The Battle of Leuctra, 371 BC. Spartan Defeat. First Known Tactical Use of Cavalry. First Flank Refusal. Art of War Forever Changed.

History's Greatest Battles

The Theban victory at Leuctra shattered Spartan dominance, a dominance that had held the Greek peninsula in an iron grip since the end of the Peloponnesian War. For the first time, the myth of Spartan invincibility was broken, and the balance of power shifted.
But Theban supremacy was fleeting. Their rise destabilized Greece, sparking bitter rivalries and further conflict. In the chaos, an opportunity emerged for a new force to rise: Macedon. Led by Philip II and later his son Alexander, the Macedonians would seize control of Greece, ending the era of city-state independence and paving the way for an empire that would reshape the ancient world.
Leuctra. July, 371 B.C.
Theban Forces: 6,000 Hoplites and 1,500 Cavalry.
Spartan Forces: 10,000 Hoplites and 1,000 Cavalry.
Additional Reading and Episode Research:

• Ferril, Arthur. The Origins of War.
• Dryden Translation: Plutarch. The Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans.
• Warner Translation: Xenophon. A History of My Times.
• Buckler, John. The Theban Hegemony 371-362.
• Markov, Walter. Battles of World History.

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