Well before the events that spawned the film 300, Cleomenes I reigned over Sparta. He is one of the most interesting characters in Spartan history. He reigned in Sparta from 524–490 BCE and was succeeded by the famous Leonidas I of Thermopylae fame.
A rightful heir to the Spartan throne, he may have never been the best choice, and his reign was always in question. Cleomenes displayed signs of mental illness throughout his life, even from birth. The famous Ancient Greek historian Herodotus gives three reasons for his madness and eventual suicide. However, Cleomenes’ problems were more profound than anyone in Greece might have imagined.
As the first-born son of the Spartan King Anaxandrides’ second wife, Cleomenes was the rightful heir to the throne. Anaxandrides took a second wife because his first wife, whom he loved, could not bear him any children and, thus, no heir to the throne. Having a second wife was rare in Sparta. Still, it was necessary to carry on the lineage of the throne.
After Cleomenes was born, Anaxandrides’ first wife birthed another boy, Dorieus. She then gave birth two more sons in quick succession, complicating the issue. Cleomenes grew up in the shadow of his younger brother Dorieus who Herodotus described as “the finest young man of his generation.” When the Spartans selected Cleomenes to succeed Anaxandrides, Dorieus left Sparta immediately.
The Argives believe Cleomenes’ madness was due to his behavior in Argos. Herodotus describes the sacrilege he committed while massacring “Argive fugitives from the holy ground at Argos.” He fights his Army in a somewhat dishonorable fashion by deceiving the Argives during the battle at Sepia. He then takes “about fifty of them” that had fled the fighting and butchers them one by one.
Cleomenes finally “thrashes” a priest who refused to allow him to make a sacrifice at the temple of Hera. This entire episode also indicates something that would lead the gods to smite him with “madness.” In this religious lens, madness was Cleomenes’ punishment for such transgressions.
Another possible reason for Cleomenes’ madness comes from his countrymen. The Spartans “deny that the madness was a punishment for heaven” but rather from his newfound drinking habit.
While associating with the Scythians, he learned to drink wine without watering it down. According to the Spartans, this was unacceptable and led to his madness. While possible, this seems unlikely to be the actual reason as well. Yet, increased alcohol consumption and a pre-existing mental condition might have intensified any illness.
Herodotus believes Cleomenes became “mad” due to guilt and grief over his treatment of Demaratus. Without a doubt, the Greeks believed the gods to be very vengeful. In one instance, Cleomenes corrupted the priestess at Delphi to talk poorly about Demaratus.
This transgression is the primary reason that Herodotus believes led to Cleomenes’ madness. It is also likely that these actions only created guilt that further exasperated an underlying issue.
Herodotus is the most reliable of these sources. The Argives’ were enemies of Cleomenes and Sparta, and as such deliver a suspect account. Additionally, his people were very distrusting of Cleomenes.
Due to his treatment of his fellow king, Demaratus, the Spartan account reads as slander. Cleomenes then descends further and further into his mental illness as time progresses. Being jailed by his former subjects appears to be his breaking point. Here, he displays classic signs of mental illness, something that people in Archaic Greece believe to be their gods smiting him.
Herodotus lists as explanation for Cleomenes’ demise are mere manifestations of his existing mental health. Cleomenes was a mentally sick individual from childhood who couldn’t live up to his position as first-born son and King of Sparta. The pressure, combined with his likely guilt for his mistakes, led to Cleomenes mutilating himself and ending his life.
