The Battle of Plataea ended the second Persian invasion of Greece, securing Greek independence and halting Achaemenid westward expansion into Europe.
Key Facts
- Date
- 479 BC
- Location
- Near Plataea, Boeotia
- Persian commander killed
- Mardonius
- Stalemate duration
- 11 days before decisive engagement
- Greek alliance leaders
- Sparta, Athens, Corinth, Megara
- Persian allies
- Boeotia, Thessalia, Macedon
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Greek naval victory at Salamis, Xerxes withdrew from Greece but left his general Mardonius with a substantial army to complete the conquest. In summer 479 BC, a large Greek allied army marched out of the Peloponnesus, prompting the Persians to retreat into Boeotia and construct a fortified camp near Plataea, where both sides avoided committing to unfavorable terrain, producing an eleven-day stalemate.
During a fragmented Greek withdrawal after Persian forces disrupted their supply lines, Mardonius mistook the movement for a full retreat and ordered pursuit. The Spartans, Tegeans, and Athenians halted and fought back, routing the lightly armed Persian infantry. Mardonius was killed in the fighting, and a large portion of the Persian army was subsequently trapped and destroyed in its camp.
The destruction of the Persian land army at Plataea, combined with the near-simultaneous defeat of the Persian fleet at Mycale, decisively ended the second Persian invasion of Greece. Greek city-states retained their independence, and the Achaemenid Empire's ambitions of westward conquest into Europe were permanently checked.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Pausanias (Spartan regent, Greek alliance).
Side B
1 belligerent
Mardonius (Persian, killed in battle).