Leonidas

Leonidas I was a king who commanded the Greek city of Sparta between the years 491 BC and 480 BC It was the successor to the throne of his elder brother Cleômenas I by marrying his daughter Gorgo.

During his reign, there was the invasion of the Persians at the behest of King Xerxes I. Despite being in a very small number compared to the enemies, the Spartans, who were known for their bravery in combat, fought with little more than 7,000 men, while the Persians came with an army of over 200,000 soldiers.

At the time of the fight, Leonidas was defending the pass of Thermopylae, which connects Thessaly to Boeotia. Of his troops, only 300 warriors were Spartans, who were part of his personal guard.

A shepherd who lived in the shadow of Sparta, named Ephialtes betrayed Leonidas and showed the Persians a tactic of war waged by the Greeks. Cautious, the king ordered that the other fighters who were not Spartans returned and decided to fight only with the 300 men of his guard. (This story has served as inspiration for films like "The 300 Spartans" and the latest, "300", based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller.)

Despite the large difference, the Spartans have destroyed about 20,000 Persians in the three-day period, but were soon surrounded by the troops of Xerxes and succumbed to the attacks. According to the ancient historian Pausanias, Xerxes threatened first by saying: "My arrows are so numerous that will obscure the sunlight." Without fear, Leonidas replied: "Best. We will fight in the shade! "

In the year 480 BC, Leonidas died in battle and had his head cut off. His army was massacred without exception.

After the match, Xerxes I decided to wait a period of two months until the winter was over, because he believed it would be in advantage with better weather. However, this period of time was enough for the rest of the Spartans to meet with other fellow citizens to articulate a new defense strategy. Again the Greeks fought outnumbered (ratio of three Persian for every Greek), but managed to stop the enemy invasion and expelled once and for all, the Persian army from its territory.