King Leonidas of Sparta was a fearless military leader most famous for his heroic last stand against the vast Persian invasion force at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. Leonidas' courage and self-sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds has immortalized him as an iconic symbol of bravery who helped save Ancient Greece and Western civilization.Leonidas was born around 540 BC into Spartan royalty and trained from childhood in the strict militant culture of Sparta. This upbringing dev...