Kingdoms of Greece - Sparta & Laconia


Sparta / Laconia (Lacedaemon) Laconia (or Lacedaemon ) was the name of the wider city state which was centered on the city of Sparta, although the name of Sparta has since superseded that of Laconia to encompass both city and state. Sparta's capital seems not to have been important before circa 1000 BC, despite legendary emphasis to the contrary. The nearby remains of sites at Amyclae (a Minoan ruin a few miles to the south of Sparta), and Therapne (Therapnae) seem to be more important, and the latter was probably the Achaean (Mycenaean) capital of Laconia. There are few remaining signs of Ancient Sparta. The Spartans set little store on fine buildings and high defensive walls, being far more proud of the fact that their kingdom was protected by men who could fight and defeat any opponent, or die in the attempt.

Kings of Laconia (Sparta) Lacedaemon, son of Zeus and Taygete and founder of the kingdom/city state, legendarily named the city of Sparta after his wife, the daughter of Eurotas. However, it does seem more likely that the early Mycenaean kingdom was centered at Laconia's Therapne at this time. According to legend, the Mycenaean Greek hero, Heracles, took part in the Trojan War alongside Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and his allies. After Troy was conquered and sacked, Heracles enjoyed a number of adventures, including establishing a new Mycenaean ruling house in Maeonia. Despite apparently not ruling in Sparta himself, his descendants seemed to rule until the Dorian invasion.
	Lacedaemon		First king of Sparta. Probably a Mycenaean.

	Tyndareus
	Hippocoon		Brother. Usurper.
	Hippocoon overthrows Tyndareus, a definite mistake, as the latter also claims Heracles as a brother. Heracles reinstates Tyndareus and kills Hippocoon and his four sons.
	Tyndareus		Restored by Heracles.
	Heracles		Brother of Tyndareus.
	The brothers Agamemnon and Menelaus shelter with Tyndareus following the usurpation of the Mycenaean throne. They marry the king's daughters, Clytemnestra and Helen respectively. Both of Tyndareus' sons pre-decease him, so Menelaus becomes his heir.
fl.1193 - 1183 BC	Menelaus		Brother of Agamemnon of Mycenae.
c.1193 - 1183 BC	Following the abduction of Helen by Paris of Troy, Menelaus gathers his supporters and sails off to the Trojan War. He returns with Helen despite her marrying another Trojan after the death of Paris. According to non-Homeric sources, after Menelaus' death his illegitimate son Megapenthes sends Helen into exile.
	Megapenthes?		Son. Ruled?
	Hyllus		Son of Heracles and Deianeira or Melite.
	Cleodaeus		Son.
c.1120 BC	The Dorian invasion from the north takes place between about 1200-1140 BC, with the Mycenaean city states north of Sparta falling between those dates, and with domination being achieved by about 1140 BC. Greece enters a Dark Age lasting about four hundred years. The traditional view of the invasion of the Peloponnese says that approximately eighty years after the Trojan War (in other words, by circa 1120 BC), a group of Dorians joins up with Aetolians to cross the Corinthian Gulf and invade from the north-west. The Aetolians settle in Elis, and the Dorians divide into two forces, one of which invades and later subdues Messenia, while the other, led by Aristodemus (or his twin sons Eurysthenes and Procles), gains Sparta. They make this the Dorian capital of Laconia. In reality the conquest may be a matter of inroads made over a number of years, and the dates ascribed to the sons of Aristodemus put them about two hundred years away from the invasion, so perhaps it is ascribed to them to fill in a gap in later knowledge of the event.
	Aristomachus		Legendary great-grandson of Heracles, but possibly Dorian.
	Temenus		Son. Legendary father of Caranus, founder of Macedonia.
c.960 BC	Aristodemus		Son of Aristomachus.

Kings of Sparta c.950 - c.192 BC The Doric Spartans practised a unique form of dual kingship, with a candidate from each house sharing the throne. The idea behind this was that if one of the warlike kings died in battle, the state would not be left leaderless, instead being able to respond immediately to the threat. The two ruling houses were created by the descendants of the twin sons of Aristodemus in the late tenth century BC, although there is little external evidence for the Spartan kings before around the middle of the sixth century BC. Numbering was carried down through both houses and not in isolation, although re-used names in general tended to remain within their own house. Kings of the House of Agaid are shown in the centre-left column. Kings of the House of Eurypontidae are in the centre-right column. Some differences in ruler's names and dates are shown on some lists of the kings of Sparta.
	HOUSE OF AGAID	HOUSE OF EURYPONTIDAE
? - c.930 BC	Eurysthenes		Son of Aristodemus.
? - c.930 BC		Procles	Brother.
? - c.895 BC		Sous/Soos	Son of Procles.
c.930 - 900? BC	Agis		Son of Eurysthenes. Founder of the House of Agaid.
	Agis is traditionally credited with capturing Helos, a maritime town which resists his attempt to curtail its guaranteed rights. He is also the creator of the class of serfs called Helots which provides the backbone of service and support for the Spartan warrior class.
c.900 - 870? BC	Echestratus		Son of Agis.
c.895 - 865? BC		Eurypon	Son of Sous. Founder of the House of Eurypontidae.
c.870 - 840? BC	Leobatas
c.865 - 835? BC		Prytanis
c.840 - 815? BC	Doryssus
c.835 - 805? BC		Polydectes
c.815 - 785? BC	Agesilaus I
c.805 - 775? BC		Eunomus
c.785 - 760 BC	Archelaus
c.775 - 750 BC		Charillus	Grandson of Eunomus. Purported to have invaded Argolis.
c.760 - 740 BC	Teleclus		Killed in a skirmish with the Messenians.
	The reign of Teleclus sees the Spartans conquer Amyclae, Pharis and Geranthrae, towns belonging to the Perioeci or "dwellers round about", securing the central Laconian plain. Teleclus is killed during a skirmish with the Messenians during a festival at the temple of Artemis Limnatis, an event which leads to the First Messenian War.
c.750 - 720 BC		Nicander
c.735 - 720 BC	In the First Messenian War, Sparta subjugates its neighbour, Messenia, after a fifteen year struggle. Many Messenians are reduced to the status of helots, the servant class which maintains the warrior elite for much of Sparta's history.
c.740 - 700 BC	Alcamenes		Son of Teleclus.
c.720 - 675 BC		Theopompus
c.700 - 665 BC	Polydorus
c.675 - 660 BC		Anaxandridas I	Or c.675-645 BC on some lists.
c.665 - 640 BC	Eurycrates
c.660 - 645 BC		Archidamus I	Or c.600-575 BC on some lists.
c.648 - 631 BC	The Messenians revolt and in the Second Messenian War they manage to keep Sparta at bay for seventeen years until Spartan skill at arms defeats them, most especially after an eleven year siege of the stronghold of Ira (or Eira) and final defeat at the Battle of the Great Foss.
c.645 - 625 BC		Anaxilas	Replaced by Zeuxidamas on some lists.
c.640 - 615 BC	Anaxander
c.625 - 600 BC		Leotychidas I	Replaced by Anaxidamus on some lists.
c.615 - 590 BC	Eurycratidas
	Sparta suffers during a devastating war with the Greek state of Tegea, with no victor on either side. The long-standing hostility between the two states is believed to date from the reign of Charillis (c.775-750 BC).
c.600 - 575 BC		Hippocratidas	Replaced by Archidamus II (c.675-660 BC) on some lists.
c.590 - 560 BC	Leon/Lindius		Son of Eurycratidas.
	Under Leon, the Spartans fight to a draw with Tegea.
c.575 - 550 BC		Agasicles
c.560 - 520 BC	Anaxandridas II
	Anaxandridas finally brings about a Spartan defeat of Tegea.
c.550 - 515 BC		Ariston
c.520 - 490 BC	Cleomenes I		Son of Anaxandridas. Schemed to replace Demaratus as king.
c.515 - 491 BC		Demaratus	Son of Ariston, but his parentage was questionable.
c.490 - 480 BC	Leonidas I		Half brother of Cleomenes I. m Gorgo, dau of Cleomenes I.
480 - 479 BC	Leonidas achieves everlasting fame as a result of the events in the Battle of Thermopylae against the Persians in 480 BC. The 300 Spartans of Leonidas' personal guard leads a force totalling no more than 7,000 Greeks which includes Thebans, Helots, Athenians, and Thespians. The Persian army is held up long enough for the Athenians to prepare their navy for a seaborne engagement with the Persian fleet. Greek victory at the Battle of Salamis leaves much of the Persian navy destroyed and Xerxes is forced to retreat to Asia, leaving his army in Greece under Mardonius, who meets the Greeks in a final battle. The Spartans, now at full strength, lead a pan-Greek army at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC which decisively defeats the Persians and ends the Greco-Persian War.
491 - 476 BC		Leotychidas II	Leotychidas I on some lists. Gained throne through Cleomenes.
480 - 458 BC	Pleistarchus		Son of Leonidas I.
469 - 427? BC		Archidamus II	Grandson of Leotychidas II. Regent (476-469)? d.427/6.
468 - 458 BC	The Third Messenian War is sparked by a helot revolt following the massive earthquake of 464 BC, which had caused the Spartans heavy losses. The helots fortify themselves at Ithome and Sparta eventually negotiates a settlement with them.
458 - 408 BC	Pleistoanax		Cousin of Pleistarchus. Exiled 446-428 BC.
460 - c.445 BC	Pleistoanax advocates peace during the First Peloponnesian War. In 446 BC he is charged by the Spartans with taking a bribe, probably from Pericles of Athens, to withdraw from the plain of Eleusis in Attica after leading the Peloponnesian forces there following the revolts of Euboea and Megara from the Athenian Empire, and is exiled. His father is regent in his stead. In fact, Pericles was probably offering good peace terms. In 428 BC, Pleistoanax is recalled and restored in obedience to the advice of the Delphic oracle.
431 - 404 BC	The Second Peloponnesian War brings mighty Athens and its empire to its knees and establishes Sparta as the greatest Greek power.
427 - 399 BC		Agis II	Ruled until 401/400 BC on some lists. Son of Archidamus II.
408 - 395 BC	Pausanias		Father of Pleistoanax. Brother of Leonidas. Regent 446-428.
395 - 387 BC	At the start of the Corinthian War, Pausanias fails to join forces with Lysander, and for this is condemned to death and replaced as king by his son Agesipolis I. Pausanias escapes to exile in Tegea. He also travels to the Persian Empire and marries a Persian princess. At some point he returns to Sparta and is killed by the populace. Sparta fights the war against a coalition of four allied states; Thebes, Athens, Corinth, and Argos; all initially backed by Persia.
399 - 360 BC		Agesilaus II	Half-brother of Agis II.
395 - 380 BC	Agesipolis I		Son of Pausanias.
380 - 371 BC	Cleombrotus I		Brother. Little is known of his early life.
371 BC	Part of the post-Peloponnesian War conflicts. Cleombrotus leads the allied Spartan-Peloponnesian army against the Thebans under Epaminondas at the Battle of Leuctra. His death and the utter defeat of his army leads to the end of Spartan dominance in Greece.
371 - 370 BC	Agesipolis II		Son.
370 - 309 BC	Cleomenes II		Brother.
360 - 338 BC		Archidamus III	Son of Agesilaus II.
338 BC	Philip II of Macedonia defeats the Greek states at the Battle of Chaeronea and gains overlordship over all of Greece.
338 - 331 BC		Agis III	Son. Killed by Antipater of Macedonia after a rebellion.
331 - c.305 BC		Eudamidas I	Brother.
309 - 265 BC	Areus I		Grandson of Cleomenes II.
265 BC	Areus dies in battle near Corinth during the Chremonidean War (267-261 BC), which is fought between a coalition of Greek city states including Athens and Sparta for the restoration of their independence from Macedonian influence, aided by the Ptolemaic Egyptians.
c.305 - 275 BC		Archidamus IV	Son of Eudamidas I. Defeated by Macedonia in 296 BC.
c.275 - 244 BC		Eudamidas II	Son.
265 - 262 BC	Acrotatus		Son of Areus I.
262 - 254 BC	Areus II		Son.
254 - 235 BC	Leonidas II		Grandson of Cleomenes II.
c.243 - 241 BC	The ephor (elected officials who helped the kings govern), Lysander, claims to see a sign from the gods against Leonidas and the king flees to avoid a trial. In his absence, Leonidas is deposed and replaced by his son-in-law, Cleombrotus, who opposes the attempted reforms of his co-regent, Agis IV.
244 - 241 BC		Agis IV	Son of Eudamidas II. Murdered.
c.243 - 241 BC	Cleombrotus II		Not on all lists. Son-in-law & reigned during Leonidas' exile.
241 - c.228 BC		Eudamidas III	Son of Agis IV. Succeeded by his uncle.
235 - 222 BC	Cleomenes III		Son of Cleombrotus II. Fled to Egypt. In exile (222-219 BC).
227 - 219 BC	Cleomenes III is a great reformer of social conditions in Sparta following the example set by Agis IV, although in 227 BC he removes his political opposition in a coup, including Archidamus V, and installs Eucleidas as his co-ruler. For his last campaign in 222 BC, he faces 28,000 Macedonians with 10,000 Spartans at the Battle of Sellasia, but despite good positioning and fighting his forces are overwhelmed. He takes refuge at Alexandria in Egypt with Ptolemy Euergetes, but is arrested by his successor in 219 BC. He escapes, tries to raise a revolt which fails, and to avoid capture he takes his own life. With him perishes Sparta's last hope of recovering her ancient supremacy in Greece.
c.228 - 227 BC		Archidamus V	Removed and possibly killed by Cleomenes III.
c.227 - 222 BC		Eucleidas	Brother of Cleomenes III.
222 - 219 BC	Following the death of Cleomenes III, the Spartan system begins to disintegrate and from 221-219 BC Sparta is governed as a republic.
219 - 215 BC	Agesipolis III		Not on all lists. Grandson of Cleombrotus III. Deposed.
219 - 215 BC		Lycurgus	Ended the joint kingship.
215 BC	Lycurgus ends the joint kingship by deposing Agesipolis III and not replacing him with another Agid king. From this point onwards, the House of Eurypontidae rules Sparta alone with a series of cruel and rapacious kings.
215 - 210 BC	Lycurgus
210 - 207 BC	Machanidas		Guardian of Pelops. A tyrant.
210 - 206 BC	Pelops		The last king from the two houses. Opposed Machanidas.
206 - 192 BC	Nabis		Usurper. Assassinated.
192 BC	After Nabis, who claims to be a descendant of Demaratus (c.515-491 BC), tries to restore Spartan power in the region, an army is dispatched by the Achaean League to force Sparta to join, bringing the kingdom to an end.
192 - ? BC	Laconicus		Of royal blood, but relationship unknown. Last king of Sparta.
146 BC	The Achaean League is dissolved by Rome and Greece is annexed to the Roman province of Macedonia.

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