Battle of Leuctres
Leuctres is a borough of Béotie, located at the south-west of Thèbes, not far from Thespies. The July 6th 371 av. J. - C., Thébains led by the Béotarque Épaminondas inflict a severe defeat with the Spartans of the king Cléombrote I.
Épaminondas made there a brilliant demonstration of its talents of strategist: he reinforces his left wing and not the line as of habit (the Hoplite S thébains are distributed on a depth of 50 rows, against 12 for the troops lacédémoniennes), the Bataillon crowned thébain, carried out by Pélopidas, makes directly vis-a-vis the hoplites Spartans. At the time of the attack, this powerful formation, acting like the prow of a ship, inserts the lines lacédémoniennes, destroying their right wing, precisely where their best troops are located.
This tactic allotted a long time to the only “genius” of Epaminondas was practiced as of the end of the 5th century, Leuctres is only the result of a strategic evolution of the hoplitic war, which does not remove of anything to him its effectiveness. Moreover, according to Xénophon, only contemporary historical source of the events, Epaminondas belongs to the staff thébain, and is not to in no case the single strategist; moreover Xénophon does not even mention its name. The glory of Epaminondas comes us from an ancient historiographic long tradition which starts with Éphore de Cumes and Diodore of Sicily and which continues until our days (article of V. Hanson, in the War in Greece at the time traditional , Rennes, 1999).
The result is terrible for Sparte: the losses are high (1000 killed) and especially the civic body is bled with white by the disappearance of 400 of the 700 citizens Spartans mobilized for the combat.
Considered by much as a tactical revolution for the use of the oblique order (what remains discussed by the historians, of which Richard Davis Hanson), the battle of Leuctres marks a turning in the relationship between Greek cities. Hegemony Spartan is put at evil and the city will not be concerned any.
External bonds
The Battle of Leuctres, by Sergeant A. Majoor
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