Thermopylae War

Thermopylae was a pass the Greeks tried to defend in battle against Persians led by Xerxes, in 480 B.C. The Persians won the Battle of Thermopylae. Xeres wanted to expand Persia, so he went to Greece and won most of Greece's mainland. When he finished and conquered, he decided to burn Athens. After this, the Allied navy at Artemisium received news of the defeat at Thermopylae. Since their strategy required both Thermopylae and Artemisium to be held, and given their losses, the Allied navy decided to withdraw to Salamis. In short, they were able to get what they wanted, fought for it, and finally obtained their land.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae