Anaxandridas II

Anaxandridas II
King of Sparta
Reign	c. 560 BC - c. 520 BC
Predecessor	Leon of Sparta
Successor	Cleomenes I
Died	c. 520 BC
Issue	Cleomenes I Dorieus Leonidas I Cleombrotus
Dynasty	Agiad
Father	Leon of Sparta

Anaxandridas II (Greek: Ἀναξανδρίδας) was a king of Sparta between 560 and 525 BC, father of Leonidas I and grandfather of Pleistarchus.

Biography

At the time when Croesus sent his embassy to form alliance with "the mightiest of the Greeks" (about 554), the war with Tegea, which in the late reigns went against them, had now been decided in the Spartans' favour, under Anaxandrides and Ariston. Under them, too, was mainly carried on the suppression of the tyrannies, and with it the establishment of the Spartan hegemony.

With the reign of Anaxandrides and Ariston commences the period of certain dates, the chronology of their predecessors being doubtful and the accounts in many ways suspicious; the only certain point being the coincidence of historians Polydorus and Theopompus with the first Messenian War, which itself cannot be fixed with certainty and it seems related to the earlier Anaxandridas I, who was son of Theopompus, the 9th Eurypontid king of Sparta; himself never reigned, but by the accession of Leotychidas became from the seventh generation the father of the kings of Sparta of that branch.

Family

Anaxandridas was a son of Leon of Sparta and also his successor. The mother of Anaxandridas is not known.

Having a barren wife whom he would not divorce, the ephors, we are told, made him take with her a second. By her he had Cleomenes I, and after this, by his first wife he had Dorieus (father of Euryanas), famous Leonidas I, and Cleombrotus.

Several sayings are ascribed to him according to Plutarch.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: 

External links

• Dorieus in Sicily from Herodotus's Histories 5.42-5.48. The prince was killed in Sicily.
• Anaxandridas II

Preceded by Leon

King of Sparta 560 - 525 BC

Succeeded by Cleomenes I