In the spring of 371 BC, the congress of the Greek cities was convened in Sparta, with the aim of achieving general peace in Greece. The representative of the Thebans, Epaminondas, asked to sign the treaty on behalf of all the Boeotians. This claim of Epaminondas met with the opposition of a large number of delegates, who declared Thebes to be an "outcast", i.e. not included in the peace treaty.
The governors of Sparta, fearing an increase in the military power of Thebes, ordered King Cleombrus, who was in Phocis, to invade Boeotia and attack Thebes. With 10,000 infantry and 1,000 horsemen, Cleomvrotus headed for Boeotia, and after capturing the coastal town of Creissi and capturing 12 Theban triremes, he continued his march and encamped on a hill near the valley of Lefktron, located between the mountains of Kithairon and Helicon.
The sight of the Spartan army caused alarm among the Thebans, who had only 6,000 men. The proposal to send the women and children to Athens and oppose a defence of the city walls was abandoned in the face of Epaminondas' insistence that an offensive action be attempted against Cleombrutus' army, despite the Thebans' numerical disadvantage.
In making his plans, Epaminondas devised the tactic of the oblique phalanx to counterbalance the Spartans' considerable numerical advantage on the battlefield. He lined up the men of the left wing 50 men deep to form a phalanx with a large striking force. With this dense phalanx he planned to attack the Spartan right wing, led by the Spartan king himself. The centre and right of his troops he arrayed in only six yokes, with orders to defend and attack when conditions were favourable. The whole formation was slanted in relation to the opposing formation. In front of the infantry, Epaminondas deployed his highly trained cavalry and, as a reserve on his left wing, the Holy Company under Pelopidas. Cleombrus arrayed his army with the usual tactics of a straight line, 12 men deep and with an equal distribution of forces. In front of the infantry he placed his cavalry, which was inferior in quality to the Theban cavalry.
Cleombrus hesitated at first to attack, expecting reinforcements. Eventually, he was de facto forced into battle. First the cavalry of the two warriors engaged, with the Thebans forcing the Spartan cavalry into retreat and confusing their infantry. Then, Epaminon put his plan into action and charged the Spartan right horn. Cleombrus, for his part, attempted to surround the Thebans, but the Sacred Company under Pelopidas thwarted the circular movement.
The battle continued fiercely until the moment when Cleombrus was wounded and succumbed to his injuries. Then, the order of the Spartan army was disturbed, causing panic and the Spartans to retreat in disorder. Their losses were considerable. Apart from King Cleombrutus, 400 genuine Spartans and 1,000 Lacedaemonians were killed on the battlefield.
The immediate result of the Battle of Leuctra was the dissolution of the Spartan hegemony in Greece and its gradual replacement by the hegemony of Thebes. On the battlefield shone the military genius of Epaminondas, who has since been remembered as one of the most brilliant generals of all time. The oblique phalanx, which he applied for the first time, is a milestone in the development of military art and was used by many subsequent great generals.
Source: sansimera.gr
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