Editing Agesilaus II (section)

==Early life==

===Youth===
Agesilaus' father was King [[Archidamos II]] (r. 469–427), who belonged to the [[List of kings of Sparta|Eurypontid]] dynasty, one of the two royal families of Sparta. Archidamos already had a son from a first marriage with Lampito (his own step-aunt) named [[Agis II|Agis]].<ref>Shipley, ''Commentary on'' Agesilaos, p. 58, spells her Lampido.</ref><ref>Hamilton, ''Agesilaus'', pp. 12, 13.</ref> After the death of Lampito, Archidamos remarried in the early 440s with [[Eupolia]], daughter of Melesippidas, whose name indicates an aristocratic status.<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 21, 22. Lampito was probably 40 years younger than Archidamos.</ref><ref>Shipley, ''Commentary on'' Agesilaos, p. 58, translates the name of Eupolia as "well-foaled".</ref> The dates of Agesilaus' birth, death, and reign are disputed. The only secured information is that he was 84 at his death. The majority opinion is to date his birth to 445/4,<ref>Cawkwell, "Agesilaus and Sparta", p. 63 (note 8).</ref><ref>Shipley, ''Commentary on'' Agesilaos, p. 58.</ref><ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', p. 8.</ref><ref>Powell et al., ''A Companion to Sparta'', pp. 16, 375, 382, 430, 454, 457, 465, 559; although François Ruzé uses the later date p. 326.</ref> but a minority of scholars move it a bit later, c.442.<ref>Hamilton, ''Agesilaus'', p. xvii.</ref><ref>Pascual, "La datación de la ascensión", p. 43.</ref> Most of the other dates of Agesilaus are similarly disputed, with the minority moving them about two years later than the majority.{{efn-lr|The article follows the majority view, but mentions the dates favoured by the minority view.}} Agesilaus also had a sister named [[Cynisca|Kyniska]] (the first woman in ancient history to achieve an [[ancient Olympic Games|Olympic victory]]).<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', p. 145, is unsure whether Kyniska was Agesilaos' full sister.</ref><ref>Hamilton, ''Agesilaus'', p. 13.</ref> The name Agesilaus was rare and harks back to [[Agesilaus I]], one of the earliest kings of Sparta.<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 22, 23.</ref>

Agesilaus was born lame, a fact that should have cost him his life, since in Sparta deformed babies were thrown into a chasm.<ref name="Hamilton, Agesilaus, p. 14"/> As he was not heir-apparent, he might have received some leniency from the tribal elders who examined male infants,<ref name="Hamilton, Agesilaus, p. 14"/> or perhaps the first effects of the demographic decline of Sparta were already felt at the time, and only the most severely impaired babies were killed.<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', p. 22.</ref><ref>Sneed, "Disability and Infanticide in Ancient Greece", pp. 749–751, suggests that Spartans did not kill deformed infants.</ref>

Starting at the age of 7, Agesilaus had to go through the rigorous education system of Sparta, called the ''[[agoge]]''.<ref>Xenophon, ''Hellenica'', iii. 3.</ref><ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', p. 23.</ref> Despite his disability, he brilliantly completed the training,<ref name="Hamilton, Agesilaus, p. 14">Hamilton, ''Agesilaus'', p. 14.</ref> which massively enhanced his prestige, especially after he became king.<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 24-27.</ref> Indeed, as heirs-apparent were exempted of the ''agoge'', few Spartan kings had gone through the same training as the citizens;<ref>Shipley, ''Commentary on'' Agesilaos, p. 62.</ref> another notable exception was [[Leonidas I|Leonidas]], the embodiment of the "hero-king".<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', p. 24.</ref> Between 433 and 428, Agesilaus also became the [[Pederasty in ancient Greece|younger lover]] of [[Lysander]], an aristocrat from the circle of Archidamos, whose family had some influence in Libya.<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 28, 29.</ref><ref>Hamilton, ''Agesilaus'', p. 19.</ref>

=== Spartan prince ===
Little is known of Agesilaus' adult life before his reign, principally because [[Xenophon]]—his friend and main biographer—only wrote about his reign.<ref>Hamilton, ''Agesilaus'', p. 10.</ref> Due to his special status, Agesilaus likely became a member of the [[Crypteia|Krypteia]], an elite corps of young Spartans going undercover in Spartan territory to kill some [[helots]] deemed dangerous.<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 30–32.</ref> Once he turned 20 and became a full citizen, Agesilaus was elected to a [[Syssitia|common mess]], presumably that of his elder half-brother Agis II, who had become king in 427, of which Lysander was perhaps a member.<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 32, 33.</ref>

Agesilaus probably served during the [[Peloponnesian War]] (431–404) against [[Athens]], likely at the [[Battle of Mantinea (418 BC)|Battle of Mantinea]] in 418.<ref>Hamilton, ''Agesilaus'', p. 21.</ref> Agesilaus married Kleora at some point between 408 and 400.<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', p. 147.</ref> Despite the influence she apparently had on her husband, she is mostly unknown. Her father was Aristomenidas, an influential noble with connections in [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]].<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 146, 147.</ref>

Thanks to three treaties signed with [[Achaemenid Empire|Persia]] in 412–411, Sparta received funding from the Persians, which it used to build a fleet that ultimately defeated Athens.<ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 186–189.</ref> This fleet was essentially led by Lysander, whose success gave him an enormous influence in the Greek cities of Asia as well as in Sparta, where he even schemed to become king.<ref>Hamilton, ''Sparta's Bitter Victories'', pp. 27, 76, 88–98.</ref><ref>Cartledge, ''Agesilaos'', pp. 94–99.</ref> In 403 the two kings, Agis and [[Pausanias of Sparta|Pausanias]], acted together to relieve him from his command.<ref>Hamilton, ''Agesilaus'', p. 23–25.</ref>