Pelopidas

Pelopidas was a prominent Theban statesman and general who, alongside Epaminondas, led Thebes during its rise to political and military prominence in the early 4th century BCE. A member of the Boeotian aristocracy, he spearheaded reforms of the Theban army and, with him, helped create the Sacred Band of Thebes, a famed corps reputed for its unity and discipline.

He played a central role in the Theban ascendancy after the Peloponnesian War, most notably at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE, where Thebes, under the combined command of Pelopidas and Epaminondas, defeated Sparta and broke its long-standing supremacy in Greece.

In the following years, Pelopidas and Epaminondas sought to expand Theban influence, reconfiguring Boeotia and undertaking campaigns in Thessaly and beyond to challenge Spartan power and to form a Theban-led coalition against rival city-states.

Pelopidas died during a Theban campaign around 364 BCE; the exact circumstances are uncertain. His death removed a key leader from Thebes, and the balance of Theban power shifted in the years that followed, culminating with Epaminondas's death at Mantinea in 362 BCE.

Pelopidas is remembered for his military reforms and for founding the Sacred Band, which became a lasting symbol of Theban martial prowess and influence in early classical Greece.