Leonidas I

Leonidas I (died 480 bc), king of Sparta (490?-480 bc). Leonidas is best known for his heroic defense of the narrow pass of Thermopylae against the Persian army of Xerxes I in 480 bc. With an outnumbered force of 6000 to 7000 men, of which 300 were Spartans, Leonidas withstood the Persian invasion for two days. A Thessalian traitor named Ephialtes, however, showed Xerxes a mountain path around the cliffs, and when Leonidas learned that he was about to be attacked from the rear, he sent most of his troops to safety. He remained with the Spartans and about 1100 other soldiers, mainly Thebans and Thespians, who refused to leave. Leonidas and his men perished bravely. The famous Battle of Thermopylae was recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus in his History.