# Cleomenes — Histories character guide

> Cleomenes in Histories by Herodotus.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Cleomenes the son of Anaxandrides, Cleomenes the Lacedaemonian

**First appearance:** 0006-book-v-terpsichore

## Snapshot

Spartan king whose schemes against Athens and Aegina make him a cautionary tale about royal ambition unchecked by law or sanity.

## Who they are

Cleomenes rules Sparta alongside a rival king and meddles relentlessly in the affairs of Athens and Aegina, often against the wishes of his own citizens. His erratic behavior and willingness to bribe oracles and manipulate allies expose the fault lines inside Sparta's dual kingship. His career matters because it shows how Greek resistance to Persia was shaped as much by internal feuds as by foreign threat.

## In the story

### [Book VI: Erato](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/histories_se/chapters/book-vi-erato)

Cleomenes, king of Sparta, crosses to Aegina to seize those who gave earth and water to Darius, but is opposed by the Aeginetans and accused by Demaratos.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/histories_se/characters/cleomenes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/histories_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/histories_se/characters