Philip II (382-336 B.C.) was a powerful Macedonian king who conquered Greece. During his reign, Philip more than doubled the size of his kingdom. He was the father of Alexander the Great, who enlarged the kingdom even further to include much of what was at that time considered the civilized world.
Philip, the youngest son of King Amyntas III of Macedonia, was born in Pella, in what is today northern Greece. Philip took the throne after his elder brother Perdiccas III died in battle in 359 B.C.
In his first two years as king, Philip drove foreign invaders out of Macedonia, defeated two rivals for the throne, and forced the Macedonian nobles to accept his authority. He then began conquering nearby Greek cities. Philip also won control of Thrace, a region east of Macedonia. In 356 B.C., he founded the city of Philippi in western Thrace. Gold and silver mines near Philippi generated money for Philip’s wars.
Philip made the Macedonian army into a superb fighting force. The main infantry, known as the Foot Companions, fought in a phalanx formation—that is, in close ranks with their shields joined and long spears called sarissas jutting out. Philip used the cavalry to strike the knockout blow in battle.
As the territory of Philip’s conquests grew, the Athenian statesman Demosthenes made speeches warning of the threat Philip posed to Greece. But many Greeks, who feared such powerful city-states as Athens, Sparta, and Thebes, welcomed Philip as an ally. After Philip seized Elatea, a town in central Greece, Athens, Thebes, and several other cities formed an alliance against him. Philip defeated the alliance in 338 B.C., at the Battle of Chaeronea.
After this victory, Philip made the Greek city-states join a new political organization called the League of Corinth. Philip was recognized as hegemon (leader) of the league. The Greek cities still decided many local matters on their own, but they also had to obey Philip’s orders. Only Sparta remained independent. The Greeks agreed to avoid fighting among themselves and to join Philip in a war against Persia. Philip was about to launch this war when he was murdered.
