It's July of the year 371 BC. The Spartan army is camping on a hill near the town of Luktra in Beosha. The sun has yet to rise from behind the mountains and shed its light across the plain. Spartan King Cleon Broters emerges from his tent to find the Theban army pitching camp a few kilometers to the northeast, undoubtedly, readying for battle. A faint smile could be seen on his face, a decisive battle that will shake the very balance of power in ancient Greece is about to begin. This video is sponsored by the Great Courses Plus. Want to take a deeper delve into the world of history? Then check out thegreatcoursesplus.com, a collection of subscribed lectures and courses curated by some of the finest academics from the world's leading learning institutes. With over 11,000 video lectures, there is a wealth of knowledge to plumb. Wish to know more about the people of Ancient Greece? Then have a look at their series on famous Greeks. Or since you're here for battle, then perhaps the decisive battles of world history would be to your taste. Regardless, help support our channel by clicking the link in the description below. Visit the Great Courses Plus and take advantage of an amazing free trial that is currently on offer, available on all major digital platforms, whether you're at home or on the move. Never in history has it been easier to learn. It is summer of the year 375 BC. A mere couple of months have passed since the Spartan War Party suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Ban general Palopadas near the town of Tigirra. This battle resulted in a serious blow to the Spartan reputation of invincibility. The Thibans didn't expect such a surprising yet still relatively minor victory which shift the balance of power in the region, and Spartan hegemony remained a deadly threat for their path to independence. Still, the Biotian League, revived by the Thiban leaders several years earlier, was growing stronger year by year, and beleaguered Spartan military expeditions could do little to stop it, slowly tipping the power in the Biotian city-states in favour of Thibs. The latter's successors also sparked growing concern in nearby Athens, which supported the Thiban Cours against Spartas since the Corinthian War 15 years earlier. The City of Thibs was on a good course to restore its political and military position. In 373 BC, the Thiban leaders tore down the walls of the pro-Spartan town of Thesspee and captured the city of Plataire, expelling its inhabitants. This proved too much for the Athenian aristocracy as Plataire was their long-standing ally, and from that point on, any cooperation between Thibs and Athens was a thing of the past. What's more, Athenians made a temporary truce with Sparta, but this didn't last for too long and soon hostilities broke out once again. As the war dragged on for a full eight years, early in 371 BC, a peace conference was held at Sparta to reconsider their ways by appeasing the war-weary belligerence and ending the conflict. The gathering was not only attended by Athens' Sparta and Thibs, but also representatives of other Greek states, including Macedonia and even Persian king Artisersis, who was still able to interfere in Greek internal affairs. Though primary sources vary as for the course of the conference, the peace treaty was agreed on between all parties, and the Greek world was seemingly at peace once again. But the very next day, Eirpamanondas, leader of the Thibin delegation, insisted to sign the treaty not for the Thibins alone, but on behalf of the entire Bioschen League. The Sparta king Agacelas obviously turned down this request, as this would proclaim that Thibs had the power to represent all of the city-states in Bioscher. In turn, Eirpamanondas pointed out that if this were to be the case, the cities of the Spartan-led Peloponnesian League should be allowed the same and also sign independently. As a result of this dispute, King Agacelas struck Thibs from the treaty and both sides began preparing for war. Eirpamanondas and his retinue rushed back to Bioscher to gather their defences, as they knew that the Spartan king Cleombrotus of the Eirgir dynasty was campaigning with his army to the northwest and was soon to be informed about the failed peace talks in Sparta. Indeed, when Eirpamanondas reached Thibs, the Spartan army in Fosus was already reported to be moving east. Thibins had most of the routes in Bioscher fortified, but Cleombrotus chose a largely underfunded path to the south and took the port of Cresus, capturing some of the Thibin warships. From there, the Spartan army proceeded inland, setting a camp west of the town of Lucre, a mere 10 miles from the city of Thibs, where local states been discussed whether to meet them in battle or rather to hole up behind city walls and hope for the best. The choice wasn't easy, as the Thibins were able to field just around 6,000 hoplites and no more than 1,000 riders. In comparison, Cleombrotus had 10,000 hoplites at his disposal, supplemented by a cavalry unit. Moreover, the fierce Spartan warriors had an intimidating reputation as they had never been defeated in a major hoplite battle, and their notoriety of being invincible on the battlefield was also widespread among other Greek city states. Tensions were running high in the Thibin camp, as chief officers, the Biotox, discussed possible solutions. Initially, they leaned towards the idea of defending inside the city, but eventually Airpamanondas and his friend Pylopidus, who had defeated the Spartans near Tigirra, managed to convince the rest to take the risk, marched to Lucre and meet the threat on the field. Early on 6 July 371 BC, the Thibin army reached the plain near Lucre and both sides began deployment. Spartan King Cleombrotus formed the usual fairly even line with a strong right wing comprising of elite sparshirts and regular allied troops making up the rest of the line. The fairly inexperienced cavalrymen were unconventionally put in the front of the line. Airpamanondas, who took charge of the entire Thibin army, was expected to roughly mirror the Spartan array, placing his best men on the right wing and hoping the Biot would result in a favourable outcome. But knowing his sub-power numbers and renown of his opponent, he employed a different unorthodox tactic. While the ocean cavalry was also put in the front, the Thibin's most experienced units along with the sacred band under the command of Pylopidus were placed on the left directly against the Spartans' top men and generals. Moreover, the Thibin left flank was extraordinarily deep, likely to add pushing power to the front ranks and hopefully break the enemy's cohesion. This didn't come without risk though, as the rest of the Thibin battle line comprising of Biotian allies was just a few ranks deep, standing little chance against their Spartan counterparts. The battle started with a cavalry skirmish in front of both armies. Thibin horsemen were not only more experienced, but also a slightly greater number and after a brief engagement, they managed to route the Spartan cavalry, which ran through their own infantry line temporarily causing some disarray. In the meantime, Thibin infantry moved forward in an echelon formation, with their left moving fast and the rest of the line lagging behind to avoid the clash as long as possible. Cleonbrotus eventually realised the different alignment of the enemy line and yelled orders to reform his own line, but soon, the Thibin left flank slammed into the Spartans and the fierce scrum of battle ensued. The shouting of orders was barely audible among the horrific clamor of bent armour and human agony as men perished one by one on both sides. But local superiority of the Thibin force and military prowess of the sacred band soon yielded the results airpum and on thus headhawk for. The Spartan right flank crumbled, being pushed back and soon many leading officers were slain. As a critical point, Polopidas saw an opening and led his men forward to attack the Spartan king. In a matter of minutes, Cleonbrotus was mortally wounded and although his body was retrieved by his companions, it was a crushing blow for the Spartans as their right flank collapsed as soldiers ran from the battlefield. Following this, the Thibin centre and right eventually moved forward, while airpum and on the desks and Polopidas were about to flank their enemy. But tactical disadvantage and loss of leading generals soon caused the rest of the Spartan army to retreat to the camp as well. More than 1000 men were killed on the Spartan side. Among the dead, around 400 Spartans, the a geared king of Sparta and many high ranked officers. Thibin losses were much lower as roughly 10 dozen perished. The battle of Luktre was not only a great victory for the Thibins, but also a significant shock for the Greek world, as the myth of Spartan invincibility was ruthlessly obliterated by the Thibin generals Airpum and on Dess and Polopidas. The great loss of prestige and military influence of Sparta in subsequent years enabled Thibs to expand even further, soon becoming the most powerful city state in ancient Greece.