Leonidas

Leonidas I was a warrior king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, a dynasty which claimed descent from the mythological demigod Heracles, Sparta is famous for its pure and idealistic social system where its citizens lived and trained for military excellence. Leonidas had a notable participation in the Second Persian War, where he led a small force of Spartan hoplites mixed with other Greek City-States armies, to face the significantly larger Persian invader let by Xerxes I. Both ancient and modern writers have used the Battle of Thermopylae as an example of the power of a patriotic army defending its native soil and has become a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds.