Philip II of Macedonia

Philip II of Macedonia became king when he was 23 years old in very dire situations in 359 B.C.E. (Sekunda 4). There were threats from barbarians north of Macedonia, and threats from the cunning Greek southern cities (4). Philip had to act quickly to gain control so he needed to create an army (4). He had spent time in Thebes as a hostage and gained military knowledge "from the work of Epaminondas, one of the greatest generals of the day" ("Philip II"). He armed his military "with a sarissa, a pike that, at about 16 feet long, had a greater reach than Greek weapons" ("Philip II"). This weapon made his army very powerful and allowed his phalanxes to strike first ("Philip II"). In 338 B.C.E., Philip defeated Chaeronea, "one of the Greek city-states" (Heckel 2). The "League of Corinth" was formed securing "an alliance of Greek states" under King Philip, the "hegemon or supreme military commander" (2). Philip had "unified the Macedonian state, consolidated power to the north, and made himself master of the Greek world" (15). He was known to create alliances by marriage, securing allegiances to grow his empire ("Philip"). His first wife, Audata, sealed an allegiance with Illyria, and his marriage to Phila, a Macedonian princess, made his ties much stronger in Macedonia ("Philip"). He later married Olympias, securing an alliance with Epirus and the western frontier ("Philip"). Philip and Olympias had two children, Alexander III and Cleopatra (Freeman 36). He divorced Olympias to marry Cleopatra of Eurydice, the niece of his general Attalus, who he needs for the invasion of Persia (33). Attalus made it known at their wedding ceremony that he does not believe Alexander is a legitimate heir (34). Alexander has an altercation with Attalus,...

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... the Great Macedonian King and Alexander III would be the Great General. Alexander IV would have the guidance of two very powerful leaders in the world. After Philip's natural death, Alexander III becomes king, continuing what his father had started. Their strong lineage would continue for generations with Alexander IV as the next heir to the throne.

Works Cited

Freeman, Philip. Alexander the Great. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. Print.
Green, Peter. The Hellenistic Age. New York: Modern Library, 2007. Print.
Heckel, Waldemar. The Conquests of Alexander the Great. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. Print.
"Philip of Macedon". History of Macedonia Website, 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2013.
"Philip II of Macedon." The Biography Channel Website, 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2013.
Sekunda, Nick. The Army of Alexander the Great. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1984. Print.