The Battle without Tears
In 369 B.C, while Sparta was trying to recover from Leuctra, the rest of Greece came under attack from Thebes, who saw itself as the next great power. Aligned with Athens, the Spartans debated with their ally how to overcome this new aggressor. At the same time, Thebes was aligned with the Arcadians and Argives, giving them assets in the Peloponnese which could threaten Sparta. But that alliance did not survive the ascendancy of Lykomedes of Mantineia who argued that the Arcadians and Argives were great in their own right and did not need an alliance with anyone. He convinced the Arcadians and Argives to break away from Thebes and act on their own.
Meanwhile, Dionysios, King of Syracuse, sent an armed force to the aid of Sparta. The Athenians wanted them to be used against Thessaly, but the Spartans successfully argued they were needed in Laconia to fight the Arcadians.