Peloponnesian League

Long ago, many cities joined together.

They made a big team. Sparta was the leader of the team. This team helped cities stay safe.

Cities made a promise to Sparta. They promised to help Sparta in a fight. They also promised to have the same friends. Sparta helped cities if they were attacked. This team fought a war against Athens. The team won that big war. It was a very strong group of cities.

The Peloponnesian League was a group of Greek cities.

Sparta was the leader of this group. The group lasted for a very long time. It began around 550 BC and ended in 366 BC.

Sparta made separate deals with each city. Each city swore an oath to Sparta. They promised to have the same friends and enemies as Sparta. They also promised to follow Sparta wherever it led. The cities had to help Sparta if it was attacked. Sparta also promised to help the cities if they were attacked.

At first, Sparta could call its allies to war anytime. This changed around 506 BC. After a failed plan to take Athens, Sparta had to change. A new group called a congress was made. In this congress, the allies could vote on war and peace. Each city's vote was worth the same. This gave cities like Corinth a lot of power. The League fought a big war against Athens. Sparta and its allies won that war in 404 BC. Later, the League was split into ten parts to help manage its large army.

The Peloponnesian League was a large group of ancient Greek city-states.

Sparta was the main leader of this alliance. The group lasted for a very long time, from about 550 BC to 366 BC. It was famous for being one of the two main rivals in the Peloponnesian War. That war lasted from 431 BC to 404 BC. The League fought against the Delian League, which was led by Athens. While people call it a league, it was actually a system of many separate deals.

Sparta worked with other cities through special treaties. Instead of one big contract, Sparta made a separate deal with every single member. Each city swore a solemn oath to the Spartans. They promised to have the same friends and the same enemies as Sparta. They also promised to follow the Spartans wherever they led. These deals were meant to be permanent. Members were even forbidden from leaving the group. The treaties were also meant for defense. Sparta had to help an ally if they were attacked. In return, the allies had to help Sparta if it was under attack.

In the early days, Sparta grew by conquering nearby lands like Laconia and Messenia. This was a hard time for the people living there. After a failed battle at Tegea, Sparta changed how it acted. They stopped trying to conquer land through force alone. Instead, they used a clever diplomatic plan. They gathered the bones of mythical heroes to show they were important. This helped them win over neighbors like Tegea. Once Tegea signed a treaty, the League began to grow. Other cities like Corinth and Mantinea soon joined too.

Rules for the League changed a lot around 506 BC. Before this, the Spartan king Cleomenes I tried to take over Athens. The plan failed because some allies, like the Corinthians, did not want to help. Because of this, Sparta had to give the allies more power. They created a group called a congress. Now, the allies could vote on matters of war and peace. In this congress, every city's vote was worth the same amount. This gave some cities, like Corinth, a lot of influence. Even if an ally voted against a plan, they still had to follow the final result.

Sparta held the most power in the League. A Spartan king or leader usually commanded the army during wars. Sparta also used friendships to keep allies close. Leaders from other cities would send their sons to study in Sparta. This helped create strong ties between the cities. In 378 BC, the League was organized into ten military districts. This helped manage the large number of soldiers. Each district could provide between 3,000 and 4,000 hoplites. This meant the League could have a massive army of at least 30,000 men.

The Peloponnesian League was a powerful alliance of ancient Greek city-states.

It was dominated by the city of Sparta. The League existed from approximately 550 BC to 366 BC. It is most famous for its role in the Peloponnesian War. This war lasted from 431 BC to 404 BC. During this conflict, the League fought against the Delian League. The Delian League was an alliance led by Athens. While historians call it a "league," it was actually a system of many individual treaties.

Sparta acted as the hegemon, or leader, of the alliance. Instead of one single treaty for everyone, Sparta made separate deals with each member. Each city swore a specific oath to the Spartans. They promised to share the same friends and enemies as Sparta. They also promised to follow the Spartans wherever they led. These treaties were intended to be permanent. Members were generally forbidden from leaving the group. The agreements also included defensive obligations. Sparta had to assist any ally attacked by a non-League member. Conversely, allies had to help Sparta if it was attacked. One special clause required allies to assist Sparta during slave revolts. This was due to the Spartan fear of the helots, who were enslaved people in Laconia and Messenia.

In its early history, Sparta grew by conquering nearby regions. They took control of Laconia and Messenia. However, an attempt to conquer Tegea failed at the Battle of the Fetters. After this defeat, Sparta shifted from military conquest to a diplomatic strategy. This was sometimes called the "bones policy." Sparta began collecting the relics of mythical heroes. They moved the bones of Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, from Tegea to Sparta. This helped Sparta appear as the successor to the mythical Achaean kingdom. Following this, Tegea signed an alliance treaty with Sparta. This treaty served as the starting point for the League. Other neighbors of Argos, such as Corinth and Mantinea, soon joined using the Tegean model.

Major changes occurred in the League's organization around 506 BC. Before this, the Spartan king Cleomenes I tried to install a tyrant in Athens. He called on the League army to march, but the campaign failed. The Corinthians returned home because they disagreed with the purpose of the mission. This failure forced Sparta to allow a congress of the League. This made the League a bicameral organization, meaning it had two assemblies. The first was the Spartan ecclesia, where Spartan citizens debated. The second was the congress of the League, where allies voted on proposals. Even if an ally voted against a proposal, they were bound by the final result. In the congress, every city's vote carried the same weight.

This new system gave certain cities significant influence. Corinth, located on the Isthmus, often used its position to guide League decisions. In 440 BC, Corinth led the allies in refusing a Spartan proposal to restart war with Athens. Some cities also used religious excuses to avoid their duties. They might claim a sacred truce or a bad omen prevented them from acting. For example, Phlious avoided a battle in 394 BC due to a sacred truce. Despite these disagreements, Sparta maintained control over the military. A Spartan king or regent usually served as the commander-in-chief. Spartan officers called xenagoi supervised the collection of troops from the allies.

Sparta also maintained its influence through social connections. They supported oligarchies, or governments ruled by a small group, in many member cities. This helped local leaders keep their power. Spartan kings like Agesilaus II also built personal friendships with foreign leaders. This practice is known as xenia, or guest-friendship. Some leaders even sent their sons to the agoge, the Spartan education system. These students became known as trophimoi xenoi. These deep personal ties helped keep the different cities connected to Spartan interests.

In 378 BC, the League underwent another major reorganization. Sparta divided the League into ten distinct military districts. Previously, there had been no middle level of administration. This change was likely intended to make the League more efficient. It also helped manage the distant region of Chalkidike. These districts helped distribute the burden of providing soldiers. Each district was required to contribute between 3,000 and 4,000 hoplites. A hoplite is a type of heavy infantry soldier. This structure meant the League could theoretically field an army of at least 30,000 men. This organized system helped the League remain a dominant force in Greece for many decades.