Pleistarchus (Ancient Greek: Πλείσταρχος Pleistarchos; died c. 458 BC) was the Agiad King of Sparta from 480 to 458 BC.[2]
| Pleistarchus | |
|---|---|
| King of Sparta | |
| Reign | 480–459 BC |
| Predecessor | Leonidas I |
| Successor | Pleistoanax |
| Died | c. 458 BC |
| Father | Leonidas I[1] |
| Mother | Gorgo |
Biography
editPleistarchus was born as a prince, likely the only son of King Leonidas I and Queen Gorgo. His grandparents were Kings Anaxandridas II and Cleomenes I.[3] He was born from an avunculate marriage – his parents were uncle and niece.[4] His uncle Cleombrotus was his tutor.[5]
Pleistarchus' father King Leonidas perished in 480 BC at the Battle of Thermopylae. For the early part of Pleistarchus's reign, his uncle Cleombrotus acted as regent; after Cleombrotus's death in 479 BC, Pleistarchus's cousin Pausanias was regent.[6]
It is unknown whether Pleistarchus was married. He died without an heir, and was succeeded by Pleistoanax, son of Pausanias.[7]
He had no known surviving relatives after his death, marking the end of his bloodline.
Notes
edit- ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology/Pleistarchus 1.
- ^ Jona Lendering (2006-03-31). "Eurypontids and Agiads". Livius.org. Archived from the original on 2005-11-18. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
- ^ Herodotus; Histories, A. D. Godley (translator), Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1920; ISBN 0-674-99133-8. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- ^ "Gorgo of Sparta". Ancienthistory.about.com. 2011-07-07. Archived from the original on 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2011-07-24.
- ^ Herodotus, The Greek-Persian War (Osiris, Budapest, 2000) ISBN 963-379-309-2
- ^ The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
- ^ Bradford, Alfred S. (2011). Leonidas and the Kings of Sparta. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-313-38598-8.