in 371 b.c
Yes
in 371 b.c
The decisive defeat of the Spartan hoplite army by the armed forces of Thebes at the battle of Leuctra in 371 B.C. ended an epoch in Greek military history and permanently altered the Greek balance of power.
In a long long history of poleis named Sparta,among others,Thebes did defeat Sparta.But the event was quite late in Spartan history when not much of the famous system was existing anymore,not hard armored hoplites,superior trained troops..In that time (early 4th BC) there were only few hundred of Spartan citizen soldiers existing in the city.
the spartan army
The Spartan army was made up of Spartan men who have been trained in the art of warfare since they could walk.
No, there was no school for spartan boys. From the age of six; legitamate, pure spartan boys started their rigorous training for the army.
Polyneices and his brother Eteocles were both the kings of Thebes. Eteocles overthrows his brother and becomes the only king of Thebes. Polyneices in retaliation gathers an army from Argos and marches on Thebes.
Because then who would the Spartan men train on?
Why would the Spartans fight a Spartan army? At the pass of Thermopylae 300 Spartan heavy infantry and 2,100 Spartan light infantry were part of a Greek force of about 8,000 which fought a delaying action against a Persian army in 480 BCE.
Where and when.
Yes he was 20 when he attacked Thebes