persian king Darius I were executed, who arrived there with a proposal to recognize the power of the Achaemenid dynasty.
Up to 480 BC. e. fate favored the Greeks. The Persians were defeated, and as a result, the Greeks had the opportunity to prepare for a future war and build their own fleet. In addition, the forces of the Persian state at that moment were aimed at suppressing uprisings in Egypt and within the country.
In 481 BC. e. at the congress in Corinth, a common defensive alliance of the Hellenes (Sparta and Athens) was created. The supreme command of the land and sea forces was transferred to the Spartan king Leonidas. When the Persians approached the borders of Greece, it was decided to meet them in the Tempe Gorge, on the border of Macedonia and Thessaly. The Thermopylae Gorge was chosen as the second echelon of defense.
In the narrowest part of the gorge then only one cart could pass. In addition, there were old defensive structures built once to protect against Thessalian raids. In ancient times, this was the only overland route from northern Greece to its middle part.
About 7,000 warriors from various regions arrived to conduct a defensive operation, among which was a small elite detachment of Spartans numbering 300 people. This military unit was never disbanded, even in peacetime. It was used mainly within Sparta and could be quickly mobilized for foreign policy purposes. Other allies refused to help Leonid on the pretext that it was necessary to complete the Olympic Games, the beginning of which coincided with a military campaign.
When the Persian king Xerxes I approached the Thermopylae Gorge with his huge army (according to modern historians, it numbered from 70 to 300 thousand soldiers), most of the commanders of the Hellenic detachments decided to retreat. The countless army of the Persians struck fear into the hearts of the Greek military leaders. In such a difficult situation, the Spartan king Leonidas I was forced to make the only possible decision for himself: to defend the gorge, even if there was no chance of surviving the battle.
Death
Xerxes I gave the Spartan king 4 days to think, waiting for the rest of the Persian army to pull up. On the fifth day, he sent his detachments of warriors from Media and Kissia to the gorge, the number of which greatly exceeded the Greek unit. This attack, as well as the next two days, was repulsed. The long spears and heavy shields of the Greeks gave them a distinct advantage over the Persians, who had shorter spears, braided shields and armor made from woven linen. According to some estimates, about 10 thousand Persians were killed during these defensive battles.
The Greek detachment consisted entirely of heavy infantry, which easily blocked the narrow passage of the Thermopylae Gorge. The Spartans also used a cunning strategy: they pretended to retreat so that the Persians would pursue them. Then they suddenly turned and attacked, taking their enemies by surprise.
The outcome of the battle of Thermopylae was decided by the oversight of the detachment of the Phocians, who were supposed to defend another mountain path leading around the mountain. According to Herodotus, a traitor from the Thessalian tribe showed this road to the Persians, but modern historians believe that the Persian reconnaissance detachments themselves could have learned about its existence. At nightfall, Xerxes sent his soldiers along a mountain path to attack the Greeks from the rear. The Phocians noticed the Persians too late and, without offering any resistance, fled.
Of all the allies of the Spartan king Leonidas, by the end of the battle, only 2 small detachments remained. According to one legend, he even insisted that the allies retreat from Thermopylae so that their sons could continue the line and save the Greek army for subsequent battles. At that time, there was already a shortage of warriors in Sparta, so King Leonid formed his detachment only from those men who already had children.
During a fierce fight, he was killed. The culmination of this event was the struggle for the body of the hero. The Greeks managed to recapture it from the Persians, and they retreated to one of the hills. The entire detachment of Leonidas was destroyed, except for two Spartans who did not participate in the battle. Upon returning to their homeland, dishonor awaited them, one of them was given the nickname Coward, and the second committed suicide.
Revenge of Xerxes
According to the contemporaries of the Spartan king Leonidas, no one felt such strong hatred for him as the Persian ruler. Immediately after the end of the battle, he decided to personally inspect the battlefield. Seeing the corpse of Leonid, he ordered to abuse him - they cut off his head and put the dead man on a stake.
Usually this was done with the rebels, and not with the soldiers who fell in a fair fight. It was a blasphemous act on the part of Xerxes. Thus, the Persian king wanted to express his personal hostile feelings towards Leonidas, who destroyed two of his brothers and put up active resistance.
There is also a legend according to which, at the demand of Xerxes to surrender, Leonidas uttered the catch phrase: "Come and take it." These words were subsequently carved on the basis of a monument built in honor of this commander in Sparta.
The image of the hero in art
The feat of Tsar Leonid I inspired many artists, writers and artists. The image of a hero fighting for freedom at the cost of his life was sung in the works of the English poet R. Glover (the poem "Leonid"), David Mallet, Byron, V. Hugo (the poem "Three Hundred") and others. The name of the king of Sparta from the Agids clan was also mentioned by A. S. Pushkin, V. V. Mayakovsky.
In the painting by the French artist Jacques Louis David "Leonidas at Thermopylae", written in 1814, the commander is depicted in preparation for the decisive battle. Next to his half-naked figure is the altar of the famous ancestor - Hercules. Napoleon Bonaparte was familiar with this canvas of the artist, and when asked whether the vanquished person could be the hero of the picture, he replied that the name of Leonid was the only one that had come down to us through the depths of epochs, and all the rest were lost in history.
In 1962, director of Polish origin Rudolf Mate made the film "Three Hundred Spartans", dedicated to the feat of the Spartan king. The most striking scenes in this film are those in which the hero and his associates refuse to surrender to the Persians in exchange for mercy. Inspired by this film, an American illustrator created in 1998 a comic book graphic novel about this event, which was filmed in 2007 by American film director Zack Snyder.
In 2014, another Israeli director, Noam Murro, made another film adaptation of the battle of King Leonidas, Three Hundred Spartans: The Rise of an Empire, but the 1962 film has the greatest historical accuracy.
Criticism
Before his death, Leonid I knew that the Persians were approaching his detachment from the side where no one expected them. But still he decided to defend himself and die, doing his duty. There were many disputes about the expediency of such a decision even among ancient historians. The rest of the commanders were inclined to think that they should retreat before it was too late. They tried to convince their leader of this as well.
It is possible that the final decision of King Leonidas of Sparta was influenced by the religiosity inherent in him and his compatriots. Even at the very beginning of the Greco-Persian wars, the Delphic oracles predicted that Sparta would be destroyed or their king would die. Leonid himself acted as high priest and understood the meaning of this prediction in such a way that the cost of saving the homeland was his death. On the other hand, defending the Thermopylae Gorge, he provided an opportunity for the allied troops to save their soldiers and gave time to catch up with the rest of the Greek army.
The writings of ancient Greek writers also mention that before the king’s departure from the city, funeral games were arranged, and one of his parting words for his wife was the wish to find a new husband.
memory of a hero
Soon after the destruction of the detachment of the Spartan king Leonid in the Battle of Thermopylae, all the fallen soldiers were buried at the place of their death. In the same place, the hero's contemporaries erected 5 stelae with epitaphs and a stone lion (the name Leonid in Greek means "lion"). This monument is still at the site of the battle.
After 40 years, the remains of the hero were transferred to Sparta, and a festive celebration was held annually near his tombstone, competitions were held and speeches were made. In our time, a monument was erected to the hero in Thermopylae in 1968. The battle scene is depicted on the monument. The Spartan king is still revered and flowers are laid at his monument.
Even in ancient times, this feat became canonical, a kind of moral bar for the Greeks. The hero was mentioned in his works by the Athenian comedian Aristophanes, the writer Pausanias, Plutarch, who wrote his biography, which has not survived to our time. The defeat of the Greeks at Thermopylae was only formal. This battle turned out to be a culturally significant event that had more historical significance than any other victory.
(508/507-480 BC)
Spartan king. Hero of Thermopylae.
The Persian king Xerxes decided to continue the attempts of his predecessors to conquer Greece. He gathered a huge army for those times and a numerous fleet from all the satrapies (regions) subject to him - from the banks of the Indus to Egypt. Herodotus cites truly fantastic figures, naming the size of the invading army: 1,700,000 foot soldiers, 80,000 horsemen and 20,000 camels (that is, 100,000 cavalry).
However, researchers determine the number of troops of Xerxes, who went on a campaign against the European part of Ancient Greece, at 100-150 thousand people (together with the fleet) and even less. In that era, it was a huge military force. The fleet of Persia, collected from all over the Eastern Mediterranean, consisted of up to 500-600 ships. Some of them were built specifically for the invasion of mainland Greece from the sea.
The third Greco-Persian war began with the fact that the army of Xerxes, on a floating bridge arranged across the Hellespont (Dardanelles) strait, freely crossed to its European coast. The multinational army of the Persian state through South Thrace and Macedonia entered Northern Greece.
The enemy of Persia in that war was the military-defensive alliance of the Greek states, led by Sparta and Athens. It was created in 481 BC. It included a smaller part of the Greek communities that had their own statehood - 31. Most of Ancient Greece wanted to stay away from the big war.
Allies in the summer of 480 BC left the territory of Northern Greece without a fight, since the protection of the passes here required large ground forces. However, the passage to the south - the gorge at Thermopylae, was believed to be held by a small army. This passage connected Northern and Central Greece.
The Spartan king Leonid, who had a detachment of approximately 7 thousand Greek soldiers: Thebans, Thespians and others, came out to defend the Thermopylae Pass. These were foot warriors-hoplites (spearmen) and a small number of archers. There were only 300 Spartans of them. It is believed that they were the royal bodyguards.
The Greek city-states could allocate more troops to hold the Thermopylae Passage. But they were not going to seriously defend it, concentrating all their forces for the defense of the Isthmus of Corinth. This was the plan of the Greek side in the outbreak of the war.
At Thermopylae, the first combat clash in that war took place. The Greeks, having built their usual phalanx, successfully repelled all attempts by the huge Persian army to take possession of the Thermopylae Gorge and break through the mountain pass into the central part of Greece. The Persians unsuccessfully attacked the army of King Leonid for two days, but could not win.
But among the Greeks there was a traitor named Ephialtes, who showed the Persians a path in the wooded mountains that led around Thermopylae. Xerxes immediately sent around his personal guard - 10 thousand "immortals". The traitor Ephialtes led them through the mountains at night to the rear of the defenders of the Thermopylae Gorge. The "Immortals", moving along the path, shot down the Greek outpost, which guarded it from the enemy in case of a bypass.
King Leonid, having learned that he was in danger of complete encirclement, immediately sent his allies to defend the rear entrance to the gorge, and he himself, at the head of 300 Spartans, remained in place, ready to the last to defend the narrowest point of the Thermopylae passage. It was a decision of high masculinity and dedication.
The Immortals attacked the Greek detachment that stood in their way (some of its soldiers surrendered) and closed the encirclement of the last defenders of the gorge near the village of Thermopylae. In the ensuing battle, the Spartan warriors, led by their king Leonidas, died to the last man. They did not retreat from where their little phalanx stood. None of them wanted to surrender to the Persians. All of them, unknown to history, together with their military leader Leonidas, became true heroes of the ancient Greek world.
Leonidas I, King of Sparta
Spartan king from the Agids clan, who ruled in 491-480. BC Genus. in 508 BC, d. 480 B.C. Son of Anaxandrides. Leonidas was the younger brother of Cleomenes I and ascended the throne after Cleomenes went mad and died without male offspring (Herodotus: 7; 205).
During the first ten years of his reign, Leonidas did nothing remarkable, but on the other hand immortalized himself forever with the last battle of Thermopylae in his life. According to Herodotus, Xerxes invaded Hellas in 480 BC, when the Hellenes were having the Olympic Games and the Spartans had the eve of Carnea. Both holidays obligated to a sacred truce, and this was one of the reasons that only a small detachment met the Persians at Thermopylae. The Spartans sent towards the huge army of Xerxes Leonidas with a detachment of 300 Spartans, moreover, those who already had children. On the way, Leonidas was joined by 1,000 Tegeans and Mantineans, 120 from Orchomenus in Arcadia, and 1,000 other Arcadians. There were 400 people from Corinth, 200 from Phlius, and 80 from Mycenae. These people came from the Peloponnese. From Boeotia came 700 Thespians and 400 Thebans. In addition, the Spartans called to the aid of the Opuntian Locrians with all their militia and 1000 Phocians. When this small army arrived at the Thermopylae Pass, fear fell upon the soldiers, and many began to think about retreat. The Peloponnesians offered to retreat to the peninsula and guard the Isthmus. The Phocians and Locrians were indignant at this decision, and therefore Leonidas ordered to remain in place, and sent messengers to the cities asking for help, since they had too few troops to repel the attack of the Persian hordes.
For four days Xerxes did not start the battle, hoping that the Spartans would take flight. Finally, on the fifth day, the king, in a rage, sent the Medes and Cassians against them with orders to take them alive and bring them before his eyes. The Medes quickly rushed to the Hellenes. With each onslaught, many Medes fell, others took the place of the fallen, but the Medes did not retreat, despite the heavy damage. It can be said that then it became clear to everyone, and especially to the king himself, that the Persians had many people, and few husbands among them. This fight lasted all day. Having received a severe rebuff, the Medes were forced to retreat. They were replaced by the Persians, led by Gidarn (the king called them "immortals"). They thought it was easy to finish off the enemies. But when it came to hand-to-hand combat, the Persians had no more success than the Medes. They had to fight in close quarters with shorter spears than the Hellenes. At the same time, their numerical superiority did not help the Persians. The Hellenes, on the other hand, courageously fought against the enemies and showed their prowess in military affairs in front of an inept enemy. From time to time they made a turn, and then all at once, for the sake of appearance, took flight. At the sight of this, the barbarians, with a battle cry and a cry, began to crowd them. The Greeks, overtaken by the enemy, turned to face the enemy and struck a myriad of Persians. At the same time, however, some of the Greeks also died. The Persians also had to retreat.
The king, as they say, watched the course of the battle and, in fear for his army, jumped up from his throne three times. So they fought that day. But the next day did not bring good luck to the barbarians. The Persians attacked incessantly in the expectation that the few Hellenes would soon be all wounded and would no longer be able to resist. The Hellenes, on the other hand, stood in battle formation according to tribes and types of weapons, and everyone fought, replacing each other, except for the Phocians. The Phokians were sent to the mountain to guard the mountain path leading around the positions of the Hellenes. The Persians, seeing that things were no better than yesterday, retreated again.
The king did not know what to do next. Then a certain Elialtes, a Malian, appeared to him. Hoping for a great reward, he showed the Persians a path leading through the mountain to Thermopylae. Xerxes accepted the offer of Epialtes and, exceedingly overjoyed, immediately sent Hydarnes with his detachment. Having crossed the Asop, the Persians marched all night. On the right, the Eteian mountains rose, and on the left, the Trachinian ones. The dawn was already breaking when the Persians reached the top of the mountain. It was at this place that 1000 Phokian hoplites stood guard to protect their land and guard the path. Despite this protection, the Persians climbed the mountain imperceptibly, since it was all densely overgrown with oak forests. Only by the rustling of the leaves did the Phokians guess the approach of a large detachment and rushed to their weapons. At that moment, the barbarians appeared at the top. With amazement, they saw before them people putting on armor. But when Hydarnes learned from Epialtes that these were not the Lacedaemonians, but the Phocians, he formed the warriors into battle order. And the Phocians immediately fled under a hail of arrows, letting the enemy pass behind the rear of the Lacedaemonians.
At night, a defector arrived at Leonid with a message about a roundabout maneuver. Then the Greeks began to hold council, and their opinions were divided. Some were in favor of not retreating from their post, while others objected. After this, the army was divided: part of it left and scattered, and each returned to his city; others, and Leonidas with them, decided to stay. It is also said that Leonidas himself sent the allies away to save them from destruction. It was not proper for him and his Spartans, he thought, to leave the place they had been sent to protect. Only the Phocians and Thebans remained with the Lacedaemonians. Meanwhile, Xerxes launched an offensive, and the Spartans, led by Leonidas, came out to meet him from the gorge to the place where the passage widened. In this battle, the barbarians died by the thousands. Moreover, most of them were crushed by their own. The Hellenes knew about certain death threatening them at the hands of the enemy who bypassed the mountain. Therefore, they showed the greatest military prowess and fought the barbarians desperately and with insane courage.
Most of the Spartans, having broken their spears, began to strike the Persians with their swords. In this battle, Leonidas himself fell after a valiant resistance, and many other noble Spartans fell with him. A heated hand-to-hand fight began for the body of Leonid, until, finally, the brave Hellenes snatched it from the hands of the enemies. The battle continued until the Persians, led by Gidarnes, approached. Noticing them, the Spartans retreated into the gorge and all the survivors - except the Thebans, who hastened to surrender - took up position on the hill. This hill was at the entrance to the passage. Here the Spartans defended themselves with swords, and then with their hands and teeth, until the barbarians bombarded them with a hail of arrows. After that, Xerxes went between the dead bodies to inspect the battlefield. Seeing the body of Leonid, he ordered to cut off his head and put him on a stake. The servants carried out the order of the king (Herodotus: 7; 201-207, 210-213, 215, 217-220, 222-225, 233, 238).
All the monarchs of the world. - Academician. 2009 .
See what "LEONIDS I, King of Sparta" is in other dictionaries:
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This article is about the Spartan king Leonidas; other meanings: Leonid. Leonidas I Λεωνίδας ... Wikipedia
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Leonid- The king of Sparta, who for two days held back the onslaught of the Persian conquerors, led by Xerxes, on the passage to Thermopylae. After the Persians managed to go in from the flank, Leonid, with a detachment of three hundred soldiers, covered the retreating Greek fleet, ... ... Antique world. Dictionary reference.
LEONID Dictionary-reference book on Ancient Greece and Rome, on mythology
LEONID- The king of Sparta, who for two days held back the onslaught of the Persian conquerors, led by Xerxes, on the passage to Thermopylae. After the Persians managed to go in from the flank, Leonid, with a detachment of three hundred soldiers, covered the retreating Greek fleet, until ... ... List of ancient Greek names electronic book
| Leonid I other Greek Λεωνίδας Α΄ | |
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| 491 BC e. - 480 BC e. | |
|---|---|
| Predecessor: | Cleomenes I |
| Successor: | plistarch |
| Religion: | Greek |
| Birth: | before 520 BC e. (when his father Anaxandride died) Sparta (Laconia), Greece |
| Death: | 480 BC e.(-480
)
Thermopylae (Thessaly), Greece |
| Place of burial: | Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value). |
| Genus: | Agiades |
| Name at birth: | Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value). |
| Father: | Anaxandride II |
| Mother: | Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value). |
| Spouse: | Gorgo |
| Children: | son of Plistarch |
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Biography
Origin
Battle of Thermopylae
During the ten years of his reign, Leonid I did nothing significant, but immortalized his name with the battle of Thermopylae (Warm Gates). He defended with 6 thousand soldiers (including a personal guard of 300 Spartans) the Thermopylae Pass during the offensive of the Persian troops and died in battle.
The ruler of Achaemenid Persia, Xerxes I, attacked Greece in the summer of 480 BC. e. Leonid I came out to meet him with a detachment of 300 Spartans and 5620 soldiers from other cities. The Greeks entrenched themselves in the gorge of Thermopylae with the intention of defending this narrow passage for as long as possible.
200,000 Persians unsuccessfully stormed Thermopylae for two days. However, the traitor Ephialtes led a detachment of "immortals" (Persian guards) at night along a mountain path around the positions of Leonid I in order to strike at the Greeks from the rear. Having received a message about this, Leonidas saved most of the army by sending him inland, while he himself remained at Thermopylae with 300 Spartans. Of their own free will, 700 Thespians also remained under the command of Demophilus and 400 Thebans under the command of Leontiades. To cover the retreat, the warriors of Leonidas rushed towards the Persians and held back their advance until everyone was killed on the battlefield. Enraged by the heavy losses and desperate resistance of the Spartans, Xerxes I ordered to find the body of Leonidas, cut off his head and put it on a stake, and nail the body to the side of his personal ship.
Leonidas I in art
Literature
- King Leonidas is a character in Valerio Manfredi's novel The Spartan (original title - The Shield of Talos, Italian: Lo scudo di Talos).
Cinema
Art films- The role of Leonidas I is the main role of two films about the Battle of Thermopylae and the events preceding it: "300 Spartans" in 1962 and "300 Spartans" in 2006. In the 1962 film he is portrayed by Richard Egan, and in the 2006 film by Gerard Butler.
- Forbidden Fruit: A History of Luxury. Part 1: Luxury in Ancient Greece ( ; UK).
see also
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King of Sparta Leonid I - from the kind of Agids, ruled in 491-480 BC. e. Member, died in . Leonidas was the son of Anaxandrid II. It is considered a descendant of Hercules in the twentieth generation. He was the third of four sons, but after the death of Cleomenes I and Dorieus he became king of Sparta: "Leonidas was the younger brother of Cleomenes I and ascended the throne after Cleomenes died without male offspring"
Leonidas ascended the throne at the age of seventeen and did nothing outstanding in the first decade of his reign, but over the centuries immortalized his name at the last battle of Thermopylae. The Persian king Xerxes, wanting to conquer Greece, invaded Hellas in 480 BC. e., when the Hellenes held the Olympic Games, and the Spartans had the eve of the sacred holiday of Carnea. These holidays obligated to a sacred truce, and this was one of the reasons why only a small Greek army met the huge Persian army at Thermopylae.
The king of the Persians decided to end the independence of Greece. Preparations for the campaign were unprecedented: 56 peoples subject to Xerxes were removed from their places on his orders. Militias moved from the most remote countries to assembly points, to the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates. The whole of Asia seemed to be in motion.
Win together or die together!
Thermopylae (“Warm Gates”) is so named because of the hot sulfur springs that still exist today. The general council of Greek leaders decided to take this place. Leonidas moved to Thermopylae with a small detachment of 300 Spartans, who became famous throughout Greece as the most fearless and strong warriors. "Together win or die together!" - said the law of the Spartans.
Looking at how few people the King of Sparta Leonid I took with him, even the battered hearts of the Spartan elders trembled. They said to the Spartan king: "Take at least a thousand." To which Leonid I replied: "To win, and thousands are not enough to die, three hundred are enough." On the way, about 5,500 more people from various cities and regions of Greece joined the detachment. Thus, the total number of his troops was no more than 6 thousand people.
The Greeks camped behind a wall blocking the narrow Thermopylae pass.
Xerxes was absolutely sure of victory. When Greek scouts were seized in the Persian camp and they wanted to execute them, the Persian king accidentally found out about this. He canceled the execution, ordering the Greeks to be led through the entire Persian camp and shown everything they wanted to see. After inviting them to his place, he asked if they all saw what they wanted, and let them go.
Such a gesture must have made a strong impression on the Greeks. The king of the Persians hoped that now, convinced of his power and determination, the Greeks would eventually come to their senses, stop holding on to some kind of their own, incomprehensible to the Persians, freedom and voluntarily submit to his will.
One of the local residents, telling the Hellenes about the large army of barbarians, added that "if the barbarians release their arrows, then an eclipse of the sun will occur from a cloud of arrows." In response, the Spartan Dienek joked lightheartedly: “Our friend from Trakhin brought great news: if the Medes darken the sun, then it will be possible to fight in the shade” (in some sources, this statement is attributed to the king of Sparta, Leonidas I).
Xerxes waited four days in the hope that the Greeks would be frightened and retreat, but when the Persians, on behalf of their king, offered the Spartans to hand over their weapons, the Spartan king boldly replied: “Come and take it!”. The deadline passed, and Xerxes ordered to storm the gorge. "The enemy is coming!" shouted the Greek guard. "Excellent! Leonid said. “And we are approaching the enemy.”
The king of the Persians sent to the assault the most combat-ready detachments from the native Medes. Having received a stiff rebuff, the Medes retreated. After that, the king replaced the Medes with the Kissians and Saks, who were famous for their militancy. The more lightly armed barbarians could not break through the dense phalanx of Spartans, who had taken cover behind a solid wall of large shields.
Xerxes sent the bravest of his troops, the "immortals", but they could not break the Spartans.
Xerxes did not know what to do next, at that time a local resident, a certain Ephialtes, came to him, who volunteered for a reward to lead the Persians along a mountain path around Thermopylae. A select Persian detachment of 20 thousand people under the command of Gidarn walked covertly all night, and in the morning suddenly attacked the Phocian barrage detachment. Having driven them to the top of the mountain, Hydarn continued to move to the rear of the Hellenes guarding Thermopylae.
The Phocians sent runners to inform the Greeks of the Persians' detour, and the Greeks were warned of the same night by a defector from the Persian camp. Then the Greeks began to hold a common council. The opinions of the allies were divided - the majority, obeying the will of circumstances, went to their cities, preferring a retreat to inevitable death. Only 300 Spartans of King Leonid, 700 Phokians and 400 Thebans remained, who did not count on victory, but only on a glorious death.
Last Stand
Morning came, the last morning for the defenders - it was the 7th day that a handful of Greeks held off the Persian army. The king of Sparta, Leonid, dressed in royal clothes and, according to the customs of his people, made a sacrifice to the gods. With this rite, he celebrated a feast for himself and his comrades.
The soothsayer Megistius, on the insides of a sacrificial animal, prophesied death to the wars of Leonidas I. The king said: "Let's have breakfast, friends, because we will have to dine already in Hades." A war cry was heard in the camp of the Persians, at this signal they struck from the front. The Spartans were able to steadfastly beat off the first blow, and, closing even closer, pushing their long peaks even further, they moved forward in a formidable formation.
The Persians fell off the cliff into the sea, climbed the rocks, fled - everything was swept away by the phalanx, advancing with the usual measured step. Many noble Persians were killed in the battle, two brothers of the king were killed one after another. When the spears of the Greeks broke, they grabbed swords and stones. They are stepped on, trampled on, crushed; enemy strikes intensified. Many Persians accepted death from the Spartan king, but he also fell, slain in an unequal battle.
The Persians wanted to take his body and bring it "as a gift" to their king. But the Spartans could not allow this. Around the body of Leonidas, a whole battle unfolded. The Greeks won! They won the time needed by their compatriots to go further. The Hellenes learned that the Persians, led by a traitor, had descended from the mountain path, and were about to hit them in the rear. Having learned about this, they picked up the body of the king and retreated behind the wall. There was their last fight. They all fell as one over the body of the Spartan king Leonid, did not give it to the enemy, covered it with themselves ...
When the battle subsided, Xerxes, surrounded by his retinue, went among the dead bodies to look for Leonidas. Long searched. Finally found. And "ordered to cut off the Spartan king's head and planted it on a stake." Never before and never after did a Persian king show such hatred towards his enemies.
The detachment of King Leonidas of Sparta died, and this legendary battle is known as one of the oldest heroic pages in the history of mankind. Under Thermopylae fell, according to Herodotus, up to 20 thousand Persians and 4 thousand Greeks. The fallen Hellenes were buried on the same hill where they took the last battle. A stone was placed on the grave with the epitaph of the poet Simonides of Ceos: “Wanderer, tell the Spartans that we died in this place. Keeping loyalty to the end to the will of his fellow citizens.
The next year, 479 B.C. e. The Persian army was completely defeated at the Battle of Plataea in Boeotia. In that battle, the Spartan Aristodemus distinguished himself, the only survivor of 300 Spartans, left by the king before the last battle in a neighboring village due to a wound.
For the head of the traitor Ephialtes, Sparta announced a reward, and later he was killed. The remains of the Spartan king were reburied in Sparta 40 years after his death. Residents of the city, 600 years after the legendary battle, already in Roman times, every year held competitions in honor of the national hero. The names of all those who fell at Thermopylae were carved on the slab.
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