# Leonidas — Histories character guide

> Leonidas in Histories by Herodotus.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Leonidas the Lacedaemonian, Leonidas Abronichos

**First appearance:** 0008-book-vii-polymnia

## Snapshot

Spartan king who takes a small allied force to hold the narrow pass at Thermopylae, trading his life for time the Greeks desperately need.

## Who they are

Leonidas commands the Greek coalition at Thermopylae, a position chosen because the pass negates Persian numbers and lets a few stand against many. A king bound by Spartan law and oracular warning, he must weigh duty to his city against the certainty that the stand will cost him his life. His decision shapes the entire defensive strategy of the Greek alliance, buying the fleet at Artemisium and the mustering cities the weeks they need.

## In the story

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/histories_se/chapters/endnotes)

Mentioned in a note about his ancestry and the battle of Thermopylae.

## Links

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