TROJANWAR It was the abduction of Helen, the wife of King Menalaus of Sparta, by Paris, prince of Troy, that began the war that lasted tenyears, and took so many lives, resulting in the total destruction of the city of Troy, and the surrounding countryside, and the end of its dynasty.Paris, promised by Aphroditethe most beautiful woman on Earth as his wife, was told by the goddess to go to Sparta, where he met Helen, with whom he soon formed a strong bond offriendship, and then something more intimate, culminating in the eloping of Helen andParis. The fugitive couple fled to Troy, where Helen married Paris.