Demaratus facts for kids
Demaratus was a king of Sparta, an important ancient Greek city. He ruled from about 515 BC to 491 BC. Demaratus belonged to one of Sparta's two royal families, the Eurypontids. He is mostly remembered for his disagreements with the other Spartan king, Cleomenes I. After a big argument, Demaratus had to leave Sparta. He went to the powerful Persian Empire, where he was welcomed. He even helped the Persians during their second invasion of Greece.
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Early Life of Demaratus
Demaratus was the son of King Ariston, who was a king of Sparta before him. Demaratus was part of the Eurypontid family, one of the two royal families in Sparta.
There was some discussion about whether Demaratus was truly Ariston's son. Ariston had not had children with his first two wives. He then married a third time. Demaratus was born less than ten months later. At first, King Ariston doubted if Demaratus was his son. But later, he changed his mind and accepted Demaratus as his own. When Ariston died around 515 BC, Demaratus became the new king.
Demaratus as King of Sparta
As king, Demaratus often disagreed with Cleomenes I, the other co-ruling king of Sparta. Sparta had two kings at the same time, which was unusual.
Conflict with Cleomenes I
Cleomenes I tried to make a man named Isagoras the ruler of Athens. Demaratus worked to stop this plan. Later, in 491 BC, the city of Aegina showed loyalty to the Persian Empire. Athens asked Sparta to punish Aegina for this. Cleomenes I went to Aegina to arrest those responsible.
However, Demaratus interfered and tried to make Cleomenes look bad back home in Sparta. Because of this, Cleomenes got angry. He encouraged Leotychidas, a relative of Demaratus, to claim the throne. Leotychidas argued that Demaratus was not truly King Ariston's son.
Cleomenes even bribed the Oracle of Delphi to say that Leotychidas should be king. As a result, Demaratus was removed from his position as king in 491 BC. Leotychidas became the new king. After Demaratus was removed, Cleomenes and Leotychidas went to Aegina again. They took ten important citizens as hostages and sent them to Athens.
Exile in Persia
After being forced to leave Sparta, Demaratus fled to the court of the Persian King Xerxes I. King Xerxes welcomed him. He gave Demaratus control over the cities of Teuthrania and Halisarna, which were near Pergamum. Demaratus's family continued to rule these cities for many years. His descendants, Eurysthenes and Prokles, were still ruling there in the early 4th century BC.
King Xerxes also asked Demaratus for his knowledge about the Greeks. He wanted to know if the Greeks would fight bravely against the large Persian army. Demaratus gave him honest advice about the strength and bravery of the Spartans.
Other Greek Exiles in Persia
Demaratus was not the only Greek aristocrat who found safety in the Persian Empire. Other famous Greeks, like Themistocles, also sought refuge there after facing problems in their homelands. The Persian kings were usually very generous to these exiles. They gave them land and allowed them to rule over various cities in Asia Minor.
Demaratus's family continued to do well in Asia under Persian rule. Some of his descendants are known from history. One of them, also named Demaratus, was even brought back to Sparta in the early 3rd century BC. He was believed to be the great-grandfather of Nabis, who was the last king of Sparta much later (207–192 BC).
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