Many of you may know of King Leonidas from 300, the bloody excellent film where he was portrayed by the rippling physique of Mr Gerard Butler. ... Who was King Leonidas, The Legendary King of Sparta.

Yes, King Leonidas from Record of Ragnarok truly reigned over Sparta in the early 400s BC. That whole story about the small troop of Spartans taking on thousands of Persians is no lie.

Leonidas, king of Sparta, commanded the ground forces at Thermopylae: 300 members of his royal Spartan bodyguard, called the hippeis—the subjects of countless books, movies, ...

Leonidas ponders his reply during a long, tense pause, then draws his sword on the envoy. “This is Sparta !” he cries, as he kicks the Persian down a well to his death. The line has since ...

The myth of Sparta’s martial prowess owes much of its power to a storied feat of heroism accomplished by Leonidas, king of Sparta and hero of the celebrated Battle of Thermopylae (480 B.C.).

Elected annually, the five Ephors were Sparta's highest officials, their powers checking those of the dual kings. There is no evidence they opposed Leonidas' campaign, despite 300's subplot of ...

Its function – repelling hordes of attackers – certainly resonates with King Leonidas of Sparta and his stand with the famous 300 Spartans against the Persians at the Hot Gates of Thermopylae.

The iconic city-state may have fallen nearly 2,400 years ago, but today, 2,000 people still speak the language of these ancient warriors.