Agesilaus II Agesilaus II , or Agesilaos II ( ) ( 444 – 360 BCE ) was a Eurypontid king of the Ancient Greek city - state of Sparta , ruling from approximately 400 BCE to 360 BCE , during most of which time he was , in Plutarch ' s words , " as good as thought commander and king of all Greece , " and was for the whole of it greatly identified with his country ' s deeds and fortunes . Small in stature and lame from birth , Agesilaus became ruler somewhat unexpectedly in his mid - forties . His early reign saw successful military incursions into various states in what is now Turkey , although several diplomatic decisions resulted in Sparta becoming increasingly isolated prior to his death at the age of 84 in Cyrenaica ( part of modern Libya ) . History . Early life . Agesilaus was the son of Archidamus II and his second wife , Eupoleia , brother to Cynisca ( the first woman in ancient history to achieve an Olympic victory ) , and younger half - brother of Agis II . The is little surviving detail on the youth of Agesilaus . Lame from birth , he was not expected to succeed to the throne after his brother king Agis II , especially because the latter had a son ( Leotychidas ) . Therefore , Agesilaus was trained in the traditional curriculum of Sparta , the " agoge . " However , Leotychidas was ultimately set aside as illegitimate ( contemporary rumors representing him as the son of Alcibiades ) and Agesilaus became king around 401 BC , at the age of about forty . In addition to questions of his nephew ' s paternity , Agesilaus ' succession was largely due to the intervention of his Spartan general , Lysander , who hoped to find in him a willing tool for the furtherance of his political designs . Lysander and the young Agesilaus came to maintain an intimate relation ( see Pederasty in Ancient Greece ) , as was common of the period . Their unique relationship would serve an important role during Agesilaus ' later campaigns in Asia Minor . Early reign . Agesilaus is first recorded as king during the suppression of the conspiracy of Cinadon , shortly after 398 BCE . Then , in 396 BC , Agesilaus crossed into Asia with a force of 2 , 000 neodamodes ( freed helots ) and 6 , 000 allies ( including 30 Spartiates ) to liberate Greek cities from Persian dominion . On the eve of sailing from Aulis he attempted to offer a sacrifice , as Agamemnon had done before the Trojan expedition , but the Thebans intervened to prevent it , an insult for which he never forgave them . On his arrival at Ephesus a three months ' truce was concluded with Tissaphernes , the satrap of Lydia and Caria , but negotiations conducted during that time proved fruitless , and on its termination Agesilaus raided Phrygia , where he easily won immense booty from the satrap Pharnabazus ; Tissaphernes could offer no assistance , as he had concentrated his troops in Caria . In these campaigns Agesilaus also benefited from the aid of the Ten Thousand ( a mercenary army ) , who marched through miles of Persian territory to reach the Black Sea . After spending the winter organizing a cavalry force ( " hippeis " ) , he made a successful incursion into Lydia in the spring of 395 BC . Tithraustes was sent to replace Tissaphernes , who paid with his life for his continued failure . An armistice was concluded between Tithraustes and Agesilaus , who left the southern satrapy and again invaded Phrygia , which he ravaged until the following spring . He then came to an agreement with Pharnabazus and once more turned southward . During these campaigns , Lysander attempted to manipulate Agesilaus into ceding his authority . Agesilaus , the former passive lover of Lysander , would have nothing of this , and reminded Lysander ( who was only a Spartan general ) who was king . He had Lysander sent away to assist the naval campaigns in the Aegean . This dominating move by Agesilaus earned the respect of his men - at - arms and of Lysander himself , who remained emotionally close with Agesilaus . In 394 BC , while encamped on the plain of Thebe , he was planning a campaign in the interior , or even an attack on Artaxerxes II himself , when he was recalled to Greece owing to the war between Sparta and the combined forces of Athens , Thebes , Corinth , Argos and several minor states . A rapid march through Thrace and Macedonia brought him to Thessaly , where he repulsed the Thessalian cavalry who tried to impede him . Reinforced by Phocian and Orchomenian troops and a Spartan army , he met the confederate forces at Coronea in Boeotia and in a hotly contested battle was technically victorious . However , the Spartan baggage train was ransacked and Agesilaus himself was injured during the fighting , resulting in a subsequent retreat by way of Delphi to the Peloponnese . Shortly before this battle the Spartan navy , of which he had received the supreme command , was totally defeated off Cnidus by a powerful Persian fleet under Conon and Pharnabazus . During these conflicts in mainland Greece , Lysander perished while attacking the walls of Thebes . Pausanias , the second king of Sparta ( see Spartan Constitution for more information on Sparta ' s dual monarchy ) , was supposed to provide Lysander with reinforcements as they marched into Boeotia , yet failed to arrive in time to assist Lysander , likely because Pausanias disliked him for his brash and arrogant attitude towards the Spartan royalty and government . Pausanias failed to fight for the bodies of the dead , and because he retrieved the bodies under truce ( a sign of defeat ) , he was disgraced and banished from Sparta . In 393 BCE , Agesilaus engaged in a ravaging invasion of Argolis . In 392 BCE he took a prominent part in the Corinthian War , making several successful expeditions into Corinthian territory and capturing Lechaeum and Piraeus . The loss , however , of a battalion ( mora ) , destroyed by Iphicrates , neutralized these successes , and Agesilaus returned to Sparta . In 389 BCE he conducted a campaign in Acarnania , but two years later the Peace of Antalcidas , warmly supported by Agesilaus , put an end to hostilities . In this interval , Agesilaus declined command over Sparta ' s aggression on Mantineia , and justified Phoebidas ' seizure of the Theban Cadmea so long as the outcome provided glory to Sparta . Decline . When war broke out afresh with Thebes Agesilaus twice invaded Boeotia ( in 378 BCE and 377 BCE ) , although he spent the next five years largely out of action due to an unspecified but apparently grave illness . In the congress of 371 BCE an altercation is recorded between him and the Theban general Epaminondas , and due to his influence Thebes was peremptorily excluded from the peace , and orders given for Cleombrotus to march against Thebes in 371 BCE . Cleombrotus was defeated at Leuctra and the Spartan supremacy overthrown . In 370 BC Agesilaus was engaged in an embassy to Mantineia , and reassured the Spartans with an invasion of Arcadia . He preserved an un - walled Sparta against the revolts and conspiracies of helot s , perioeci and even other Spartans ; and against external enemies , with four different armies led by Epaminondas penetrating Laconia that same year . Again , in 362 BCE , Epaminondas almost succeeded in seizing the city bwith a rapid and unexpected march . The Battle of Mantinea , in which Agesilaus took no part , was followed by a general peace : Sparta , however , stood aloof , hoping even yet to recover her supremacy . According to Xenophon , Agesilaus , in order to gain money for prosecuting the war , supported the satrap Ariobarzanes II in his revolt against Artaxerxes II in 364 BCE ( Revolt of the Satraps ) , and in 361 BCE he went to Egypt at the head of a mercenary force to aid the king Nectanebo I and his regent Teos against Persia . He soon transferred his services to Teos ' s cousin and rival Nectanebo II , who , in return for his help , gave him a sum of over 200 talents . On his way home Agesilaus died in Cyrenaica , around the age of 84 , after a reign of some 41 years . His body was embalmed in wax , and buried at Sparta . Legacy . Agesilaus was of small stature and unimpressive appearance , and was lame from birth . These facts were used as an argument against his succession , an oracle having warned Sparta against a " lame reign . " Most ancient writers considered him a highly successful leader in guerrilla warfare , alert and quick , yet cautious — a man , moreover , whose personal bravery was rarely questioned in his own time . Of his courage , temperance , and hardiness , many instances are cited : and to these were added the less Spartan qualities of kindliness and tenderness as a father and a friend . As examples : there is the story of his riding across a stick ( horse made of stick ) with his children and upon being discovered by a friend desiring that he not mention till he himself were the father of children ; and because of the affection of his son Archidamus ' for Cleonymus , he saved Sphodrias , Cleonymus ' father , from execution for his incursion into the Piraeus , and dishonorable retreat , in 378 BCE . Modern writers tend to be slightly more critical of Agesilaus ' reputation and achievements , reckoning him an excellent soldier , but one who had a poor understanding of sea power and siegecraft . As a statesman he won himself both enthusiastic adherents and bitter enemies . Agesilaus was most successful in the opening and closing periods of his reign : commencing but then surrendering a glorious career in Asia ; and in extreme age , maintaining his prostrate country . Other writers acknowledge his extremely high popularity at home , but suggest his occasionally rigid and arguably irrational political loyalties and convictions contributed greatly to Spartan decline , notably his unremitting hatred of Thebes , which led to Sparta ' s humiliation at the Battle of Leuctra and thus the end of Spartan hegemony . Other historical accounts paint Agesilaus as a prototype for the ideal leader . His awareness , thoughtfulness , and wisdom were all traits to be emulated diplomatically , while his bravery and shrewdness in battle epitomized the heroic Greek commander . These historians point towards the unstable oligarchies established by Lysander in the former Athenian Empire and the failures of Spartan leaders ( such as Pausanias and Kleombrotos ) for the eventually suppression of Spartan power . The ancient historian Xenophon was a huge admirer and served under Agesilaus during the campaigns into Asia Minor . Plutarch includes among his 78 essays and speeches comprising the apophthegmata Agesilaus ' letter to the ephor s on his recall : And when asked whether he wanted a memorial erected in his honor : He lived in the most frugal style alike at home and in the field , and though his campaigns were undertaken largely to secure booty , he was content to enrich the state and his friends and to return as poor as he had set forth . He was succeeded by his son Archidamus III . Selected quotes . When someone was praising an orator for his ability to magnify small points , he said , " In my opinion it ' s not a good cobbler who fits large shoes on small feet . " Another time he watched a mouse being pulled from its hole by a small boy . When the mouse turned around , bit the hand of its captor and escaped , he pointed this out to those present and said , " When the tiniest creature defends itself like this against aggressors , what ought men to do , do you reckon ? " Certainly when somebody asked what gain the laws of Lycurgus had brought Sparta , he answered , " Contempt for pleasures . " Asked once how far Sparta ' s boundaries stretched , he brandished his spear and said , " As far as this can reach . " On noticing a house in Asia roofed with square beams , he asked the owner whether timber grew square in that area . When told no , it grew round , he said , " What then ? If it were square , would you make it round ? " As he was dying on the voyage back from Egypt , he gave instructions to those close to him that they should not be responsible for making any image of his person , be it modeled or painted or copied , " For if I have accomplished any glorious feat , that will be my memorial . But if I have not , not even all the statues in the world — the products of vulgar , worthless men — would make any difference . " Invited to hear an actor who could perfectly imitate the nightingale , Agesilaus declined , saying he had heard the nightingale itself .