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How did Phillip II of Macedon change Ancient Greek history

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[[File: Philip II of Macedon.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px250px|A modern statue of Phillip II]] Alexander the Great is one of the most famous men in history. However, it is generally recognized that Alexander’s achievements would have been impossible without his father, Philip II of Macedon, who reigned from 359 to 336 B.C. He is not as well-known as his son, but he laid the foundations for the great Empire of Alexander. Phillip was a great soldier and statesman, and he transformed Macedonia and turned it into a well-run state. He also established a professional army that employed innovative military tactics. Phillip also established an Empire in the Northern Balkans, and most importantly , he subjugated the Greek City-States.
Phillip conquered Greece, and it was to remain under the influence of Macedonia, for almost two hundred years, until the Roman conquest. Phillip II changed the history of Ancient Greece and allowed the rise of his son Alexander the Great.
==Were Ancient Macedonians Greeks?==
Macedonia was a small kingdom to the north of Greece. Unlike the rest of Greece, it was rather backward, and it did not have any major urban centers. The country’s economy was based on pastoral farming, and many Macedonians were semi-nomadic pastoralists. The Macedonian nobility and population measured their wealth in the number of horses and livestock they owned. The kingdom was regularly shaken by civil wars between the kings and the nobles. Macedonia kings were rarely in full control of the kingdom, and often the powerful local lords acted as semi-independent rulers. Macedonia was very vulnerable to invasions. It was regularly invaded by its neighbors, including the Celts, Scythian, and Thracians.
====Background====Macedonia The kingdom was never a small kingdom to significant player in Greece's politics and was conquered by Darius during the north Second Persian Invasion. Many of Greece. Unlike Phillip II's critics claimed that the rest of Greece, it was rather backward, and it did Macedonians were not have any major urban centers. The country’s economy was based on pastoral farming, really Greeks and many Macedonians implied that they were seminon-nomadic pastoralistsGreeks or ‘barbarians. ’ <ref> Demosthenes. Philippics. 1 8</ref> The Macedonian nobility and population measured their wealth in vast majority of scholars today believe that the number of horses and livestock they ownedMacedonians were Greeks. The kingdom was regularly shaken by civil wars between the kings They had originated from North-East Greece and had expanded into the nobles. The kings Modern Republic of Macedonia were rarely in full control . Evidence of their ‘Greekness’ is that they worshiped the kingdomsame Pantheon of Gods as those worshiped in Sparta and Athens<ref>. Worthington, and often the powerful local lords acted as semi-independent rulersIan. Philip II of Macedonia was very vulnerable to invasions. It was regularly invaded by its neighbors, including the Celts(Yale: Yale University Press, Scythian2000), and Thraciansp. 13</ref>
The kingdom ==Who was never a significant player in Greece's politics and had been conquered by Darius during the Second Persian Invasion. Many of Phillip II's critics claimed that the Macedonians were not really Greeks and implied that they were non-Greeks or ‘barbarians’ <ref> Demosthenes. Philippics. 1 8</ref>. The vast majority ?==[[File: Facade of scholars today believe that the Macedonians were Greeks and they had originated from North-East Philip II tomb Vergina Greece and had expanded into the Modern Republic of Macedonia. Evidence jpg |thumbnail|250px|left|The tomb of their ‘Greekness’ is in the fact that they worshiped the same Pantheon of Gods as those worshiped in Sparta and Athens<ref>. Worthington, Ian. Philip Phillip II of Macedonia (Yale: Yale University Press, 2000), p. 13</ref>]]
====Life of Phillip II====[[File: Facade of Philip II tomb Vergina Greece.jpg |thumbnail|300px|left|The tomb of Phillip II]]Phillipe was the son of Macedonia's King Amyntas III and his wife, Queen Eurydice. He was born in 383 BCE, and his elder brother became king after his father’s death.<ref> Lewis, D.M., <i>The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 6: The Fourth Century BC</i> (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press,1994), p 37</ref> He was sent Thebes as a hostage to Thebes, which was briefly the supreme power in Greece, this was to secure the good behavior of his brother, the king. Later another brother who had become king was able to secure his release. King Peridiccas, Phillip’s brother , was killed in an invasion of his kingdom by a powerful Illyrian army. Phillip was appointed regent of his brother’s eldest son, who would be crowned king of Macedonia upon his coming of age. Phillip, although not the king, was the most powerful man in the kingdom.
Phillip proved to be an excellent military leader and diplomat.<ref>Lewis, p. 39</ref> He first set about re-organizing the Macedonian military. Phillip soon turned the army into a formidable fighting force, and he used it at first to defend the kingdom, and then he used it to expand the territory of the kingdom.
Macedonia had been forced to concede territory to its neighbors in the recent past, and Phillip used the army to retake these territories. He and the new army overcame several new territories and greatly improved the kingdom's strategic position. This expansion made it less vulnerable to invaders. Phillip was married several times, and he had at least seven wives, and he formed marriage alliances with many of his neighbors. <ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i> 1 7</ref> By 357 BCE, Phillip was all-powerful, and he sidelined his nephew from the succession and had himself crowned as King of Macedonia. After securing his position in Macedonia , he turned his attention to the south. He intervened in the Third Sacred War and was able to annex Thebes.  From 357 BCE, he fought a series of wars with the Athenianstor control Thrace and prosperous mines in Amphipolis. Phillip struggled with Athens for control of much of Greece. Phillip II built up a series of alliances with his neighbors, and he became even more influential after he managed to defeat a large Scythian army. Phillip controlled much of the Balkans by 340 BCE. Rich mines were discovered in Macedonia, and Phillip used his wealth to bribe his enemies and purchase allies. The king was able to overcome the Athenians' resistance, and he was able to secure possession of the rich gold mines at Amphipolis. This allowed him to strengthen his kingdom and expand his army and create a navy. The first in Macedonian history. The Greek city-states became very fearful of Macedonian power, and they united in an alliance against Phillip II.<ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>, 2. 8</ref> Under the leadership of Thebes, the Greek City-States met Phillip's army at Chaeronea in 338 BCE. Phillip’s new phalanx formation annihilated the Thebans and the rest of the Greek army. <ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Pelopidas</i>. 18</ref> This was a great victory for Phillip II, and in its wake, he was master of nearly all of Greece. No one had dominated Greece to such an extent, and to formalize his control, he established the League of Corinth, with himself as to its ‘hegamon.’<ref>Lewis, p. 45</ref> This was a political-military alliance that effectively subjugated all of Greece to the Macedonian king.  Phillip II lost none of his vigor as he aged despite walking with a limp and blind in one eye. He dreamed of invading and conquering the Persian Empire and had pressurized the Greek City-States to join his proposed invasion army.<ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>, 6</ref> However, he did not live long enough to invade Persia. During a procession, Phillip II was assassinated by a former friend and bodyguard. Some have claimed that the assassin of Phillip was motivated by a personal grievance. There have long been suspicions that the wife of Phillip II, had been behind the assassination. She was concerned that Phillip II would disinherit her son Alexander and that another of Phillip’s sons would be made his heir. Phillip II was only 46 when he was killed.<ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>, 7</ref>
From 357 BCE, he fought a series of wars with the Athenianstor control Thrace and especially rich mines in Amphipolis. Phillip struggled with Athens for control of much of Greece. Phillip II built up a series of alliances with his neighbors and he became even more influential after he managed to defeat a large Scythian army. Phillip controlled much of the Balkans by 340 BCE. Rich mines discovered in Macedonia and Phillip used his wealth to bribe his enemies and purchase allies. The king was able to overcome the resistance of the Athenians, and he was able to secure possession of the rich gold mines at Amphipolis. This allowed him to strengthen his kingdom and expand his army and create a navy. The first in Macedonian history. The Greek city-states became very fearful of Macedonian power, and they united in an alliance against == How did Phillip II.<ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>, 2. 8</ref> Underr the leadership of Thebes, reform the Greek City-States met PhillipMacedon's army at Chaeronea in 338 BCE. Phillip’s new phalanx formation annihilated the Thebans and the rest of the Greek army. <ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Pelopidas</i>. 18</ref> This was a great victory for Phillip II, and in its wake, he was master of nearly all of Greece. No one had dominated Greece to such an extent, and to formalize his control, he established the League of Corinth, with himself as to its ‘hegamon.’<ref>Lewis, p. 45</ref> This was a politicalMilitary?==[[File: 512px-military alliance that effectively subjugated all of Greece to the Macedonian king. Phillip Filip II lost none of his vigors as he aged despite walking with a limp and being blind in one eyeMacedonia. He dreamed jpg|thumbnail|250px|left|A bust of invading and conquering the Persian Empire and had pressurized the Greek City-States to join his proposed invasion army.<ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>, 6</ref> However, he did not live long enough to invade Persia. During a procession, Phillip II was assassinated by a former friend and bodyguard. Some have claimed that the assassin of Phillip was motivated by a personal grievance. There have long been suspicions that the wife of Phillip II, had been behind the assassination. She was concerned that Phillip II was going to disinherit her son Alexander and that another of Phillip’s sons would be made his heir. Phillip II was only 46 when he was killed.<ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>, 7</ref>]]
====Military Reforms====[[File: 512px-Filip II Macedonia.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|A bust of Phillip II]]As a young man, Phillip was sent as a hostage to Thebes. At the time, it It had the most powerful army in Greece, and the Theban army had defeated the once invincible Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra in 373 BCE. Phillip was a shrewd young man, and he spent his time in Thebes studying its army and especially the tactics of the renowned Theban commanders Epaminondas and Pelopidas. He also saw how a phalanx could be utilized to drive an enemy from the battlefield. In particular, he studied the famous ‘Theban wedge,’ and this which was a mass attack over the open ground by a phalanx at pace.
Phillip was also deeply impressed by the Theban elite force, the ‘Sacred Band,’ and later modeled his own elite forces on this unit. Using these experiences, he completely reorganized Macedonia’s army. When he became regent of Macedonia, he increased the size of the army and indeed doubled its size. He also greatly expanded the cavalry and trained the army in the latest Theban tactics. He ensured that the Macedonians were well drilled and disciplined. He also made sure that the army was regularly paid and received other benefits. He transformed the army from one, that was a militia of citizen-soldiers to one composed of professional soldiers. He provided his army with uniforms , and every soldier gave him an oath of allegiance. Phillip II also established a corps of engineers, and they were soon to prove adept at siege warfare.
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Phillip learned much from Thebes , but he also introduced his own tactics. He adapted the phalanx, and he made it more flexible. He appointed a commander to every phalanx and established a system for communications. The Macedonian King also adapted the equipment of his army. He abandoned the traditional spear and introduced a very long spear, up to twenty feet in length. It meant that the Macedonian phalanx could reach the enemy before they were within reach of their spears. He also equipped every soldier with a short sword that was ideal for close combat. The army that Phillip II developed was to help him establish an empire. This army allowed him to turn Macedonia from a second-rate power into a major Greek power. It was this army that allowed Alexander to conquer most of the known world<ref>Lewis. p 101</ref>. ==How did Phillip II change Macedon? ==Phillip was also a state builder. He built the city of Pella, and he made it his capital. It was the administrative and cultural center of the kingdom. Phillip used the vast revenues from Amphipolis's gold mines to expand his army and develop a bureaucracy. To secure his kingdom, he held the son of neighboring rulers as his hostages. He also held the sons of many of his nobles as hostages, which secured their loyalty and ensured that Phillip’s was obeyed in all his realm. During his reign, the nobles generally accepted his rule, and law and order were established for the first time in the kingdom's history. This stability and the expansion of the kingdom led to rapid economic growth. Later, when trying to quell a mutiny, Alexander reminded them how poor Macedonians had been before Phillip became king.<ref>Arian. <i>The campaigns of Alexander</i> 8. 5</ref> Phillip also encouraged urbanization in his kingdom.
====State Building====Phillip was also a state builder. He built To secure his own position, he established the city of PellaRoyal Pages, and he made it his capitalan elite unit that secured Phillip’s throne. It was the administrative Phillip’s also introduced fiscal reforms and cultural center of the kingdom. Phillip developed tax—gathering facilities that would be later used by Alexander the vast revenues from the gold mines at Amphipolis Great to expand finance his aarmy anddevelop a bureaucracycampaigns. To secure his kingdom Perhaps Phillip II’s greatest innovation in Macedonia was that he held transformed the son notion of neighboring rulers as his hostageskingship in the kingdom. He also held the sons of many of his nobles as hostages was an autocrat and this secured their loyalty and ensured that Phillip’s was obeyed an absolute ruler in all his realm. During his reign, He greatly expanded the nobles generally accepted his rule and law and order was established for the first time in the history power of the kingdomMacedonian king. This stability and Phillip II greatly weakened the expansion power of the kingdom led to rapid economic growth. Later Alexander when trying to quell nobles and created a mutiny reminded them how poor Macedonians had been before Phillip became kingwell-run, centralized state.<ref>ArianWorthington, p. <i>The campaigns of Alexander</i> 8. 5113</ref> Phillip also encouraged urbanization in his kingdom.
To secure his own position ==How did Phillip II build an Empire?==Phillip not only build a strong and stable state, but he established the Royal Pages, also built an elite unit that secured Phillip’s throneempire. Phillip’s also introduced fiscal reforms He expanded Macedonian territory and developed tax—gathering facilities that would be later used by Alexander the Great to finance his campaigns. Perhaps Phillip II’s greatest innovation in Macedonia was that he transformed the notion of kingship in the kingdominfluence greatly. He was an autocrat conquered Thrace, Molossia, and was an absolute ruler in his realmThessaly. He This greatly expanded the power resources of Macedonia and allowed Phillip to pay for his professional army. His great victory over the Macedonian king. Phillip II greatly weakened Greeks allowed him, in the power words of Demosthenes, his great enemy, ‘to settle the nobles and created a well-run, centralized statedestiny of Hellas.<ref> WorthingtonDemosthenes, p<i>Philippics</i>, 3. 11310</ref> . Phillip was so powerful that he could impose his own terms on Greece, except for the defiant Spartans. He forced the defeated city-states to enter into the League of Corinth. The League-bound the various city-states to Macedonia. They did not have an independent foreign policy, and they had to provide military support if requested by the Macedonian monarch.
===Empire-Builder===Phillip not only build a strong and stable state, he II also built an empireimposed garrisons on key Greek cities. He expanded Macedonian territory and influence greatlyThese garrisons ensured that the Greek city-states complied with the terms of the League of Corinth. He conquered Thrace, Molossia, Phillip created a system that ensured that Greece was subjugated to Macedonia and Thessalywas not a threat. This greatly expanded the resources of Macedonia and allowed Phillip II was able to pay neutralize any threat from Greece for his professional armymany decades. His great victory over the Greeks This allowed him in Alexander to concentrate on Persia's invasion without worrying about the words obedience and loyalty of Demosthenes his great enemy, ‘to settle the destiny of HellasGreek City-States.’<ref> Demosthenes, <i>Philippics</i>, 3.10</ref>. Phillip was so powerful that he could impose his own terms on Greece, with 's conquest effectively ended the exception autonomy of the defiant Spartansmany Greek states and increasingly became cultural and economic backwaters. He forced The Macedonian victory at the defeated city-states to enter into the League Battle of Corinth. The League bound Chaeronea effectively ended the various Greek city-states to Macedonia. They did not have an ' age as independent foreign policy powers and they had to provide military support if requested by as the center of one of the Macedonian monarchmost remarkable civilizations in western history.<ref>Lewis, p. 118</ref>
==Conclusion== Phillip II also imposed garrisons on key Greek cities. These garrisons ensured that the Greek city states complied with the terms of was a remarkable ruler, and his son, Alexander the League of CorinthGreat has eclipsed his achievements. Phillip He created a system that ensured strong Macedonian state that Greece was subjugated to Macedonia stable and was not a threat. Phillip II was able to neutralize any threat from Greece prosperous for many decades. This allowed Alexander to concentrate on Persia's invasion, without worrying about He created a professional army that was arguably the best in the obedience known world and loyalty of the Greek City-Statesconquered an empire. The conquest of Greece effectively ended army and the state that Phillip II created changed the autonomy history of many Greek states Macedonia and increasingly became cultural Greece. His successes and economic backwaterspolicies also laid the foundation for Greece's Macedonian domination that lasted almost two centuries. The Macedonian victory at the Battle Phillip II's conquest of Chaeronea effectively ended Greece marked the age end of the Greek city-states as independent powers era and as the center end of one a great period of the most remarkable civilizations in western history.cultural achievement <ref>Lewis, p. 118119</ref> . He also laid the foundation for the Empire of Alexander the Great and the great Hellenistic monarchies. Phillip II changed the Greek World and paved the way for his more famous son to change World History.
<div class="portal" style===Conclusion==== Phillip II was a remarkable ruler and his achievements have been eclipsed by his son, Alexander the Great. He created a strong Macedonian state that was stable and prosperous for many decades. He created a professional army that was arguably the best in the known world and conquered an empire. The army and the state that Phillip II created changed the history of Macedonia and Greece. His successes and policies also laid the foundation forGreece'se Macedonian domination that lasted almost two centuries. Phillip II's conquest of Greece marked the end of the era of the Greek city-states and the end of a great period of cultural achievement <ref>Lewis, p 119</ref"width:35%;">. He also laid the foundation for the Empire of Alexander the Great and the great Hellenistic monarchies. Phillip II changed the Greek World and paved the way for his more famous son to change World History.
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