King Leonidas: The Battle Of Thermopylae

Leonidas the First

One of the greatest warriors in ancient Greek time was Leonidas the First. He ruled over the Spartans during the “Second Persian War.” He led in the battle between the Spartans and the Persians, which was called the Battle of Thermopylae. Leonidas’ contributions to Greek society helped many people continue fighting for what they believed in. Leonidas was the king of Sparta, after his brothers Dorieus and Cleomenes died, for 10 years from 490-480 BCE. He was born in 540 BCE in the Sparta area, which was in the Peloponnesian Peninsula, located in southern Greece. Leonidas lived in Sparta from 540-480 BCE which means “Before Common Era.” Leonidas was 4th in line to become the king. He married Gorgo, who was the daughter of his half-brother Cleomenes, and he was the father of Pleistarchus who became the king of Sparta. Leonidas was the son of Anaxandridas II King of Sparta, the brother of Dorieus, and the half brother of Cleomenes I, King of Sparta. Because of this, he was treated like any other male citizen and had to go to a Spartan school called “Agoge.” “The training involved military training, hunting, dancing, singing and social preparation.” That is where he learned how to fight in wars and battles and how to be a good and skilled soldier. Leonidas was one of the
He served as an example to other Greeks. He is most famous for “The Battle of Thermopylae.” “The Battle of Thermopylae” was the first battle between the Persians and the Greeks. The Spartans did not have many soldiers or people fighting in their army and it was much smaller than the Persian army, but they still decided to fight against the Persians,“A vast army of Persians was on the march to conquer Greece.” Leonidas stayed, led his 300 men against the huge Persian army, and didn’t give up until he was killed. He influenced many Greeks to never give up and continue fighting, and they eventually stopped the Persian