Leontiades of Thebes, son of

Eurymachus The name Eurymachus or Eurymachos (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρύμαχος ''Eurúmakhos'') is attributed to the following individuals: Mythology * Eurymachus, son of Hermes and father of Eriboea, mother of the Aloadae. *Eurymachus, a prince of ...

, and apparently a grandson of the Theban commander Leontiades in the

Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae ( ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Empire, Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Polis, Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lasting over the course of three days, it wa ...

. He was one of the

polemarch A polemarch (, from , ''polémarchos'') was a senior military title in various ancient Greek city states ('' poleis''). The title is derived from the words '' polemos'' ('war') and ''archon'' ('ruler, leader') and translates as 'warleader' or 'wa ...

s at Thebes, in 382 BC, when the Spartan commander Phoebidas stopped there on his way against

Olynthus Olynthus ( ''Olynthos'') is an ancient city in present-day Chalcidice, Greece. It was built mostly on two flat-topped hills 30–40m in height, in a fertile plain at the head of the Gulf of Torone, near the neck of the peninsula of Pallene, Cha ...

. Unlike

Ismenias Ismenias (Ancient Greek: Ἰσμηνίας) was an ancient Theban politician of the 4th century BC, leader of the Theban democratic faction. He rose to power in 403 BC, a year after the end of the Peloponnesian War, and pursued an anti-Spartan ...

, his democratic colleague, Leontiades courted Phoebidas from the period of his arrival, and, together with Archias and Philip, the other chiefs of the oligarchical party, instigated him to seize the

Cadmeia The Cadmea, or Cadmeia ( Greek: Καδμεία, ''Kadmía''), was the citadel of ancient Thebes, Greece, which was named after Cadmus, the legendary founder of Thebes. The area is thought to have been settled since at least the early Bronze Age, ...

with their aid. This enterprise having been effected on a day when the women were keeping the

Thesmophoria The Thesmophoria () was an ancient Greek religious festival, held in honor of the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone. It was held annually, mostly around the time that seeds were sown in late autumn – though in some places it was assoc ...

in the citadel, and the council therefore sat in or near the

agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...

, Leontiades proceeded to the council and announced what had taken place, proclaiming that his countrymen not despair, emphasizing that the Spartans are enemies to no one but those who want war. Then, asserting that his office of polemarch gave him power to apprehend any one under suspicion of a capital offence, he caused Ismenias to be seized and thrown into prison. Archias was then appointed to the office thus vacated, and Leontiades went to

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

and persuaded the Lacedaemonians to sanction what had been done. Accordingly, they sent commissioners to Thebes, who condemned Ismenias to death, and fully established Leontiades and his faction in the government under the protection of the Spartan garrison. In effect, Leontiades and his faction ruled tyrannically, controlling the state for themselves with the help of the Spartan garrison. In this position, exposed to the hostility and machinations of some 400 democratic exiles, who had taken refuge at Athens, He sent emissaries to Athens in an effort to remove the chief of the exiles by assassination, though

Androcleides Androcleides () was a politician of ancient Thebes. In the 390s BCE, Thebes was a city divided between factions desiring an alliance with Sparta, and factions desiring an alliance with Athens, and Androcleides led the Athenian faction, along with ...

was the only one who fell a victim to the plot. In 379 BC, when the refugees, associated with

Pelopidas Pelopidas (; ; died 364 BC) was an important Theban statesman and general in Greece, instrumental in establishing the mid-fourth century Theban hegemony. Biography Athlete and warrior Pelopidas was a member of a distinguished family and p ...

, had entered on their enterprise for the deliverance of Thebes, Pelopidas himself, with Cephisodorus, Damocleidas, and Phyllidas, went to the house of Leontiades, while Melon and others were dealing with Archias. The house was closed for the night, and it was with some difficulty that the conspirators gained admittance. Leontiades met them at the door of his chamber, and killed Cephisodorus, who was the first that entered. But, after an obstinate struggle, he was himself killed by Pelopidas.Xen. ''Hell.'' v. 4. §§ 1-7 ; Plut. ''Pelopidas'' 6, 11, ''Agesilaos'' 24, ''de Gen. Soc.'' 4, 6, 31 ;

Diodor Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily (; 1st century BC) was an ancient Greek historian from Sicily. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which survive intact, bet ...

xv. 25.

References

{{SmithDGRBM, title=Leontiades (2), url=http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1862.html 4th-century BC Greek people Ancient Thebans Ancient Greek tyrants Ancient Greeks