Megalopolis (331 BC)

Sparta had stood on the sidelines while Athens and Thebes battled Macedon at Chaeronea. As the Macedonian army plunged ever deeper into Asia, King Agis III sensed an opportunity to regain the hegemony of Greece for Sparta. Agis began secret …

-331

626

Sparta had stood on the sidelines while Athens and Thebes battled Macedon at Chaeronea. As the Macedonian army plunged ever deeper into Asia, King Agis III sensed an opportunity to regain the hegemony of Greece for Sparta. Agis began secret negotiations with the Persians and obtained funding for a rebellion. In 331 the Macedonian army was stretched thin—Alexander was advancing into Mesopotamia, Antigonus was fighting an insurrection in Phrygia and Antipater, the strategos of Europe, was quelling a revolt in Thrace. Agis chose this opportune moment to attack Megalopolis, but Antipater quickly subdued the Thracians and headed south to face the upstart Spartans. Agis commanded 20,000 foot and 2,000 cavalry while Antipater had about 30,000 men. Agis’s numerical inferiority convinced Agis to lift the siege and maneuver to a constricted battlefield. When the two armies clashed, Agis’s Spartans broke through the Macedonian line at first, and his mercenaries drove back their opponents. Antipater brought up his reserves and stabilized his line. There was fierce fighting around the Spartan king and when Agis was slain, his army collapsed. The power of Sparta was broken for a century, and Alexander’s home base was secure as he headed further east.

Megalopolis, Greece

The Battle of Megalopolis was fought in 331 BC between Spartan led forces and Macedonia. Alexander's regent Antipater led the Macedonians to victory over King Agis III.

Wikipedia: Battle of Megalopolis

Macedonian

Spartan

Alexander The Great