The Rise Of An Empire In Ancient Europe

"Diobates, are you truly a Spartan?!" Lysander sneered. "Don't forget Demaratus!"

The elders erupted in an uproar. Demaratus—that was the enduring shame of the Spartans.

While Spartan warriors valued slaughter and despised pleasure, they were not disliked by beautiful women. While fertility was the primary criterion for judging a future wife, the beauty of a Spartan woman served as a ready-made criterion for judging the moral integrity of a future mother. Training alongside men from a young age also endowed Spartan women with a unique beauty: long blond hair, toned bodies, and graceful calves. While giving birth to an ugly daughter would be disheartening for parents, there was still a chance for change: pray to Helen's bronze statue at an ancient sanctuary near her tomb. It was said that this would ensure the child grew up to be beautiful.

A hundred years ago, a Spartan couple prayed to Helen for their ugly daughter. The unsightly priestess in charge of the sanctuary grasped the child's hair, examined her features, and prophesied she would become the loveliest woman in Lacedaemon. As time passed, the girl truly became a renowned beauty, captivating the Spartan king. He used his royal power to seize her from her husband. Just seven months later, the new queen gave birth to a son. Was the father the king or the commoner? The Spartans didn't investigate. The child grew up and eventually ascended to the throne: Demaratus.

By the time Demaratus ascended the throne, another Spartan king, Cleomenes, had been on the throne for five years. His succession had been much more difficult. His father had been unable to conceive, and the elders who governed the land demanded that he divorce his wife and remarry. He hesitated and opted for bigamy. Shortly after his second wife bore him three sons, his first wife gave birth to Cleomenes. However, the king had long been deeply in love with his second wife and naturally preferred her children. Cleomenes, however, was not favored by his father. His half-brother, Dolius, was favored by the king and designated as the legitimate heir. Dolius was widely considered the most accomplished of his generation. However, after the king's sudden death in battle, the conservative Spartans believed that Cleomenes, son of the king's first wife, had the first right to the throne. Therefore, Cleomenes, the successor, exiled several of Dolius' brothers, claiming to send him to colonize the western Mediterranean.

Cleomenes was quick-witted, decisive, ambitious, and power-hungry. The newly crowned Demaratus was no match for him, and Cleomenes quickly sidelined him. Cleomenes ruled Sparta for over twenty years, defeating Argos, controlling Arcadia, intervening in Delphi, and meddling in Athenian politics. Spartan influence spread throughout northern Greece. At this time, the Persian King Xerxes was preparing to invade Greece again. Learning from Darius's mistakes, he sent numerous spies to divide and sow discord among the Greek city-states. Aegina, an island city-state off the eastern Peloponnese, offered soil and water to Persia. Cleomenes, indignant at this treachery, vowed to punish Aegina.

The Aegina people frantically appealed to Demaratus, another Spartan king, for help. Demaratus, delighted in causing trouble for his political enemies, secretly allied himself with those in the Council of Elders who were reluctant to go to war with Persia and actively offered their support. This infuriated Cleomenes, who finally decided to eliminate this insufferable collaborator once and for all. So, at a meeting of the elders he convened, he questioned Demaratus's origins. He not only won over Demaratus's clansmen and most of the elders, but also bribed the Delphic priests to make the oracle unfavorable to Demaratus. As a result, Demaratus, who had reigned for twenty-four years, was deposed and defected to Xerxes, becoming a traitor.

However, Cleomenes's victory was short-lived. The news of his bribery at Delphi leaked out, and the Spartans were furious. He was found guilty and fled Sparta, but later returned, only to be stripped of his power. From then on, he indulged in drinking, beating people, and shouting and cursing. Everyone called him mad, and his two half-brothers, Leonidas and Cleombrotes, declared him insane and locked him in the temple. The next day, he was found dead, his flesh cut off piece by piece, a knife at his side.

This caused a great sensation. Everyone spread the rumor that this was a punishment for Cleomenes' blasphemy, and the public generally agreed: suicide.

Leonidas soon became king. But privately, rumors circulated that Cleomenes had been killed by his two brothers.

Leonidas led three hundred royal guards to Thermopylae to defend against the Persian army, partly out of necessity but also to prove his innocence to the Spartans.

It was a turbulent period in Sparta's history, even a disgrace. A momentary silence fell in the assembly hall.

The speaker, Cleostidas, simply announced, "Begin the election of a new king!"

Both candidates, Agesilaus and Leotychides, had their flaws and their own supporters. The debate between the two sides was primarily a battle for the neutral elders, and the final vote resulted in Agesilaus' victory.

With tears of humiliation in his eyes, Leotychides looked with hatred at the elders who had congratulated Agesilaus, then quietly left. Cleostidas, the Speaker of the Council, had his guards usher in the five eunuchs who had been waiting outside the council chamber and announced the results of the election.

The eunuchs then approached Agesilaus, who stood solemnly as they read aloud, "Great Zeus, by the results of the election by the Council of Elders, we declare Agesilaus, descended from the sacred Heracles, King of Sparta!"

Agesilaus could no longer maintain his composure. With a trembling voice, he swore, "I swear in the name of Zeus that I, Agesilaus, will govern and rule Sparta according to the laws of the city-state!"

The eunuchs responded, "As long as you abide by your oath, we will ensure the perpetuation of your kingship!"

In February 398 BC, Agesilaus became King of Sparta.

At the southeastern tip of Sicily, Dionysius led Syracuse's eighty thousand infantry, three thousand cavalry, and over four hundred warships as they advanced westward along Sicily's southern coast. After easily liberating the city-state of Carmenlina, which had been forced to pay tribute to Carthage, Dionysius received the news that Dionysia had defeated Crotone. He remained silent for a moment, then said to his attendant, "Write to Philistius immediately, saying I agree to Locri's request and send them reinforcements as soon as possible!" He then sent a messenger to urge the army, which had been preparing to rest for the day, to continue its westward march.

"Crotone has asked for peace with Dionia!" Eumachus, the Archon of Tarantum, said in surprise after receiving the news from Crotone. "I never thought that a year ago Dionia was still a small city-state that needed our protection to survive, but now it has rapidly developed into a powerful alliance of Magna Graecia!"

Decisives, the former Archon and now a senator of the Senate, sighed, "Fortunately, we are allies with Dionia!"

"Tarantum's safety cannot rely on the promises of others!" Eumachus shook his head and said firmly. "We should speed up the conquest of the Messapiens and strengthen the power of Tarantum as soon as possible, so that we can have the confidence to speak when facing Dionia!"

"The capture of Manduria has already caused heavy casualties among our citizens! But you still want to attack Brindisi, which will result in the sacrifice of more citizens of Tarantum! How could the Senate agree to such a radical approach of yours!" Decisives accused angrily.

Eumachus looked at Decisives with a hint of contempt in his eyes. "Decisivemas, my friend, don't you understand yet? This is not only the will of the majority of the Senate, but also the will of the people! Spurred by the rapid rise of Dionia, the people are tired of decades of Senate inaction! They hate the annual harassment from the Messapiens! They demand change! Although some citizens have been killed and wounded, with our control of Manduria, it will be much more difficult for the Messapiens to invade our territory! Now, Lord Diomirus is about to return to Tarantum, and Archytas will continue to lead the attack on Brindisi. I believe that once Archytas learns that Crotone has been forced to sue for peace with Dionia, he will intensify his offensive against Brindisi without any urging from us!"

Decisivemas fell silent. After a moment, he hesitated and said, "I am somewhat worried that such a large-scale attack will provoke the Puceti to the north. They are from the same race as the Messapiens..."

"If we don't attack, won't they hate us?!" Eumachus retorted. "As long as we capture Brindisi, we can not only cut off the Messapiens' connection with the north, but also connect to trade with the Adriatic Sea. This has many benefits. If we really encounter the Puceti you mentioned and they see that our city is empty and take the opportunity to attack, then we can still—"

Eumachus looked at Decisivemas. Decisivemas understood what he meant and sighed, "Ask for help from our ally Dionia!"