User:ZuesChill/Demaratus

Demaratus Statue in Bronze at the Museo Archeological in Naples. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Demaratus_Bronze_Statue_in_Naples_Museo_Archeologico_released_By_Brittanica_Encyclopedia(1).jpg

Demaratus

Demaratus, or Demaratos (Greek: Δημάρατος), was a king of Sparta from around 515 BC until 491 BC, 15th of the Eurypontid line. He was the first son born to his father King Ariston. As king, Demaratus is known for opposition to the co-ruling Spartan king, Cleomenes I. Demaratus was removed from the throne after the oracle at Delphi said he was not the son of Ariston. He later fled to Achaemenid Persia where he was given asylum and land, and fought on the Persian side during the Second Persian invasion of Greece.

Family background

Demaratus was the son of King Ariston (r. c.550–c.515), and belonged to the Eurypontid dynasty, one of the two royal families of Sparta (the other being the Agiads). After Ariston had remained childless from his first two wives, he made a deal with Agetus, one of his friends, that they both grant each other one favor. While Agetus went into the treasury and picked something, Ariston asked for Agetus' wife. Less than 10 months later, Demaratus was born, but Ariston rejected his paternity before the Ephors after counting the months of being together with Demaratus' mother. He nonetheless changed his mind later and recognized Demaratus as his son, who succeeded him at his death c. 515.

Reign and Deposition

Demaratus ruled as the Eurypontid King in Sparta (c. 515-491), while Cleomenes I ruled as the Agiad King in Sparta (c. 519-490).

Cleomenes was fighting the Aeginetans who were medizing, when during the fight, Demaratus led the army out of Eleusis. Cleomenes recruited the help of Leotychidas, a personal enemy of Demaratus, to depose him from the throne. Leotychidas, still upset about Demaratus trying to take his wife, Perkalos, as his own, agrees under the stipulation that Leotychidas will become King when Demaratus is deposed. Leotychidas takes Demaratus to court and proclaims that he should be deposed because he was not the rightful heir. After recounting Ariston's proclamation that Demaratus was not his son in front of the Ephors, the Spartans decided to let the Oracle at Delphi make the decision. Cleomenes had favor from Kobon, who was influencial to the priestess of Pythia, who was in charge of determining the oracles messages, thus Demaratus was deposed from the throne and Leotychides took the throne as King of Sparta instead of King of a certain clan of Sparta c. 491.

Demaratus summons his mother

On his abdication, Demaratus fled to Medes because upon his deposition, Leotychidas sends a servant out to ridicule him for going from King of Sparta to Magistrate. Demaratus summons his mother after sacrificing an ox and asked her the truth about whether Ariston was his father or not. She told him she carried him for 7 months and that he is the son of either Ariston of the hero Astrabakos. Demaratus was satisfied with the answer and goes into exile at Persia.

Demaratus and Xerxes I

The Tomb of Xerxes I is a Catacombs located in Marvdasht. This Tomb is part of the Naqsh-e Rostam.

Demaratus, in exile, went to the court of King Darius, the King father to the Persian king Xerxes I, and upon his arrival King Darius supplied Demaratus with lands and cities. During the timeframe that Demaratus arrived, King Darius was making the decision about who will rightfully take his place, and Demaratus supported Xerxes' claim to the throne because, since Xerxes was born during Darius' kingship, he is the rightful heir, invoking a Spartan tradition:

"In Sparta, at any rate, so Demaratos advised him, they followed this custom: if sons were born before their father had become king, and another son was born during his father's reign, it was the younger son who succeeded to the Kingship." - Herodotus, The Landmark Herodotus: the Histories, 2007 translation

King Darius followed Demaratus' advice and selected Xerxes I as King. Demaratus accompanied Xerxes I on his invasion of Greece in 480 BC and is alleged to have warned Xerxes not to underestimate the Spartans before the Battle of Thermopylae:

The same goes for the Spartans. One-against-one, they are as good as anyone in the world. But when they fight in a body, they are the best of all. For though they are free men, they are not entirely free. They accept Law as their master. And they respect this master more than your subjects respect you. Whatever the law commands, they do. And the command never changes: It forbids them to flee from battle, whatever the number of their foes. It requires them to stand firm in their ranks – to conquer or be killed. O king, if I seem to speak foolishly, I am content from this time forward to remain silent. I only spoke now because you commanded me to. I do hope that everything turns out according to your wishes. - Herodotus, The Landmark Herodotus: the Histories, 2007 translation

The translation of the word "law" could also mean "custom" or "tradition", so when Demaratus is saying the Spartans accept law as their master, it is possible to interpret it as accepting law, customs, traditions, or all three as their masters.

Greek exiles in the Achaemenid Empire

Demaratus was one of several Greeks aristocrats who took refuge in the Achaemenid Empire following reversals at home, other famous ones being Themistocles and Gongylos. In general, they were generously rewarded by the Achaemenid kings, and received land grants to support them, and ruled over various cities in Asia Minor.