- Leonidas
-
/lee on"i deuhs/, n.died 480 B.C., Greek hero: king of Sparta 489?-480.
* * *
died 480 BC, Thermopylae, Locris [Greece]King of Sparta (с 490–480 BC).He is noted for his heroic stand against the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480. Seeing the hopelessness of the situation, he sent most of his troops in retreat and with his 300-man royal guard withstood the Persian army for two days, battling valiantly to the last man. He became the object of a hero cult at Sparta, and he stands as the epitome of bravery against overwhelming odds. The legend that Spartans never surrender derived from this episode.* * *
▪ 2005Leônidas da SilvaBrazilian association football (soccer) player (b. Sept. 6, 1913, Rio de Janeiro, Braz.—d. Jan. 24, 2004, São Paulo, Braz.), was Brazil's first football hero and the high scorer at the 1938 World Cup finals with eight goals, including four against Poland in a round-of-16 match in which he played barefoot when his shoes came off in the mud. He was unexpectedly left out for the team's semifinal match against Italy, which Brazil duly lost, but he scored twice in Brazil's 4–2 victory over Sweden for third place. Known as the “Diamante Negro” (“Black Diamond”), the mixed-race Leônidas was a quick and agile centre-forward and a master of the flamboyant bicycle kick, which he was often credited with having invented. As a professional he helped win the Rio state championship for Vasco da Gama (1934), Botafogo (1935), and Flamengo (1939). After serving an eight-month prison sentence for having forged a certificate to avoid military service, he transferred to São Paulo and helped that team win its state title five times in seven years. He retired in 1951 and later became one of Brazil's best-known radio sports commentators.* * *
▪ king of Spartadied 480 BC, Thermopylae, Locris [Greece]Spartan king whose stand against the invading Persian army (Greco-Persian Wars) at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece is one of the enduring tales of Greek heroism, invoked throughout Western history as the epitome of bravery exhibited against overwhelming odds.A member of the Agiad house, Leonidas succeeded his half brother, Cleomenes I, as king, probably in 490. He was married to Cleomenes' daughter, Gorgo, and may have supported Cleomenes' aggressions against other Greek cities.In 480 Leonidas commanded the small Greek force that resisted the advance through Thermopylae of the vast army of the Persian king Xerxes. For two days Leonidas withstood Persian attacks; he then ordered most of his troops to retreat, and he and his 300-member royal guard fought to the last man. This episode made a deep impression on the Greek imagination and gave rise to the legend that Spartans never surrendered.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
