Which king of Sparta does Telemachus visit?

Which king of Sparta does Telemachus visit? Telemachus visits Menelaus, the king of Sparta and husband of Helen. His journey appears early in the Odyssey, when he searches for news of his missing father, Odysseus.

With Athena's guidance, Telemachus first travels to Pylos to question Nestor. Nestor cannot tell him where Odysseus is, but he sends Telemachus onward to Sparta with his son, Peisistratus. There, Menelaus and Helen welcome him and recount stories about Odysseus's cleverness during the Trojan War.

Menelaus explains that he learned Odysseus's whereabouts from the sea god Proteus after years of wandering on his own return journey from Troy. He tells Telemachus that Odysseus is alive but held by the nymph Calypso on her distant island. This information gives Telemachus hope, although it does not immediately bring his father home.

Menelaus is sometimes confused with Agamemnon because the brothers commanded Greek forces at Troy. Menelaus ruled Sparta, while Agamemnon ruled Mycenae. Priam was the king of Troy, and Nestor ruled Pylos.