Stoic Courage in a Spartan Queen: Cratesicleia

I have posted previously about the mission to Sparta of Zeno's disciple, Sphaerus. He had a great influence on Spartan king Cleomenes III, who was destined to be a great reformer and to attempt to return the soul of Sparta that was formed during the days of Lycurgus.

Not everything went well for Cleomenes militarily. At first he had unprecedented military success and conquered almost all of the Peloponnese, shocking the rest of Greece with his exploits. However, due to political maneuvering and intrigue by his enemies, everything that he gained quickly collapsed and he was abandoned by his allies. He was hemmed into Laconia.

At this point, the Egyptian king Ptolemy offered to help Cleomenes, but demanded that Cleomenes send his mother and children to Egypt as collateral. This request very much upset Cleomenes, which eventually drew the suspicions of his mother, Cratesicleia. She demanded to know what was going on, and he told her.  She laughed.

"Was it this which you frequently meant to tell me, but lacked the courage? Why ever don't you hurry to put me on board ship and send me off wherever you think this body of mine will be of the greatest service to Sparta, before old age disposes of it as it just sits here?"

So Cleomenes set off with her to put her on the ship to Egypt. He was visibly shaken as the moment neared, so Cratesicleia pulled him into the temple of Poseidon.

She embraced and kissed her son and then said: "Come now, king of the Spartans. When we emerge we want no one to see us in tears nor doing anything unworthy of Sparta. This is all that lies in our power; but our fortunes must be as heaven ordains."

And thus she boarded the ship for Egypt and ordered the sailors to make haste.

*Reference: Plutarch's On Sparta

Zeno's Influence on Spartan Kings

In the 3rd Century B.C., Sparta was not the kingdom that she once was. She had turned away from the laws of Lycrugus which had helped her ascend to a dominating position over all of Greece. There was a political movement, at this time, to guide Sparta back to the ascetic ways of their ancient past and to restore the character and honor of the city-state. At this same time, Zeno of Citium was forming the Stoic philosophy in Athens. There was much respect in philosophy for the virtue-centric lifestyle of the ancient Spartans, and it seems that this pollination of ideas came full circle when a follower of Zeno named Sphaerus visited Sparta and influenced the soon-to-be-king Cleomenes III.

This is what the Roman historian Plutarch says about this relationship in his book On Sparta:

"He was certainly not satisfied with the state of affairs in the city, where the citizens had been lulled by inactivity and indulgence, and the king let all business slide so long as no one disturbed him in his desire to live a life of leisure and luxury in affluent circumstances. Public affairs were disregarded as everyone amassed profits for themselves privately. As for training, self-discipline on the part of the young, stamina and equality, it was unsafe so much as to mention these now that Agis and his family were dead. [Agis was a King who had recently been murdered by political rivals because he had very nearly succeeded at returning Sparta back to her roots. He had managed to have all debts erased and was in the process of redistributing all land equally between Spartan peers when he was murdered along with his wife and mother.]

While still a youth, Cleomenes is also said to have taken part in philosophical discussions at the time when Sphaerus from Olbia visited Sparta and devoted a good deal of attention to both the young men and the ephebes. Sphaerus had become one of the leading followers of Zeno of Citium and apparently he was delighted by the manliness of Cleomenes' character and tried to fire his ambition. There is a story that when the Leonidas of ancient times was asked his impression of Tyrtaeus' quality as a poet, he replied: 'A good one for firing the spirits of the young.' For the poems filled them with such excitement that they stopped caring for themselves in battle. But where great and passionate characters are concerned, Stoic doctrine has an element that is unstable and hazardous; it is rather when combined with a profound and mild temperament that it particularly develops towards its intrinsic worth."

Cleomenes III went on to enact great reforms and was greatly respected in Sparta for his plain lifestyle and the example that he set for his people.