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Kings of Sparta

Sparta was an important Greek city-state in the Peloponnesus. It was unique among Greek city-states in that it maintained its Kingship past the Archaic age. It was even more unusual in that it had two kings simultaneously, coming from two separate lines. According to tradition, the two lines (the Agiads and Eurypontids) descended from the twins Eurysthenes (the Agiads) and Procles the descendants of Heracles who supposedly conquered Sparta two generations after the Trojan War. Although there are lists of the earlier purported Kings of Sparta, there is little evidence for the existence of any kings before the mid 6th Century BC or so

Agiad Kings

• Eurysthenes
• Agis I
• Echestratus
• Dorissus
• Agesilaus I
• Teleclus
• Alcmenes
• Polydorus
• Eurycrates
• Anaxander
• Eurycratides
• Leon
• Anaxandridas 560 - 520 BC
• Cleomenes I 520 - 490 BC.
• Leonidas I 490 - 480 BC.
• Pleistarchus 480 - 459 BC
• Pleistoanax 459 - 409 BC
• Pausanias 409 - 395 BC
• Agesipolis I 395 - 380 BC.
• Cleombrotus I 380 - 371 BC.
• Agesipolis II 371 - 370 BC.
• Cleomenes II 370 - 309 BC.
• Areus I 309 - 265 BC
• Acrotatus 265 - 262 BC.
• Areus II 262 - 254 BC
• Leonidas II 254 - 235 BC.
• Cleomenes III 235 - 222 BC.

Eurypontid Kings

• Procles
• Soos
• Eurypon
• Prytanis
• Polydectes
• Eunomus
• Charillus
• Nicander
• Theopompus
• Anaxandridas I
• Zeuxidamas
• Anaxidamus
• Archidamus I
• Agasicles
• Ariston 550 - 515 BC
• Demaratus 515 - 491 BC.
• Leotychidas II 491 - 469 BC.
• Archidamus II 469 - 427 BC.
• Agis II 427 - 400 BC.
• Agesilaus II 400 - 360 BC.
• Archidamus III 360 - 338 BC.
• Agis III 338 - 331 BC.
• Eudamidas I 331 - 305 BC.
• Archidamus IV 305 - 275 BC.
• Eudamidas II 275 - 244 BC.
• Agis IV 244 - 241 BC.
• Eudamidas III 241 - 228 BC.
• Archidamus V 228 - 227 BC.
• Eucleidas 227 - 221 BC (Eucleidas was actually an Agiad - his brother Cleomenes III deposed his Eurypontid colleague and installed his brother as co-ruler)

Following Cleomenes III's defeat at the Battle of Sellasia by Antigonus III Doson of Macedon and the Achaean League, the Spartan system began to break down.

• Agesipolis III (Agiad) 219 - 215 BC - the last Agiad King of Sparta.
• Lycurgus (Eurypontid) 219 - 212 BC.
• Pelops (Eurypontid) 212 - 200 BC - last King from either of the old dynasties
• Nabis (an usurper) 200 - 192 BC

The Achaean League annexed Sparta in 192 BC.