The Real Leonidas Was Even More Brutal Than on Screen

The real story of King Leonidas I of Sparta is a powerful blend of historical fact and heroic legend. While much of what we know has been dramatized—especially in films like 300—there is a real history behind this warrior king who became a symbol of courage and sacrifice.

Here’s the true story, told in a way that respects the facts while explaining the mythmaking around him:

Who Was Leonidas?

Leonidas was the king of Sparta, a Greek city-state known for its militaristic society and warrior ethos. He ruled in the early 5th century BC, specifically around 489–480 BC, and came from the Agiad dynasty, one of two royal families in Sparta.

He wasn’t originally destined to be king. Leonidas was the third son of King Anaxandridas II and only became king after the deaths of his older brothers. His ascension to power was less about politics and more about Sparta’s strict laws of succession.

The Persian Threat and the Battle of Thermopylae

In 480 BC, the Persian Empire, under King Xerxes I, invaded Greece with an army said by ancient sources to number in the millions (modern historians estimate anywhere between 100,000 to 300,000). Xerxes aimed to conquer all of Greece as revenge for his father Darius’s defeat at the Battle of Marathon.

The Greeks formed an alliance of city-states. Leonidas was chosen to lead the resistance and march north to block the Persian army at Thermopylae, a narrow mountain pass that served as a natural choke point.

He took with him a small force of about 7,000 men, including the now-famous 300 Spartans, his royal bodyguard. Why so few? Because Sparta was observing a religious festival (the Carneia (Carnelia)) and full mobilization was delayed by religious law. Still, Leonidas chose to go anyway, understanding that the mission would likely be suicidal.

Why Thermopylae Was Chosen

Thermopylae (“Hot Gates”) was strategically brilliant. The pass was so narrow that the huge Persian army could not use its numbers effectively. There, for three days, Leonidas and his forces held the pass, repelling wave after wave of Persian attacks.

The Spartans fought with discipline, superior tactics, and unbreakable formation—the legendary phalanx—to deadly effect. But they were ultimately betrayed by a Greek named Ephialtes, who revealed a secret mountain path to the Persians, allowing them to outflank the defenders.

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Infanta Margarita Teresa of Spain, born on July 12, 1651, was the daughter of King Philip IV of Spain and his niece, Mariana of Austria. This union was emblematic of the Habsburg dynasty's practice of intermarriage, aiming to preserve their dominion across Europe. Such consanguineous marriages, however, often resulted in pronounced hereditary issues within the family.​Wikipedia+1Log in or sign up to view+1

Margarita Teresa's life was marked by these familial entanglements. At the tender age of 15, she was wed to her maternal uncle, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. This marriage further intensified the genetic closeness within the Habsburg lineage. Despite her youth, Margarita Teresa assumed the role of Holy Roman Empress and bore four children. Tragically, only one survived infancy. The physical toll of multiple pregnancies, compounded by potential genetic vulnerabilities from generations of inbreeding, severely impacted her health. She succumbed to complications from childbirth on March 12, 1673, at just 21 years old.​Wikipedia+2Unofficial Royalty+2Wikipedia+2Wikipedia

The Coming Race - FULL AUDIOBOOK Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 - 1873) Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803-1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright, and politician.

Lord Lytton was a florid, popular writer of his day, who coined such phrases as "the great unwashed"; "pursuit of the almighty dollar", "the pen is mightier than the sword"; and the infamous incipit "It was a dark and stormy night."

The Coming Race drew heavily on his interest in the occult and contributed to the birth of the science fiction genre. Unquestionably, its story of a subterranean race of men waiting to reclaim the surface is one of the first science fiction novels. The novel centers on a young, independently wealthy traveler (the narrator), who accidentally finds his way into a subterranean world occupied by beings who seem to resemble angels, who call themselves Vril-ya. The hero soon discovers that they are descendants of an antediluvian civilization who live in networks of subterranean caverns linked by tunnels.

Who Killed Ross Perot?

Folk #16 - A casual overview of Ross Perot and the highlights of the 1992 election against Governor Bill Clinton and President George HW Bush.

Texas businessman Ross Perot decides to get involved in politics because he’s fed up with how the country’s finances are being managed. A straight shooter of short stature, Perot’s candidacy nearly rode a wave of popular support all the way to the White House.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WPi7HhRswA 

Was there a worldwide catastrophe in the 18th or 19th century, during which massive amounts of mud and dirt engulfed elaborate buildings and cities, leading to a widespread cover-up by governments and historians? What was going on with the world-fairs of the 1800s where cities supposedly engineered massive buildings in record time only to demolish them soon afterwards? Is there more to the story regarding the hundreds of thousands of kids riding orphan trains of the old days? And why was there record numbers of adults during that time simultaneously locked up in insane asylums? in In this exclusive episode, I sit down with researcher, film-maker and explorer Joe Telford - otherwise known as jtfollowsjc on social media -

He’s EXPOSING the secret

alien interrogation program

/ Redacted w Clayton Morris

Clayton Morris sits down with guest John Stewart, former candidate for Illinois governor to talk about actual footage of an alien interrogation that took place in the early 90's.

Comments -

-This footage has been around for a long time and is very well known in Ufology circles. What strikes me is why the footage is only now being discussed by people with an air of excitement about it. Reeks of a false flag in the making. 🛸

Pope Joan

Pope Joan (Ioannes Anglicus, 855–857) was, according to legend, a woman who reigned as pope for two years[1] during the Middle Ages. Her story first appeared in chronicles in the 13th century and subsequently spread throughout Europe. The story was widely believed for centuries, but most modern scholars regard it as fictional.

Most versions of her story describe her as a talented and learned woman who disguised herself as a man, often at the behest of a lover. In the most common accounts, owing to her abilities she rose through the church hierarchy and was eventually elected pope. Her sex was revealed when she gave birth during a procession and she died shortly after, either through murder or of natural causes. The accounts state that later church processions avoided this spot and that the Vatican removed the female pope from its official lists and crafted a ritual to ensure that future popes were male. In the 16th century, Siena Cathedral featured a bust of Joan among other pontiffs; this was removed after protests in 1600.

Jean de Mailly's chronicle, written around 1250, contains the first mention of an unnamed female pope and inspired several more accounts over the next several years. The most popular and influential version is that interpolated into Martin of Opava's Chronicon Pontificum et Imperatorum later in the 13th century. Martin introduced details that the female pope's birth name was John Anglicus of Mainz, that she reigned in the 9th century and that she entered the church to follow her lover. The existence of Pope Joan was used in the defence of Walter Brut in his trial of 1391. 

Mammoth Legends from Canada

For over a century, the Western world has acknowledged the coexistence of mammoths with our prehistoric ancestors since the days of Victorian paleontology. While many paleontologists agree that the last of these massive creatures perished during the final ice age, there are intriguing First Nations legends that suggest the survival of woolly mammoths in the Canadian wilderness well into the 19th Century, and possibly even beyond.

This video delves into the traditional tales passed down by indigenous communities about the existence of living mammoths in Canada.