Which Spartan king was the father of Leonidas I?

Anaxandridas II was the father of Leonidas I, the Spartan king who died at Thermopylae.

Anaxandridas II belonged to Sparta’s Agiad royal house and ruled during the sixth century BCE. He is especially notable in Herodotus because of the unusual circumstances surrounding his marriages. The ephors reportedly urged him to divorce his childless first wife, but he refused; instead, the Spartan authorities arranged another marriage for him.

His second wife gave birth to Cleomenes I, while his first wife later had a son, Dorieus, followed by Leonidas and Cleombrotus. This succession produced competing claims and complicated relationships within the Agiad dynasty.

Leonidas eventually became king after Cleomenes’ death. Anaxandridas should not be confused with Anaxandridas’ grandson, who was also connected to Sparta’s royal succession through Leonidas and Cleombrotus.