Pausanias commanded the Greek army at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BCE.
Pausanias was a Spartan regent serving as guardian of the young king Pleistarchus, the son of Leonidas. He led the allied Greek force against the Persian army commanded by Mardonius at Plataea in Boeotia. The battle was the decisive land engagement of the second Persian invasion of Greece.
Greek troops initially struggled to maintain a favorable position and withdrew in stages. Mardonius interpreted the movement as weakness and attacked. The Greek force then turned and defeated the Persians, while Mardonius was killed. The victory ended the major Persian land threat to mainland Greece.
Pausanias later became associated with controversy. Ancient sources report that he was accused of medizing, or favoring the Persian king, and Sparta eventually investigated him. His career illustrates that Spartan commanders were not remembered only for battlefield success; political suspicion and relations with Persia could also determine their fate.