Their king, Xerxes I.
Xerxes I of Persia
Xerxes I.
King Leonidas. He led the battle of Thermopylae with 300 Spartans. His people killed 20000 Persians.
A small force from Greek city-states led by Spartan King Leonidas fought the Persians .
Back in ancient times it was the place of battle between the Spartans led by Leonidas and the Persians led by Xerxes. The modern-day location is simply Thermopylae, Greece. Hope that helps. :-)
After defeating the doomed Spartan/Greek rear guard led by the Spartan king Leonidas at the narrow pass of Thermopylae the Persians went on to raid the Greek countryside and burned the Greek City-State of Athens . Afterwards , the Persians returned home .
Leonidas I was the land commander. Themistocles led the navy
The pass of Thermopylae was used by peoples for thousands of years as a route between northern and southern Greece, first by nomadic peoples, then for trade and invasion. This led the Persians to use it as their route into southern Greece when they invaded in 480 BCE.
King Leonidas
The Persians won the Battle of Thermopylae, led by Xerxes I. But Greece won the war. The Battle of Thermopylae happened in ancient Greece where 700 men made their final stand against the 300,000 Persians there were 300 hundred Spartans as well as 400 Greek soldiers from other city states. It is important to note that the Persian Victory came at a very high price. The Thespian and Spartan troops that fought and sacrificed their lives at the Battle of Thermopylae successfully weakened the Persian land forces to such an extent that naval victories like Salamis were able to convince the Persians to retreat.
A dozen city-stated joined in the blocking force at Thermopylae, led by Sparta. They included Mantinea, Tegea, Thespia, Orchomenos, Corinth, Mycenea, Thebes, Phocaea. Athens was absent. Its manpower was embarked on its fleet in the nearby strait for the concurrent sea battle at Artemesion.
King Leonidas of Sparta.