# What was the name of the \*other\* Spartan king during Leonidas's time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 21, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-the-other-spartan-king-during-leonidass-time/396913 "2007-03-21T20:01:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ragerdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d07c76/32.png) [@ragerdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ragerdude)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-the-other-spartan-king-during-leonidass-time/396913/1 "2007-03-21T20:01:55Z")
As many of you know, Sparta was ruled by two hereditary kings simultaneously. Every one knows Leonidas, but who was the other one? What was he doing at the time of the Persian War? I know that Demaratus had been a recently deposed king, but was he replaced by the time of Thermopylae? Anyway, if government by one king is called a monarchy, what is a government by two kings called? A dualarchy? A binarchy? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-the-other-spartan-king-during-leonidass-time/396913/2 "2007-03-21T20:11:48Z")
Leotychidas. He’s most famous as the victor of the battle of Mycale, which, along with the battle of Plataea, ended the Persian War. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-the-other-spartan-king-during-leonidass-time/396913/3 "2007-03-21T20:37:53Z")
It’s generally refered to as a “dual monarchy.”