Following the intervention of the war by the Theban army in 396 BCE, Athens had allowed itself to become increasingly vulnerable to foreign invasion. When Pagondas entered Attica in 395 BCE, after the split of the Athenian Expedition force and their defeat at the Battle of Leontinoi, , Athens had become very demoralized and politically divided. Even with their numerical advantages, Athens was unable to muster proper forces, and Pagondas freely pillaged and sacked the North of Attica, eventually winning his famous "three victories" in a single week.