Gorgo queen of sparta biography examples

The daughter and only child of King Cleomenes I, she was raised from a young age to be a strong woman who was capable of ruling Sparta. King Cleomenes was said to have held her opinion in high regard and even heeded her advice from a young age. No one knows for certain, though, the exact date of her birth. It is estimated to have been between and B.

We do know that even though Spartan women were held in high esteem in the culture, very few historical writers of the time mentioned them specifically by name. Herodotus, one of the top historical writers of Ancient Greece, did mention her. In fact, she was one of the few women that he did mention in his writings. From what we can gather, her upbringing was similar to most Spartan women and she was well educated and thought to be physically beautiful.

Aristagoras, a tyrant in one of the cities of Ionia, sought support from King Cleomenes, who refused to intervene in the conflict. The historian Herodotus reported that Gorgo was present at the meeting between the Spartan king and the Ionian tyrant. According to the writings, Aristagoras tried to bribe Cleomenes to get his help, until his daughter intervened and recommended that her father leave the room so as not to fall into the temptation of being corrupted, advice that the king of Sparta followed.

Some legends claimed that Cleomenes committed suicide, but his role is always recognized so that Sparta could gain political importance. King Cleomenes had no male offspring. His only daughter was Gorgo, so Sparta did not have heirs to the throne if the king died, as it finally happened. That is why Leonidas I, who was Cleomenes' half brother, came to power.

By the time of assuming the throne, it is believed that Leonidas and Gorgo had already married.

Gorgo queen of sparta biography examples: Gorgo was a Spartan woman and

In this way, Gorgo in BC. The largest number of references to Gorgo's life and actions occur thanks to her husband's ten-year reign. One of the most important actions that was recognized as the work of Gorgo was to have discovered the plan of the Persians to invade Greece. All thanks to a message sent to warn of Xerxes' plans. The message reached Sparta on a blank tablet.

Gorgo recommended scraping the tablet to see if they could uncover any coded writing and they did. Gorgo's role was essential so that the Greeks could prepare at least for the Persian attack. For historians, Gorgo had a lot of influence on the political decisions of Sparta during the reign of her husband, who did not ignore his advice just because she was a woman.

When Leonidas left for Thermopylae he recommended to Gorgo that he remarry and be happy. There was no record that would allow corroborating whether the queen followed her husband's instructions after dying in battle. There are no records of how many sons Gorgo and Leonidas I had.

Gorgo queen of sparta biography examples: Born in BCE the

There were only references to Plistarco, who became king of Sparta. Gorgo is noted as one of the few female historical figures actually named by Herodotusand for her political acumen and wisdom shown at various ages. Little about her life is known, other than that she was the daughter of a king of Spartathat she was married to another king of Sparta, and that she was the mother of a third king of Sparta.

Her birth date is uncertain, but is almost certain to have been between and BC, based on Herodotus dating Histories, 5 The implications of this are in the pronounced age difference between herself and her husband Leonidas- at least years. Her father Cleomenes or Kleomenes was the eldest-born son of the previous Agiad king, Anaxandridas IIand succeeded his father at his death.

However, he had three paternal half-brothers, of whom, the second Dorieus would cause him some trouble. The other two half-brothers were Leonidas I and Cleombrotus. According to one version Herodotus's Histories, 5. His second wife gave birth to the future Cleomenes I who was thus his eldest son. However, his first wife became pregnant, and eventually gave birth to three sons, including Leonidas I.

In either case, there appears to have been some tension between the eldest son and his half-brothers, resolved only by the former's death or murder [2] and the accession of Leonidas I at once his half-brother and his son-in-law. Gorgo's mother is unknown, but she was probably Spartan by birth. Children [ edit ].

Gorgo queen of sparta biography examples: Gorgo was the queen

In popular culture [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Retrieved Republics Ancient and Modern. UNC Press Books. ISBN The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories. New York: Pantheon Books. OCLC New York: Facts on File, Inc. The Histories. Book 5, chapter Retrieved — via Perseus Digital Library. Constitution of the Lacedaimonians. Spartan Women.

Oxford University Press. Book 7, chapter