Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 26: The Selection of the King

Metrophanes believed that the Daonian Senate was deliberately stalling and making a fool of him, that they had already prepared for peace talks with Croton long ago, and that he had wasted all his efforts in rushing to Thurii... How dare this newly formed Daonia Alliance so thoroughly mock and despise Locri!

Thus, despite being ill and weak, he attended the triumph. As the envoy from Locri, the Senate had arranged for him to stay at an inn not far from the Council Chamber. Since he was already within the city and a guest of honor, he was naturally allowed to watch the triumph. Originally, he had intended to meet with the Daonian magistrate afterward to vent his grievances, and on behalf of Locri, to issue appropriate threats against Daonia, which had just allied with Croton, forcing them to make changes favorable to Locri. But after watching this unprecedented magnificent, grand, and lively military triumph, he was awed by Daonia’s vast forces, high morale, and the fervor of the people. This made him realize that this was an alliance—from senator to commoner—that revered heroes, was warlike and skilled in battle, would not be taken lightly by others, and likely would not easily compromise. So he backed down...

After the last procession of freemen had departed, the people flooded into the square, and Davos’s speech brought the triumph to a perfect conclusion: “People of the Daonia Alliance, on behalf of the Senate, I thank you!

“When a powerful enemy invaded, you were not afraid, you did not retreat. Instead, you united and fought bravely! The soldiers battled heroically at the front, fearless of sacrifice, striving to be heroes; while you toiled without rest in the rear to transport supplies, dodging surprise attacks from the enemy fleet, enduring the pain of losing loved ones, and supporting our struggle at the front!

“Today we have won. This is the result of the joint efforts of all Daonia Alliance citizens, preparatory citizens, freemen, and their families! We use this victory to honor the warriors who died on the battlefield, hoping their spirits will safely reach Hades’ Elysian Paradise! I, Magistrate Davos, also use this victory to tell you that the days when the Daonia Alliance suffered humiliation are over. You will have a brighter tomorrow! Hail the Daonia Alliance!...”

“Hail the Daonia Alliance!!!”

“Hail the Daonian Senate!!!”

“Hail Magistrate Davos!!!”

“Hail Davos!!!”

...

At that moment, cheers erupted across the square, and the entire city of Thurii became an ocean of joy!

After the sacred festival day of Spartan King Agis, following a period of preparation, the Spartan Council of Elders finally decided to elect a new Spartan king, to avoid the throne remaining vacant for too long and causing political instability at home.

On that day, the twenty-nine elders of the Spartan Council Chamber entered the meeting hall early. Two candidates for the kingship were also present: Leotychides, son of the former Spartan King Agis, and Agesilaus, Agis’s own brother.

The rotating chair, Kleostidas, announced: “The sacred meeting to elect the king begins! First, the candidates will state their reasons for being king.”

The young and hot-tempered Leotychides stood up first and shouted at his uncle: “Agesilaus, the ancient law clearly states, ‘The first to inherit the throne should be the king’s son, not his brother. If the king happens to have no offspring, only then might it fall to his brother to succeed.’ If you don’t want to disgrace yourself, you’d better leave now.”

Agesilaus did not face his nephew but addressed the assembly with respectful demeanor and a low but firm voice: “Respected elders, I, Agesilaus, the only full brother of Agis, should be the one to succeed as king!”

Leotychides jumped up and shouted, interrupting his uncle: “Agesilaus, don’t think because you’re a cripple you can play dumb! Listen, the sacred Spartan law has already decreed that I, as Agis’s only son, should rightfully become king. Stop your nonsense!”

Agesilaus turned and looked at the agitated Leotychides, a trace of contempt on his face: “Indeed, the law says so, but the prerequisite is that you are truly Agis’s son! Yet I have heard more than once from the man you call father that ‘you are not his true son!’”

“You lie!” Since childhood, rumors like this had always reached Leotychides’ ears, haunting him like a nightmare and becoming a sensitive spot as he grew up. Now his face instantly flushed red. He leaped from his seat, rushed over, grabbed Agesilaus, and roared angrily: “Damned cripple! Don’t think because you’re my uncle I won’t hit you!”

He struggled to suppress his rage, his teeth grinding audibly: “Listen, my mother knows the truth better than my father! Even today she still says, ‘I am the king’s son! I am Agis’s son!’...”

“Quiet! Quiet! The Council Chamber is a sacred place. No fighting, or you will be expelled!” warned Chair Kleostidas.

Agesilaus pushed aside his nephew’s hand, his demeanor even calmer. He spoke solemnly: “Respected elders, perhaps you recall the year of the earthquake in Sparta. Agis left his wife and led the guard to provide disaster relief, gone for nearly a year. The wrath of Poseidon filled the Spartans with awe, and at the same time, this god gave the strongest witness that Leotychides is not Agis’s son! Because of the timing! Leotychides was born ten months after Agis left his wife!”

At these words, the elders fell into thought; some expressions turned serious.

“You lie!” Leotychides flew into a rage again, but was held back by the guards who were prepared. He could only continue roaring.

“Enough. The candidates’ statements end here.” Chair Kleostidas immediately said: “Does any elder have something to say?”

Diopeithes stood up and said: “Gentlemen, as you already know, before this meeting was convened, I was authorized by Pausanias to go to Delphi on behalf of the Council of Elders and seek an oracle from Apollo. He warned us, ‘Spartans must beware of a king becoming a cripple.’ Therefore I believe that Apollo has given us a warning. If Agesilaus becomes king, he will surely bring danger to Sparta!” He then passed around the parchment he held. Some elders nodded as they read it.

Diopeithes glanced triumphantly at Lysander, who was seated in front, then made a calming gesture toward Leotychides.

Agesilaus forced himself to stay calm, but his hands clenched behind his back, because he saw the elders occasionally glance at his foot. He unconsciously pulled his left foot back.

At this point, Lysander stood up. His influence was great, instantly drawing everyone’s attention: “As everyone knows, the oracles of Apollo at Delphi are always profound and difficult to interpret. If one understands only the literal meaning, one often reaches false conclusions!” Lysander looked around and said in a clear voice: “In the past, the Lydian king received the oracle ‘a great country will fall’ and thought Persia would be defeated, but instead his own kingdom fell. Before the Persian invasion, if the Athenians had truly built a wooden wall according to the literal meaning, they could not have defeated the Persians at sea... So we should understand this oracle more deeply! If the king we elect is not truly of Agis’s bloodline, then wouldn’t our proud dual-king system, the sacred lineage inherited from Heracles, be missing a leg?!”

It must be said that Lysander’s words were thought-provoking, and combined with his influence, they caused the elders to whisper and debate endlessly.

Leotychides glared at Lysander but did not dare to curse him as he had Agesilaus. Although in the years after the Peloponnesian War his power had been deliberately weakened by the Council of Elders, he was still a hero to the Spartan people, with astonishing appeal—not someone a heir to the throne could bully.

The other Spartan king, Pausanias, did not clearly favor either of Agis’s heirs, but he deeply resented and was wary of Lysander, who had once tried to shake the “dual-king system.” Therefore, he often opposed whatever Lysander supported. However, at the meeting to elect a new king, according to tradition, the other king could attend but had no right to advise or vote, because the reason Sparta had two kings was to keep each other in check; thus the king had to avoid suspicion. Pausanias could only signal to an elder he trusted, Herippidas.

That elder had to stand up hastily and stammer: “Sparta is now the hegemon of Greece. But if... the Spartan king is... um... physically deficient, it would only make other city-states secretly mock Sparta and reduce their awe of us. Moreover, we have never had a king with a physical disability! Never!”

As soon as he finished, Lysander immediately retorted: “That’s right, Agesilaus is a cripple. But he is brave in battle, upright in character, and has always been respected by us elders and the people. He is a traditional, pure Spartan warrior who has not disgraced the royal reputation! But please look closely at Leotychides. Who do you think he resembles?”

Leotychides was sturdy and handsome, his features inherited more from his mother. But under the guidance of Lysander’s words and the influence of persistent rumors, the elders looked at him and increasingly thought he resembled the handsome and debauched Athenian—Alcibiades.

Seeing the enlightened expressions of others, Diopeithes grew anxious and hastily said: “Those rumors about Leotychides’ birth are nothing but slanders spread by certain people to achieve their own goals, without solid evidence! And... and in history, we honest Spartans have never let a rightful heir lose the throne because of false rumors!”