According to Herodotus, Leonidas had been warned by the Delphic oracle that either Sparta would be destroyed or their king would lose his life. Leonidas chose the second alternative.
In The Delphic oracle, its responses and operations, with a catalogue of responses, Joseph Eddy Fontenrose says that the 481/480 B.C. oracle is not genuine, but is said to have been: "People of Sparta, either your city is destroyed by the Persians or it is not, and Lakedaimon will mourn a dead king of the Heraklid line. For the might of bulls and lions will not stay the enemy in battle; he has Zeus' might. And I say that he will not stop until he has destroyed one of these two."
All the Spartans and Thespians died, including Leonidas, but Herodotus says the Thebans, who had never wanted to be there, surrendered when Leonidas was killed. The Persians mangled the corpse of Leonidas.
Leonidas was the half-brother of King Cleomenes I of Sparta. After Cleomenes' probable suicide, Leonidas was made king because Cleomenes had died without a son or another, closer male relative to reign as his successor. Leonidas was also married to Cleomenes' only child and heir, Gorgo. Herodotus says this was part of the reason he became king. Sparta had two hereditary kings at a time. One group was the Agiad and the other, the Eurypontid. As kings from the Agiad line, both Cleomenes and Leonidas claimed Heracles (Hercules) as ancestor.
In his Moralia, Plutarch quotes Leonidas as saying:
" 1. Leonidas, the son of Anaxandridas and the brother of Cleomenes, in answer to a man who remarked, 'Except for your being king, you are no different from the rest of us," said, "But if I were no better than you others, I should not be king.'"
"10 Xerxes wrote to him, 'It is possible for you, by not fighting against God but by ranging yourself on my side, to be the sole ruler of Greece.' But he wrote in reply, 'If you had any knowledge of the noble things of life, you would refrain from coveting others' possessions; but for me to die for Greece is better than to be the sole ruler over the people of my race.'"
"11 When Xerxes wrote again, 'Hand over your arms,' he wrote in reply, 'Come and take them.'"
- Battle at Thermopylae
Part of the Persian War, the Battle at Thermopylae was where Leonidas and the 300 died. - Spartan Agoge, Kings, and 300
- Herodotus 9
Book 9 of Herodotus (also see Book 7). Reference to revenging Leonidas and the Battle at Thermopylae. - Diodorus on Thermopylae
The account of Diodorus Siculus is different from that of Herodotus. - List of Spartan Kings
Leonidas was one of the Agaidai kings of Sparta. - Persian War Timeline
Sequence of events in the Persian Wars (which includes the Battle at Thermopylae) and maps. - Thermopylae Terms
Leonidas of Sparta
Picture of a statue of Leonidas.
Monument of Leonidas
Photo of a monument to Leonidas.
Greek Historical Notes
Alphabetical list. Scroll down for Leonidas entry.
