Agesipolis I facts for kids

Agesipolis I (Greek: Ἀγησίπολις; died 380 BC) was an important king of ancient Sparta. He was the twenty-first king from the Agiad dynasty. Agesipolis became king in 394 BC. He was still very young at the time. He ruled for about 14 years.

Agesipolis I: A Spartan King

Becoming King

Agesipolis took over from his father, Pausanias. Since he was a minor, his closest relative, Aristodemus, became his guardian. Agesipolis and his brother, Cleombrotus I, were both under Aristodemus's care.

Agesipolis became king when Sparta faced big challenges. Several cities like Thebes, Athens, Corinth, and Argos joined forces against Sparta. This group was partly encouraged by a Persian official named Tithraustes. Sparta had to call back its co-ruler, Agesilaus II, from Asia to help.

Early Military Actions

The first big military action during Agesipolis's reign was an expedition to Corinth. The allied forces were gathered there. The Spartan army was led by Aristodemus, Agesipolis's guardian. They won a victory against the allies.

By 390 BC, Agesipolis was old enough to lead. He was given command of an army to invade Argolis. He made sure the gods approved of his plan. He wanted to ignore any religious truces the Argives might use to stop him. He caused a lot of damage in Argolis, even more than Agesilaus had done earlier. However, he didn't set up a permanent base. So, the expedition mostly resulted in plunder, which is stolen goods.

The Mantineia Campaign

In 385 BC, Sparta decided to attack Mantineia. They used small excuses to justify the attack. Agesipolis took command of this expedition. Even Agesilaus II had turned down the command.

Thebes helped the Spartans in this campaign. In a battle against the Mantineans, two famous Theban generals, Epaminondas and Pelopidas, almost died. Agesipolis used a clever trick to capture the town. He changed the course of the river Ophis. This flooded the low ground near the city walls. The lower parts of the walls were made of unbaked bricks. They couldn't stand up to the water. The walls began to crumble.

The Mantineans were forced to surrender. They were allowed to live if they agreed to spread out into four smaller villages. They had originally been gathered into one big city. The leaders who supported democracy were allowed to leave the city.

Final Campaigns and Death

In 382 BC, cities called Acanthus and Apollonia asked Sparta for help. They needed protection from the Chalkidian League, which was trying to force them to join their group. Sparta agreed to help.

At first, Sparta wasn't very successful. After a Spartan general named Teleutias was defeated and died, Agesipolis took command. He started his campaign in 381 BC. He began fighting strongly in the spring of 380 BC. He captured the city of Toroni by storm. But in the middle of his victories, he got a fever. He died seven days later.

Agesipolis died in the town of Aphytis. This town is in the Pallene peninsula. His body was placed in honey to preserve it. Then it was taken back to Sparta for burial.

Agesipolis's Legacy

Agesipolis did not want to conquer foreign lands as much as Agesilaus II did. Still, Agesilaus deeply regretted Agesipolis's death. It seems Agesilaus truly cared for him. Agesipolis was succeeded as king by his brother, Cleombrotus I. Some historians suggest that Agesilaus's sadness was also because he lost a "partner" who was easy to influence.