Theban's Sacred Band of Thebes

Sacred Band of Thebes, a battalion composed of 150 pairs of male lovers, maintained at state expense, who were station on the battlefield in couples, thus establishing a noble precedent for homosexual in the military.

This force created by Theban general Gorgidas in 378 BC. It was probably first formed as a guard for the city-state’s citadel. At first the Sacred Band did not distinguish itself in combat; possibly because Gorgidas placed it soldiers in the front ranks of the central Theban phalanx, where it was integrated with other soldiers.

 

This did not allow the special training of the Band to be demonstrated because other less talented soldiers diluted the Band’s strength.

Established after the liberation of Thebes from the Spartans, this battalion contributed to Thebes’ military prestige until its heroic end at Chaeronea in 338 BC. Apparently Gorgidas was killed in some skirmish shortly after he founded the band, for the next year its leadership passed to Pelopidas, the young Theban, who had led the exiles in there rebellion.

The scared Band achieved its reputation by defeating the premiere army of ancient Greece, the Spartans, but they could not match the new organization and tactics introduced by Philip, whose army, under his son Alexander, would conquer most of the known world.
Theban's Sacred Band of Thebes

Third Sacred War

The Third Sacred War was the last great internecine conflict of the classical Greeks, the culmination of continuously series of wars that began as early as 465 BC, only to be ended by Philip of Macedonia in 346 BC.

In the twenty years after the mutually disastrous battle of Mantinea, the leaderless, Greek city-states further exhausted themselves in continued and confused civil warfare.

The so-called Social War (357- 55 BC) or ‘War of the Allies’ of Athens, only weakened the Athenian fleet.

From small beginning, this war threatened to involve all of Greece. Thebans and other Thessalonians in the Amphictyonic League charged their ancient enemy Phocis with cultivating lands sacred to Apollo.

Phocis was fined as was (belatedly) Sparta for its seizure in 382 of the Cadmea at Thebes.  Under Philomelus, Phocis refused to pay; it armed, captured the Delphic shrine and its treasury in 355. The Phocians had taken possession of the sanctuary and were meting down the offerings and the contents of the treasury for their military expenses and the service of the oracle had been almost suspended.

Thebes declared war in 355, defeating Philomelus at Neon in 354 and causing a Phocian retreat in 353. Philip helped Thebes conquer Phocis from 351 to 347, seeking peace with Athens at the same time.

The Third Sacred War lasted until 346 BC, where King Philip II of Macedonia gained control of Delphi. The war was concluded with Peace of Philocrates and Philip II became the chairman of the Amphictyonic League.
Third Sacred War

Battle of Coronea

The Battle of Coronea in 394 BC was a battle in the Corinthian War.

In this war Spartans and their allies under King Agesilaus defeated a force of Thebans and Argives that was attempting to block their march back into the Peloponnese. 

In 396 BC Agesilaus took 8000 troops to Asia Minor to protect the Spartan-allied Greek cities from the Persian attack.

He was recalled and began an overland through Thrace and Thessaly, he descended southward into hostile Boeotia.

Upon Agesilaus and his army’s entry into Boeotia on 14 August 394, he encountered a defending force of Thebans was waiting with its Boeotian allies and its contingent of Argives, Athenians and Corinthians.

The battle was fought on the plain of Coronea. Agesilaus had been joined by two units of Spartan and he had his neodamodeis, the mercenaries, the Greeks from Ionia and some additional troops recruited on the march and in Boeotia.

Wounded and with his army now too weak to occupy Boeotia, Agesilaus withdraw to Sparta.

Victory in a major battle of Coronea secured Agesilaus’ safe passage through Boeotia to Sparta, but it failed reestablish Spartan preeminence in central Greece. The victory failed to gain any strategic advantage.
Battle of Coronea

Battle of Leuctra

The Battle of Leuctra was one of the turning point in Greek history: the Spartans, who had been so dominant for two and half centuries in Greek politics to be reduced to the status of a secondrate power.

The Battle of Leuctra was a battle fought on July 6, 371 BC, between the Boeotians led by Thebans and the Spartans along with their allies amidst the post-Corinthian War conflict.

In 375 BC, Sparta and Athens, as well as the Persian king who needed mercenaries, arrange for a common peace that was immediately broken.

The alliance between Spartan and Athens posed a dilemma for Thebes and Sparta desired to dominate Thebes again as it had ten years earlier. At that time Sparta briefly occupied Thebes until a daring uprising in 379 restored Theban independence. Relations between the two states remained strained throughout the decade until 371. BC.

The Spartan King Cleombrotus gathered some Peloponnesian allies and marched on Thebes.

The Spartan army and allies outnumbered the Thebans and the Spartan soldier was famed for strength and fighting skills.

The Spartan army numbered 9000 hoplites and 1000 cavalry. The Theban forces consisted of 6000 hoplites and 1000 cavalry.

The only strength the Thebans maintained was a more disciplined cavalry. Theban commander Epaminondas introduced new idea and altered the usual tactical deployment of the phalanx by massing his strongest force on the left wing of his army directly across from the enemy’s strongest right wing.

Epaminondas also introduced another innovation, the employment of a reserve composed of elite.

The two armies of Spartan and Theban met on the plain of Leuctra, which was 1000 yards wide and bracketed by two small ridges upon which the two armies pitched their camp.

The battle was a Theban victory due to Epaminondas usage of new tactics. The defeat of the Spartan army made Epaminondas immediately famous. Epaminondas followed this victory in the next year by invading the Peloponnese and freeing Arcadia and Messenia from Spartan domination.
Battle of Leuctra