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Leonidas, king of Sparta, is one of the most legendary commanders in military history. Not necessarily for his tactics or victories, mind you, just for being such a seasoned badass who lends himself well to all manner of comics, movies, and video games. Born sometime in the 6th century BCE to the Agiad king Anaxandridas II, Leonidas was actually the third of four sons, and thus wasn't really expected to take the throne. Anaxandridas's first son Cleomenes was born to his second wife, tacked onto his household when the Ephors demanded the king produce an heir. Leonidas was born to Anaxandridas's first wife (who was also his niece), who inconveniently gave birth to three boys immediately after Cleomenes arrived on the scene. Apparently, despite being less inbred than his brothers, Cleomenes was reported to be a bit of a nutcase that no one liked. Leonidas's older brother, Dorieus, expected to be the true heir to the throne as a result, but the Ephors dicked him over. Cleomenes was crowned, and Dorieus was so angry about the decision that he took a band of his buddies and just bounced out of town to found a colony elsewhere. I guess if you can't be king of your own country, being king in someone else's country will do just as well. Dorieus was ultimately killed in battle against the Carthaginians in 510 BCE, and ironically if he had just waited it out, he would've eventually gotten the crown. Cleomenes died in 490 BCE without producing any male heirs, so at that point the Agiad crown passed instead to our buddy Leonidas. Just in time for the Achaemenids to invade…

The Persian invasion of Greece was initially the brain-child of the shah Darius the Great, who in 491 BCE sent emissaries to all the Greek states demanding they submit, or die. The Spartan response to this was to throw the emissaries down a well, because of course they did. That's about as close as you're gonna get to Spartan diplomacy. The Persians invaded, but were pushed back by Athens at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE. Darius died in 486 BCE, leaving his son Xerxes to pick up the torch. By 480 BCE, Xerxes was on the march with thousands of Immortals, and many Greek city-states, previously bitter rivals, were forced to unite their forces to ward off this indomitable threat. The league was headed by Leonidas and his Spartans, as they were the premier military power in the region. Like his father before him, Xerxes sent the Spartans a message, though his was more direct. The shah demanded that the Greeks lay down their arms and surrender their weapons. Leonidas did not throw these messengers down a well, not out of mercy, but to send them back with his reply: "Molon labe", come and take them.

While the Athenians prevented a Persian advance at sea, Leonidas led a coalition of hoplites to stand ready at a pass named for its famous hot springs, Thermopylae. While Leonidas's army was headed by a squadron of 300 Spartan hoplites, his total army actually consisted of 7000 men from other allied city-states. The Greeks had an extremely strong position on the battlefield, and for those first few autumn days, the line held against the Immortals. Xerxes may well have retreated if they could hold out any longer, as the king had more strategic battles to fight elsewhere, and could ill-afford the distraction here. However, a traitor named Ephialtes snuck his way into the Persian camp one night, and informed them of a secret path through the mountains. It was steep, and so narrow that the Immortals would have to march single file, but it was a worthwhile risk. The Achaemenids emerged on the other side of the Greek lines, silent as owls, and ambushed Leonidas's force. Most of his men he sent away, that they may live to see their families again, but 700 Thespians and 400 Thebens were so inspired by the Spartans' noble sacrifice that they pledged to fight alongside them. Realizing the battle was lost anyway, the remaining hoplites vaulted their own defensive walls to meet the Persians head on. They would dine in Hades that night.

Before the battle, Leonidas had consulted the Oracle of Delphi for advice and comfort. She told him that the Spartans would either lose their kingdom or lose their king. Spartans to the end, Leonidas and his 300 fought to the last man. Being on the front lines, Leonidas would fall early, and while the Greeks were able to claim his body, the Persians had already decapitated it and placed the head on a pike for all to see. The Battle of Thermopylae was a complete disaster, and it paved the way for Xerxes to advance on Athens and burn the Acropolis as his father once swore to do. Yet, we often remember this loss more than we do the stunning victories at Salamis and Plataea, which actually managed to push the Persians back. This story of rival Greek cultures putting their differences aside to stand up against an oppressive force from the East became ingrained in modern Greek identity. This narrative, which if you've been following my coverage of the players involved, you know is a half truth at best and an outright lie at worst, has no less inspired generations of fighters for better or worse. It inspired the troops during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in the 1820s, but it also encouraged their descendants to inflict awful acts of nationalistic violence and discrimination against their Muslim citizens. Hell, the most famous adaptation is the 1998 graphic novel 300, written by Frank Miller, a man who doesn't exactly have a great track record when it comes to his portrayals of Eastern peoples. Let's not put words in the mouths of men who gave up their lives 2000 years ago, hmm? Hell, the Spartans would even ally with Iran just a couple generations later to destroy their former friends, Athens, during the Peloponnesian War, so clearly they weren't as preoccupied with the East vs. West mentality as many writers since Herodotus would like us to believe.

Design notes, as I've said before, dunking on 300 for historical inaccuracy is a bit redundant at this point. No Spartans didn't go into battle shirtless. Well okay I'm sure there's always that one guy but no one bothered to write down the story of Testicles the Streaker so he doesn't get to represent the historical practices of the Spartans. That in mind, I still find it funny how one of the most famous depictions of Leonidas is the 1814 painting by Jacques-Louis David, which just has the man stark naked with a case of serious resting-bitch face. I pretty much just took the cape and sword design from that reference and went looking for other, more clothed depictions of Leonidas. I predominantly took notes from a few statues of the king scattered around the modern city of Sparta. There were a few other illustrations I found but couldn't place the original source, so I didn't even know if any of the men depicted were Leonidas specifically. Gods, I hate Pinterest. Overall, I'm not entirely happy with how this came out, and I may return to redesign it at some point. I'm mainly just on the fence about the breastplate to be honest. But like a lot of these, for a D&D token, it served its purpose well enough.

Description
Leonidas, king of Sparta, is one of the most legendary commanders in military history. Not necessarily for his tactics or victories, mind you, just for being such a seasoned badass who lends himself well to all manner of comics, movies, and video games. Born sometime in the 6th century BCE to the Agiad king Anaxandridas II, Leonidas was actually the third of four sons, and thus wasn't really expected to take the throne. Anaxandridas's first son Cleomenes was born to his second wife, tacked onto his household when the Ephors demanded the king produce an heir. Leonidas was born to Anaxandridas's first wife (who was also his niece), who inconveniently gave birth to three boys immediately after Cleomenes arrived on the scene. Apparently, despite being less inbred than his brothers, Cleomenes was reported to be a bit of a nutcase that no one liked. Leonidas's older brother, Dorieus, expected to be the true heir to the throne as a result, but the Ephors dicked him over. Cleomenes was crowned, and Dorieus was so angry about the decision that he took a band of his buddies and just bounced out of town to found a colony elsewhere. I guess if you can't be king of your own country, being king in someone else's country will do just as well. Dorieus was ultimately killed in battle against the Carthaginians in 510 BCE, and ironically if he had just waited it out, he would've eventually gotten the crown. Cleomenes died in 490 BCE without producing any male heirs, so at that point the Agiad crown passed instead to our buddy Leonidas. Just in time for the Achaemenids to invade…

The Persian invasion of Greece was initially the brain-child of the shah Darius the Great, who in 491 BCE sent emissaries to all the Greek states demanding they submit, or die. The Spartan response to this was to throw the emissaries down a well, because of course they did. That's about as close as you're gonna get to Spartan diplomacy. The Persians invaded, but were pushed back by Athens at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE. Darius died in 486 BCE, leaving his son Xerxes to pick up the torch. By 480 BCE, Xerxes was on the march with thousands of Immortals, and many Greek city-states, previously bitter rivals, were forced to unite their forces to ward off this indomitable threat. The league was headed by Leonidas and his Spartans, as they were the premier military power in the region. Like his father before him, Xerxes sent the Spartans a message, though his was more direct. The shah demanded that the Greeks lay down their arms and surrender their weapons. Leonidas did not throw these messengers down a well, not out of mercy, but to send them back with his reply: "Molon labe", come and take them.

While the Athenians prevented a Persian advance at sea, Leonidas led a coalition of hoplites to stand ready at a pass named for its famous hot springs, Thermopylae. While Leonidas's army was headed by a squadron of 300 Spartan hoplites, his total army actually consisted of 7000 men from other allied city-states. The Greeks had an extremely strong position on the battlefield, and for those first few autumn days, the line held against the Immortals. Xerxes may well have retreated if they could hold out any longer, as the king had more strategic battles to fight elsewhere, and could ill-afford the distraction here. However, a traitor named Ephialtes snuck his way into the Persian camp one night, and informed them of a secret path through the mountains. It was steep, and so narrow that the Immortals would have to march single file, but it was a worthwhile risk. The Achaemenids emerged on the other side of the Greek lines, silent as owls, and ambushed Leonidas's force. Most of his men he sent away, that they may live to see their families again, but 700 Thespians and 400 Thebens were so inspired by the Spartans' noble sacrifice that they pledged to fight alongside them. Realizing the battle was lost anyway, the remaining hoplites vaulted their own defensive walls to meet the Persians head on. They would dine in Hades that night.

Before the battle, Leonidas had consulted the Oracle of Delphi for advice and comfort. She told him that the Spartans would either lose their kingdom or lose their king. Spartans to the end, Leonidas and his 300 fought to the last man. Being on the front lines, Leonidas would fall early, and while the Greeks were able to claim his body, the Persians had already decapitated it and placed the head on a pike for all to see. The Battle of Thermopylae was a complete disaster, and it paved the way for Xerxes to advance on Athens and burn the Acropolis as his father once swore to do. Yet, we often remember this loss more than we do the stunning victories at Salamis and Plataea, which actually managed to push the Persians back. This story of rival Greek cultures putting their differences aside to stand up against an oppressive force from the East became ingrained in modern Greek identity. This narrative, which if you've been following my coverage of the players involved, you know is a half truth at best and an outright lie at worst, has no less inspired generations of fighters for better or worse. It inspired the troops during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in the 1820s, but it also encouraged their descendants to inflict awful acts of nationalistic violence and discrimination against their Muslim citizens. Hell, the most famous adaptation is the 1998 graphic novel 300, written by Frank Miller, a man who doesn't exactly have a great track record when it comes to his portrayals of Eastern peoples. Let's not put words in the mouths of men who gave up their lives 2000 years ago, hmm? Hell, the Spartans would even ally with Iran just a couple generations later to destroy their former friends, Athens, during the Peloponnesian War, so clearly they weren't as preoccupied with the East vs. West mentality as many writers since Herodotus would like us to believe.

Design notes, as I've said before, dunking on 300 for historical inaccuracy is a bit redundant at this point. No Spartans didn't go into battle shirtless. Well okay I'm sure there's always that one guy but no one bothered to write down the story of Testicles the Streaker so he doesn't get to represent the historical practices of the Spartans. That in mind, I still find it funny how one of the most famous depictions of Leonidas is the 1814 painting by Jacques-Louis David, which just has the man stark naked with a case of serious resting-bitch face. I pretty much just took the cape and sword design from that reference and went looking for other, more clothed depictions of Leonidas. I predominantly took notes from a few statues of the king scattered around the modern city of Sparta. There were a few other illustrations I found but couldn't place the original source, so I didn't even know if any of the men depicted were Leonidas specifically. Gods, I hate Pinterest. Overall, I'm not entirely happy with how this came out, and I may return to redesign it at some point. I'm mainly just on the fence about the breastplate to be honest. But like a lot of these, for a D&D token, it served its purpose well enough.