Who is Leonidas I and why was he important?

Answer 1

He was one of the dual kings of Sparta at the time of the Persian invasion in 480 BCE. He took on the mission of leading a blocking force at the pass of Thermopylae in order to force the Persians into a sea battle to bypass the pass. When the sea battle was lost by the Greek navies, the blocking force was withdrawn and he remained blocking the pass to let it escape and was killed. Although the effort was a failure, he became an encouraging symbol of courage and sacrifice to the Greeks.