Was Leonidas a real person?
King Leonidas was an ancient Greek king from the city-state of Sparta. He was born sometime around 530-540 BCE into a royal household and became king around 490 BCE.
Did King Leonidas marry his niece?
Before he succeeded to the throne, Leonidas had married Gorgo, daughter of Cleomenes – marrying his niece like his father did before him. Gorgo is one of only a few women named in Herodotus’ histories and was famed for her wisdom and political astuteness.
Who was King Leonidas father?
Anaxandridas II
Leonidas I (/liˈɒnɪdəs, -dæs/; Greek: Λεωνίδας; died 19 September 480 BC) was a king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the 17th of the Agiad line, a dynasty which claimed descent from the mythological demigod Heracles and Cadmus….
| Leonidas I | |
|---|---|
| Greek | Λεωνίδᾱς |
| House | Agiad |
| Father | Anaxandridas II |
| Religion | Greek polytheism |
How big was the Persian army?
The Greek army consisted of about 7,000 men, while the Persian army may have had as many as 300,000.
Who is Leonidas of Sparta?
Leonidas (c. 530-480 B.C.) was a king of the city-state of Sparta from about 490 B.C. until his death at the Battle of Thermopylae against the Persian army in 480 B.C.
Was Leonidas a good military leader?
As king, Leonidas was a military leader as well as a political one. Like all male Spartan citizens, Leonidas had been trained mentally and physically since childhood in preparation to become a hoplite warrior.
How did Leonidas become king?
Training as a Hoplite. Leonidas was the son of the Spartan king Anaxandrides (died c. 520 B.C.). He became king when his older half-brother Cleomenes I (also a son of Anaxandrides) died under violent, and slightly mysterious, circumstances in 490 B.C. without having produced a male heir.
How many Spartans died with Leonidas?
Leonidas. Three hundred of his fellow Spartans stayed with him to fight and die. Almost everything that is known about Leonidas comes from the work of the Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484-c. 425 B.C.).