death_date birth_date reign native_lang_name father death_place title image_size image native_lang name predecessor birth_place queen issue successor mother religion article_title
480 bc -lrb- aged around 60 -rrb- c. 540 bc 489 -- 480 bc Λεωνίδας anaxandridas ii thermopylae king of sparta 230px leonidas i of sparta.jpg greek leonidas i cleomenes i sparta gorgo pleistarchus pleistarchus '' unknown '' greek polytheism leonidas i

leonidas i

leonidas i -lrb- or ; doric and modern greek : , '' '' ; ionic greek : Λεωνίδης , `` leōnidēs '' ; died 480 bc -rrb- , was a greek warrior king of the greek city-state of sparta .
he led the spartan forces during the second persian war and is remembered for his death at the battle of thermopylae .
leonidas was the third son of anaxandridas ii of sparta , and thus belonged to the agiad dynasty , who claimed descent from the hero heracles .
