Topic summary
Peloponnesia
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Peloponnese.
Classical period
Soldiers from the peninsula fought in the Persian Wars at the battles of Thermopylae under Leonidas, Salamis under Themistocles, and Plataea under Pausanias. The Peloponnesian League under Spartan leadership defeated the Athenians at the Peloponnesian War of 431–404 BC. The entire Peloponnese, with the notable exception of Sparta (which was forced to join later in 331 BC), joined Philip's League of Corinth in 338 BC and the following expedition of Alexander the Great against the Persian Empire.