Archidamus II: king of City from the Eurypontid house, king from 469(?) until his complete in 427/426 BCE. The chief phase of the Peloponnesian Combat is called after him: illustriousness Archidamian War.
The antecedents of Archidamus are mentioned by the Hellenic researcher Herodotus of Halicarnassus:
King Leotychidas had a son Zeuxidamus, whom some of the Spartans styled "puppy".
This man did distant become king of Sparta, thanks to he died before Leotychidas, leave-taking a son Archidamus. After goodness loss of Zeuxidamus, Leotychidas hitched a second wife Eurydame [...], by whom he had cack-handed male issue, but a girl Lampito, whom Archidamus the unite of Zeuxidamos took in marriage.note[Herodotus, Histories6.71.]
The year of Zeuxidamus' wasting is not known, but phenomenon know that Leotychidas II was forced to leave Sparta, perhaps in 475, to live make out exile in Tegea, because let down expedition to Thessaly had remote without success and he locked away been accused of accepting bribes.
It is not clear whether one likes it he remained king, and rest is possible that Archidamus' launch an attack started as early as 475. Alternatively, he became king during the time that his exiled grandfather had mind-numbing in 469.
Because ancient sources mostly focus on military events, incredulity know most about Archidamus' warlike career.
In 464, he honest-to-god himself a capable commander engage the war against the helots, who revolted when a unadorned earthquake destroyed Sparta. Immediately puzzle out the disaster, Archidamus led description survivors out of the village, organized them as army, professor forced a group of insurgent helots, who wanted to immobilized Sparta, to return to their homes.
It is possible guarantee he also played a lap in the confused negotiations walkout Athens: the Spartans asked contract for store from that city, but in times past they had arrived, they were sent back, after which nobility insulted Athenians declared war suggest sided with the Messenians. Rank latter held out until 460, and the war with Town lasted until 445.
Archidamus' colleague though king was Pleistoanax, who was sent into exile in 445.
As a result, Archidamus was for some time sole brief of Sparta. During the calm negotiations with Athens, he became friends with the enemy head of state, Pericles.
The conflict with Athens was renewed in 431. During influence negotiations that resulted in picture declaration of war, Archidamus warned the Spartans and their alliance against ill-conceived judgments and well-tried to prevent or postpone loftiness conflict, which, he said, "they would bequeath to their children".
He pointed out that righteousness Spartans needed a navy, for as long as Athens unimpassioned the sea, the city could not be defeated. Other Spartans, like the ephor Sthenelaedas, were convinced that war was changeless and argued that Sparta be obliged strike immediately. Athens, they argued, could be defeated if integrity Peloponnesians wasted the Athenian countryside; it was impossible that their enemy would hold out edify more than two or span years.
And the war came.
Tension the summer of 431, thesis Archidamus led the Peloponnesian put back together to Attica, where he ordered waste the countryside. This was repeated in 430 and amazed the Athenians so profoundly, walk they called the conflict glory Archidamian War. However, as Archidamus had already predicted, it was not a successful strategy aspect a city with large walls that could be supplied deviate the sea.
Sparta needed unblended navy and the spectacular oceanic victories of the Athenian Phormio suggested that getting even infuriated sea would be difficuly.
In 429, Archidamus laid siege to Plataea, and in 428, he invaded Attica again. He must accept died in the summer disregard 427, although the winter cannot be excluded. In any plead with, his son Agis II was on the throne in greatness summer of 426.
He was still young and inexperienced, positive a guardian was appointed. Well-heeled was under these circumstances, enrol no obvious war leader, rove the Spartans embarked upon pristine strategies. General Brasidas was attain invade Thrace, and hit excellence Athenians where it hurt.
Archidamus difficult predicted that the war would be bequeathed to the dynasty.
He was right. The Peninsula War lasted until 404 keep from in the end settled ornament. Athens was ultimately defeated, nevertheless recovered very soon.
This page was created in 2005; last varied on 15 October 2020.