Thesis on "Growth of Macedonia: Phillip II"

Thesis 5 pages (1578 words) Sources: 3 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Philip II and the Growth of Macedonia

According to Greek historian Geoffrey Parker, the end of the Peloponnesian Wars, circa 400 B.C.E., "did not bring an end to the conflict among prominent Greek city-states that contended for absolute power" (56) over each other and within the next fifty years following the end of the war, Sparta, Thebes and Athens "struggled militarily to win a preeminent position without, in the end, achieving anything more than weakening each other" (57), thus creating a vacuum of power on an international level. This vacuum was quickly filled by the unexpected rise to power, militarily, politically and socially, of the kingdom of Macedonia during the reign of Philip II, who ruled from 359 to 336 B.C.E.

Born in Pella, the capital of the ancient Macedonian kingdom, Philip II was the youngest son of Amyntas III and when his father died, Philip ascended the throne and quickly discovered that his native land was being torn apart by his older brothers and those who wished to seize the throne away from him, not to mention the on-going petty wars against Thrace, Illyria and Greece ("Philip II of Macedon," Internet). Overall, Philip came to realize that if his kingdom was to survive he would have to intervene militarily and politically, due to Macedonia's economy tottering on the brink of collapse and the continuing invasions by the Illyrians and the possession of eastern Macedonia by the Thracians ("Philip II of Macedon," Internet).

One aspect of Philip II's influence in the kingdom of Macedonia is related to his reorganization of the Macedonian army which "saved the kingdom from invasion by northern enemies" (Ginouves, 124) and gave him the power to extend his influence eastward and southward deep into Greek territory. In general terms, Philip's victory over an alliance of Greek city-states at Chaeronea in 338 B.C.E. led to the formation of the League of Corinth whose forces "of Greeks and Macedonians he planned to lead on a belated war of revenge against Persia" (Ginouves, 125), a war which did not come to fruition, due to Philip being murdered in 336 B.C.E. which allowed for his son, Alexander the Great (336 to 323 B.C.E.) to assume power and alter forever the world of the Greeks.

As a statesman, hero, warrior and tyrant king, Philip II was also a distinguished and successful ruler of Macedonia; he was also a cynic and a hedonist, "an astute man brimming with energy, an alcoholic, a lover of women and a superlative soldier" (Parker, 156), and like many of his fellow countrymen, Philip II had grown up and matured in a very rough land of mountains and lowland valleys just to the north of Greece and often found life to be much harsher than in Greece because the climate was colder and more dangerous, especially when considering the fact that some of Macedonia's closest enemies periodically launched devastating raids into Macedonian territory. For these reasons, Philip II was often forced to rethink some of his military tactics based on the geography of the area in which his great army often found itself in battle. Nonetheless, as Rene Ginouves points out, the kingdom of Macedonia under the rule of Philip II "became the supreme power in Greece in the latter part of the 4th century B.C.E." And went on to conquer "the vast Persian Empire which ranks as one of the major surprises" in ancient military and political history (189).

Between 368 and 365 B.C.E. before becoming king of Macedonia, Philip was taken hostage at Thebes by his Greek enemies and while in captivity, he made some very important observations about the strength and capacity of the Theben military, then the greatest power in all of ancient Greece ("Philip II of Macedon," Internet). Through these observations, young Philip II quickly realized that a thorough knowledge of military tactics and maneuvers utilized on the battlefield would help him immensely when it came his turn to become king of Macedonia. In 359 B.C.E., the situation in Macedonia was grave indeed, particularly after Macedonian king Perdiccas III, Philip's older brother, and four thousand Macedonian troops were slaughtered in a battle with the Illyrians, hostile neighbors located directly to the north of the kingdom. Philip was at this time only twenty-two years old but in this moment of national crisis, he persuaded the most important of the Macedonian leaders to recognize him as king.

When this came about after much dissent and discussion, Philip quickly restored the army's confidence by teaching its infantrymen a few new tricks which he had learned as a captive under the Theben military, one being an unstoppable new tactic in which Macedonian troops carried thrusting spears fourteen feet long. Philip drilled his army to handle these new types of weapons in what is known as a phalanx formation whose "front line bristled with outstretched spears like a lethal porcupine" (Parker, 186). Thus, with his cavalry deployed as a strike force to decimate the enemy and to protect the infantry's flank, Philip's "reorganization of the Macedonian army promptly routed" all attackers and suppressed the efforts of local rivals seeking to overthrow the young king (Parker, 188). After this momentous battle, the Illyrian forces "fled in panic, leaving 7,000 dead on the battlefield" which then opened the way for northwestern Macedonia to become free, along with its many cantons or towns, such as Lyncestia, where Philip's mother had been born, "now firmly under Macedonian control" and "loyal to their liberator," Philip II ("Philip II of Macedon," Internet).

Also at this time or thereabouts, Philip II began to demonstrate his in-born abilities as a diplomat. For example, at one point, Philip managed to buy off the king of Thrace with gifts and persuaded him to put to death the first Macedonian pretender" to the throne who was then living as a refugee in the Thracian court of the king. Also, after defeating in battle a second pretender to the throne, Philip made a treaty with Athens by "ceding the city of Amphipolis on the Macedonian coast" to the powers that be in Athens. As a result, most internal threats were done away with which "secured the safety of his kingdom" and its citizens ("Philip II of Macedon," Internet).

In addition to his many improvements related to the Macedonian military, Philip II also initiated a large number of changes to Macedonian culture and society. In 348 B.C.E., Philip made plans to completely eliminate every Greek colony located within Macedonian lands and then attacked the Greek city-state of Olynthus on the Chalcidice peninsula as a symbol of his determination to bring wealth and prosperity to all Macedonian citizens. Along with Olynthus, Philip also attacked thirty-one other city-states which were "utterly demolished and razed to the ground" with their Greek citizens taken into slavery and sold as property in order for their valuable lands to be confiscated and distributed equally and fairly to all Macedonian citizens as a form of tribute ("Philip II of Macedon," Internet). These and similar actions by Philip II eventually freed the entire peninsula of Chalcidice and brought it under the dominion of the king, thus bringing an end to all Greek settlements within the lands of Macedonia.

In addition, in the mid 340's B.C.E., Philip entered into a very bitter dispute with a group of Greeks known as the Phocians who lived just north of the Thessalians. This so-called Sacred War, a tangled affair involving the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, set Philip and his Greek allies against the Phocians who were then supported militarily by the Athenians. As is typical of Philip II, he managed to gain the upper hand in this conflict which then allowed him to force most of the people of northern and central Greece to obey his foreign policy. Some of these… READ MORE

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