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.
King Leonidas
The Persian leader at the time of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC was King Xerxes I. He was the son of Darius I and aimed to expand the Persian Empire by conquering Greece. Xerxes led a massive army against the Greek city-states, including a small contingent of Spartans led by King Leonidas, who famously resisted the Persian forces despite being vastly outnumbered.
The Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE is often regarded as the most glorious defeat in Greek history due to the valor and heroism displayed by the vastly outnumbered Greek forces, particularly the Spartans led by King Leonidas. Despite their ultimate defeat by the Persian army, the Greeks' stand at Thermopylae showcased their commitment to freedom and resistance against tyranny. This battle became a symbol of courage and sacrifice, inspiring future generations and unifying the Greek city-states against a common enemy. The narrative of their bravery transformed a loss into a powerful testament to the Greek spirit.
Yes, during the Battle of Thermopylae, the Spartans were betrayed by a local Greek named Ephialtes. He informed the Persian forces about a hidden path that allowed them to outflank the Spartan and allied Greek forces. This betrayal ultimately led to the encirclement and defeat of the vastly outnumbered defenders, including King Leonidas and his soldiers.
300 Spartan armoured warriors who were the bodyguard of King Leodidas, one of the two kings of Sparta, and about 2000 of their supporting light infantry.Most of the remainder of the delaying force at Thermopylai, of about 7000 from other Greek cities, got away safely because the Spartan force stayed back to cover their withdrawal and died selflessly to let them get away.
King Leonidas
A coalition of Greek cities led by Sparta.
There were a dozen city-states involved in the battle, one of which was a contingent from Sparta led by their king Leonidas.
The invading Persian army and a consortium of southern Greek city-states led by Sparta.
A small force from Greek city-states led by Spartan King Leonidas fought the Persians .
The Persian army versus contingents from southern Greek cities.
The battle of Thermopylae was fought between Greek mainland cities led by Sparta and a Persian invading army. If you have ever seen the movie 300 that's what it is. But there were also about 5,000 non-Spartan troops with the Spartans.
There was a coalition of Greek forces numbering about 4000 at Thermopylae. The coalition was led by King Leonidas and 300 Spartans.
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 .
It was prepared for war to defend itself and contribute to and lead the Greek effort by sea and land to oppose the Persian invasion. Thermopylae was a holding operation to force a sea battle in the hope of destroying the Persian navy which threatened the Greek cities. The failure of this plan led to a subsequent sea battle at Salamis which succeeded. Sparta then led the coup de grace in the land battle at Plataia.
Their king, Xerxes I.
Leonidas I was the land commander. Themistocles led the navy