The New Student's Reference Work/Epaminondas

Epaminondas (ē-păm′ĭ-nŏn′dȧs), the greatest of Theban generals and statesmen, was born toward the end of the 5th century B. C. He was descended from an old family which had become poor, and he was unknown till he was 40 years old. He is said to have saved the life of Pelopidas in battle in 385, which was the beginning of one of the most famous friendships of olden times. Thebes had been in the hands of a Spartan garrison, but when they were driven out by a desperate but successful stratagem, Epaminondas stepped forward at once into the ranks of the patriots. He was sent to Sparta in 371 to bring about a treaty of peace between the two countries. Here he displayed as much firmness and dignity as eloquence in the debate which ensued upon the question whether Thebes should sign the treaty in the name of all Bœotia. This would have been a recognition by Sparta of her claim to be supreme over all the Bœotian towns. To this the Spartans objected, and the war went on. Epaminondas was given the chief command, and, along with Pelopidas, with an army of 6,000 men defeated twice that number of the enemy at Leuctra (371). Two years later, with Pelopidas, he marched into the Peloponnesus and persuaded several of the allied tribes to fall away from Sparta. On going back to Thebes, Epaminondas was accused of having broken the laws of his country by keeping the chief power in his hands beyond the time appointed by law, but he made a strong defense and was acquitted. In the spring of 368 the war between Thebes and Sparta was renewed with greater fury than ever. Epaminondas made a second and somewhat unsuccessful invasion into the Peloponnesus. To make up for this unsuccessful undertaking, he marched with 33,000 men into Arcadia, and joined battle with the main body of the enemy near Mantinea in 362 B. C. Epaminondas charged at the head of his men and broke the Spartan phalanx, but was fatally wounded in the breast by a javelin. Being told by the physicians that he would die as soon as the weapon was extracted, he waited till he heard that his Thebans had won the victory, then drew out the javelin with his own hand, saying: “I have lived long enough.” His death was the deathblow to Theban supremacy.