Leonidas I

King of Sparta — The Hero of Thermopylae (c. 540–480 BCE)

Leonidas I, the indomitable King of Sparta, remains one of the most legendary figures of ancient Greece. A warrior-king of the Agiad dynasty, Leonidas became immortal through his heroic stand at the Battle of Thermopylae, where he and a small force of 300 Spartans faced the vast Persian army of Xerxes I.

Bound by Spartan law and honor, Leonidas chose duty over survival. His courage and leadership turned Thermopylae into a timeless symbol of bravery, sacrifice, and resistance against overwhelming odds. His name continues to echo through history as the embodiment of valor.

“Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie.”

Though Leonidas fell in battle, his spirit did not. His defiance united the Greek city-states and inspired generations to come. His legend has transcended millennia, from the marble halls of Sparta to the modern imagination — a shining beacon of courage and leadership.

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