Who is Philip II of Macedon?
Philip II of Macedon ( Greek: Φίλιππος B' ό Μακεδών, Fílippos ó Makedõn; 382–336 BCE) was the king ( basileus) of the kingdom of Macedon from 359 BC E until his assassination in 336 BC E. He was a member of the Argead dynasty of Macedonian kings, the third son of King Amyntas III of Macedon, and father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.
Who was the king of Macedonia during the reign of Alexander?
Philip II of Macedonia. Philip II (*382): king of Macedonia (r.360-336), responsible for the modernization of his kingdom and its expansion into Greece, father of Alexander the Great.
How long did Philip II reign over Macedonia?
Philip II reigned over Macedonia from 359 to 336 B.C. He became the head of an empire that was expanded by his son and successor, Alexander the Great. Born in either 383 or 382 B.C., Philip II became Macedonia's leader in 359, and was officially its king by 357.
What happened to Philip II after he conquered Greece?
After he conquered Greece, he planned to conquer the Persian Empire, but he would never achieve this goal. Philip II was assassinated in 336 B.C.E., and was succeeded by his son, Alexander III, later known as Alexander the Great.
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Who took the throne in Macedonia after King Philip II?
AlexanderAlexander Becomes King Just 20 years old, Alexander claimed the Macedonian throne and killed his rivals before they could challenge his sovereignty. He also quashed rebellions for independence in northern Greece.
What happened to Philip II of Macedonia?
There Philip was assassinated by Pausanias, a young Macedonian noble with a bitter grievance against the young queen's uncle Attalus and against Philip for denying him justice. This was the official explanation, and Pausanias himself could add nothing to it; he was killed on the spot.
How did Philip II lose his eye?
In 354 bce Philip sustained his most severe wound when he lost his right eye during the siege of Methone. The loss had apparently been foretold by the Oracle at Delphi, which Philip had consulted over his concerns about his wife Olympia.
Why did Philip of Macedonia conquer Greece?
Soldiers moved closely together in a rectangular formation as if they were one giant soldier. One phalanx could contain 265 soldiers. King Philip's military battles and diplomatic tactics resulted in the expansion of his empire and domination over all of Greece.
When was Philip II of Macedon assassinated?
336 BC, Vergina, GreecePhilip II of Macedon / Assassinated
How old was Philip of Macedon when he died?
46 years (382 BC–336 BC)Philip II of Macedon / Age at death
What did Philip II do?
Philip was the self-proclaimed protector of the Roman Catholic Church. He sought to limit the spread of Protestantism, and he ultimately completed the work of unification begun by Ferdinand and Isabella (the “Catholic Monarchs”) in the Iberian Peninsula. Read more about the house of Habsburg and the Habsburg dynasty.
Is Prince Philip related to Alexander the Great?
They named their only son Philippos, the name of the legendary rulers of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, including Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great.
Who succeeded Philip II?
Philip II was assassinated in 336 B.C.E., and was succeeded by his son, Alexander III, later known as Alexander the Great. While Philip II did not fulfill his plans to expand his empire through Persian territory, he is often credited with paving the way for his son to be one of the greatest military leaders in history.
How long did Philip II rule Macedonia?
He was the 18th king of Macedonia and ruled from 359 to 336 B.C.E. Macedon was unstable during Philip II’s youth. During an invasion by the Greek city-state of Thebes, Philip himself was even taken hostage. He remained in Thebes for three years and learned military strategies from Epaminondas, the great Theban general.
What did King Philip II do to help the Macedonian army?
King Philip II is credited with restoring internal peace to his country. Philip used his military knowledge to strengthen the Macedonian army. His soldiers were trained to fight as a phalanx. A phalanx was a large group of foot soldiers armed with shields and spears. Soldiers moved closely together in a rectangular formation as if they were one giant soldier. One phalanx could contain 265 soldiers.
When was the Peloponnese civilization founded?
loosely united civilization founded on and around the Peloponnese peninsula, lasting from about the 8th century BCE to about 200 BCE.
Who did Philip marry?
When Philip returned to Pella, he fell in love with and married Cleopatra Eurydice in 338 BC, the niece of his general Attalus. The marriage made Alexander's position as heir less secure, since any son of Cleopatra Eurydice would be a fully Macedonian heir, while Alexander was only half-Macedonian. During the wedding banquet, a drunken Attalus publicly prayed to the gods that the union would produce a legitimate heir.
What did Alexander the Great do before he crossed the Danube?
Before crossing to Asia, Alexander wanted to safeguard his northern borders. In the spring of 335 BC, he advanced to suppress several revolts. Starting from Amphipolis, he travelled east into the country of the "Independent Thracians"; and at Mount Haemus, the Macedonian army attacked and defeated the Thracian forces manning the heights. The Macedonians marched into the country of the Triballi, and defeated their army near the Lyginus river (a tributary of the Danube ). Alexander then marched for three days to the Danube, encountering the Getae tribe on the opposite shore. Crossing the river at night, he surprised them and forced their army to retreat after the first cavalry skirmish.
Why was the island of Failaka named Failaka?
Arrian wrote that Aristobulus said that the Icarus island (modern Failaka Island) in the Persian Gulf had this name because Alexander ordered the island to be named like this, after the Icarus island in the Aegean Sea.
How did Alexander the Great start his reign?
Alexander began his reign by eliminating potential rivals to the throne. He had his cousin, the former Amyntas IV, executed. He also had two Macedonian princes from the region of Lyncestis killed, but spared a third, Alexander Lyncestes. Olympias had Cleopatra Eurydice and Europa, her daughter by Philip, burned alive. When Alexander learned about this, he was furious. Alexander also ordered the murder of Attalus, who was in command of the advance guard of the army in Asia Minor and Cleopatra's uncle.
What happened to Alexander the Great at 16?
At the age of 16, Alexander's education under Aristotle ended. Philip II had waged war against the Thracians to the north, which left Alexander in charge as regent and heir apparent. During Philip's absence, the Thracian tribe of Maedi revolted against Macedonia.
Why was Alexander the Great called the Great?
Alexander earned the epithet "the Great" due to his unparalleled success as a military commander. He never lost a battle, despite typically being outnumbered. This was due to use of terrain, phalanx and cavalry tactics, bold strategy, and the fierce loyalty of his troops. The Macedonian phalanx, armed with the sarissa, a spear 6 metres (20 ft) long, had been developed and perfected by Philip II through rigorous training, and Alexander used its speed and manoeuvrability to great effect against larger but more disparate Persian forces. Alexander also recognized the potential for disunity among his diverse army, which employed various languages and weapons. He overcame this by being personally involved in battle, in the manner of a Macedonian king.
When was Alexander the Great's name written?
Name of Alexander the Great in Egyptian hieroglyphs (written from right to left), c. 332 BC , Egypt. Louvre Museum. When Alexander destroyed Tyre, most of the towns on the route to Egypt quickly capitulated. However, Alexander was met with resistance at Gaza.
Who Was Philip II of Macedon?
Philip II became Macedonia's leader in 359, and was officially its king by 357. He used skilled military and diplomatic tactics to expand his country's territory and influence, and ended up dominating almost of all of his neighboring Greek city-states. He was assassinated in July 336, at the approximate age of 46, and was succeeded by his son, Alexander the Great.
What city did Philip of Macedon conquer?
Expansion of Macedonian Power. In 357, Philip successfully faced off with Athens for control of the strategically located city of Amphipolis. Over the next two decades, Philip would achieve a series of victories in the region, only suffering a major defeat in 353.
Why did Pausanias act?
He may have been acting on his own— allegedly Philip's ally Attalus arranged for Pausanias's sexual assault, and Pausanias was upset that Philip would not help avenge him. However, Pausanias may have been acting for someone else—perhaps Olympias, who felt supplanted by Philip's latest marriage, or Alexander, who may have worried that his succession was in jeopardy. The Persian king was another possibility, as he would have wanted to avert Philip's invasion.
How long did Philip stay in Thebes?
After his brother, Alexander II, took the throne, Philip spent three years, from 368 to 365, as a hostage in Thebes. This time was well-spent, as it was in Thebes that Philip learned about military strategy from the work of Epaminondas, one of the greatest generals of the day.
What did Philip use to remake the Macedonian army?
From his new position of power, Philip began to use his military ingenuity in order to remake the Macedonian army. Members of the army were soon equipped with a sarissa, a pike that, at about 16 feet long, had a greater reach than Greek weapons.
Why was Philip blind in one eye?
After years of military campaigns, Philip was blind in one eye from being shot by an arrow and walked with a limp thanks to a devastating injury to his leg . In spite of these blows, he still dreamed of reaching Persia and its riches.
What was Philip's army fighting against?
At Chaeronea in 338, Philip's army fought against a large assembly of Greek forces. Using a feigned retreat that created openings for his cavalry, Philip won a great victory over the Greeks. In consequence, he was able to form the League of Corinth in 337, which brought almost all of the Greek city-states into an alliance that was beholden to Philip.
What did Philip of Macedonia do to change the course of history?
Not even his better known son Alexander has done so much to change the course of Greek history. Philip reorganized his kingdom, gave it access to the sea, expanded its power so that it could defeat the Achaemenid Empire, and subdued the Greek city-states , which never regained their independence again. To achieve this, he modernized the Macedonian economy, improved the army, and concluded several marital alliances . The result was a superpower with one weakness: it was as strong as its king. When Philip's son Alexander died, the institutions were too weak, and Macedonia never recovered.
Who was the king of Persia before Philip set out to conquer Egypt?
The mines of Damastion were from now on Macedonian. Shortly before Philip set out to the Paeones, king Artaxerxes II Mnemon of Persia died and was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes III Ochus, an energetic man whose main aim was to reconquer Egypt.
What did Philip do to help Athens?
He left a very young son, Amyntas, and Philip became regent. Immediately, Athens opened secret negotiations and offered to support him when he established his throne, and asked him to give up Amphipolis. Philip replied to this overture by removing the garrison from Amphipolis, which was now independent again. At the same time, he paid the Thracians and Paeones, which gave him the rest he needed. This temporizing diplomacy paid off. In 359, he recruited and trained a new army, and in the spring of 358 he was ready to strike. The Paeones were subdued and would never be independent again. In the summer, Bardylis had to face the new Macedonian army, and saw how his own men were massacred. The mines of Damastion were from now on Macedonian.
What was the most important thing about Macedonia?
And, the most important thing: there were gold mines. As long as Macedonia had Amphipolis, it had the resources to build up an army and it could blackmail any sea power. Immediately, Perdiccas invited the Athenian Callistratus to reform the Macedonian economy and toll system.
Who was Alexander II's brother?
Meanwhile, king Alexander II had been assassinated by a man named Ptolemaeus of Aloros. His successor was a brother of Alexander II, Perdiccas III, who was one year older than Philip, but still too young to be a ruler. Ptolemaeus was his regent.
Who defeated Perdiccas in 360?
However, the king was not to see the edifice for which he had laid the foundations, because in the last weeks of 360, his army was defeated by the Illyrian king Bardylis. Perdiccas and 4,000 others died in action. He left a very young son, Amyntas, and Philip became regent.
Who did Philip marry?
In the same year 357, Philip married to Olympias, the daughter of the king of the Molossians, a nation living between the Greeks, Macedonians, and Illyrians. He also married a Macedonian princess named Phila of Elymiotis (a district in the west) and Audata of Illyria. The three marriages secured Macedonia's western border.
Who was the next king of Macedonia?
In 336 B.C. during a celebration, Philip II of Macedon was assassinated. Hence Alexander succeeded him as the next king of Macedonia. However far from perfect he may have been, Philip appears to have been a very humane, virtuous man. Philip is rarely recognised as the builder of the Macedonian Empire, however in reality, it was he who set the foundations of Alexander the Great’s reign.
What was Philip's greatest virtue?
The biggest virtue of Philip was integrity . He was a truly brilliant man who appears to have been a far better candidate for king than either of his two brothers were. However, he was ever supportive of them and patiently waited in line for his opportunity to rule Macedonia.
Overview
Alexander III of Macedon (Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to the throne in 336 BC at the age of 20, and spent most of his ruling years conducting a lengthy military campaign throughout Western Asia and Egypt. By the age of th…
Early life
Alexander III was born in Pella, the capital of the Kingdom of Macedon, on the sixth day of the ancient Greek month of Hekatombaion, which probably corresponds to 20 July 356 BC (although the exact date is uncertain). He was the son of the erstwhile king of Macedon, Philip II, and his fourth wife, Olympias (daughter of Neoptolemus I, king of Epirus). Although Philip had seven or eight …
Heir of Philip II
At the age of 16, Alexander's education under Aristotle ended. Philip II had waged war against the Thracians to the north, which left Alexander in charge as regent and heir apparent.
During Philip's absence, the Thracian tribe of Maedi revolted against Macedonia. Alexander responded quickly and drove them from their territory. The territory …
King of Macedon
In summer 336 BC, while at Aegae attending the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra to Olympias's brother, Alexander I of Epirus, Philip was assassinated by the captain of his bodyguards, Pausanias. As Pausanias tried to escape, he tripped over a vine and was killed by his pursuers, including two of Alexander's companions, Perdiccas and Leonnatus. Alexander was proclaimed king on the s…
Conquest of the Achaemenid Persian Empire
After his victory at the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC), Philip II began the work of establishing himself as hēgemṓn (Greek: ἡγεμών) of a league which according to Diodorus was to wage a campaign against the Persians for the sundry grievances Greece suffered in 480 and free the Greek cities of the western coast and islands from Achaemenid rule. In 336 he sent Parmenion, with Amyntas, A…
Indian campaign
After the death of Spitamenes and his marriage to Roxana (Raoxshna in Old Iranian) to cement relations with his new satrapies, Alexander turned to the Indian subcontinent. He invited the chieftains of the former satrapy of Gandhara (a region presently straddling eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan), to come to him and submit to his authority. Omphis (Indian name Ambhi), the rule…
Last years in Persia
Discovering that many of his satraps and military governors had misbehaved in his absence, Alexander executed several of them as examples on his way to Susa. As a gesture of thanks, he paid off the debts of his soldiers, and announced that he would send over-aged and disabled veterans back to Macedon, led by Craterus. His troops misunderstood his intention and mutinie…
Death and succession
On either 10 or 11 June 323 BC, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon, at age 32. There are two different versions of Alexander's death, and details of the death differ slightly in each. Plutarch's account is that roughly 14 days before his death, Alexander entertained admiral Nearchus and spent the night and next day drinking with Medius of Larissa. Alexander developed a feve…