Epaminondas
Theban general and statesman whose innovative oblique-order tactics crushed Sparta's previously unbeaten hoplite army at Leuctra in 371 BCE, ending Spartan hegemony; he then invaded the Peloponnese and freed the enslaved Messenian helot population, permanently crippling Sparta's economic base.
- Lived: 418 BCE – 362 BCE
- Nationality: Greek (Theban)
- Roles: General, Statesman
