Leon (king of Sparta)
Encyclopedia
Leon was King of Sparta from 590 to 560 BC.
"Leon" means lion. He was the son of Eurycratides
and like him was mentioned in the seventh book of The Histories
by Herodotus
. He is said to have, like his father, fought to a draw with the Tegeans.
He was succeeded on the throne by Anaxandridas II
, who managed to defeat Tegea.
"Leon" means lion. He was the son of Eurycratides
Eurycratides
Eurycratides was a king of Sparta from the Agiad dynasty whose reign began in around 615 BC. He was the thirteenth king of his line having succeeded his father Anaxander. His name is derived from the Greek: "Ευρύ" - "eury", meaning "wide". He reigned during a devastating period of war with Tegea...
and like him was mentioned in the seventh book of The Histories
Histories (Herodotus)
The Histories of Herodotus is considered one of the seminal works of history in Western literature. Written from the 450s to the 420s BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that...
by Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
. He is said to have, like his father, fought to a draw with the Tegeans.
He was succeeded on the throne by Anaxandridas II
Anaxandridas II
Anaxandridas II was a king of Sparta, son of Leon, between 560 to 525 BC. At the time when Croesus sent his embassy to form alliance with " the mightiest of the Greeks," i. e. about 554, the war with Tegea, which in the late reigns went against them, had now been decided in the Spartans' favour,...
, who managed to defeat Tegea.