Philip II of Macedonia
Philip II was the king of Macedonia from 359–336 B.C. He was the father of Alexander the Great. In his youth Philip spent several years in Thebes, where he learned Greek military tactics and became a fervent admirer of Greek culture. Upon the death of his older brother Philip became king.
Philip's ambition was to gain control of Greece and to bring Greek culture to Macedonia. He first seized the gold mines of the coastal mountains, then he reorganized the Macedonian army. He devised a new tactical formation, the Macedonian phalanx, and started moving southward.
Philip provided his Macedonian solders in the phalanx with sarissa, a spear which was long 6 meters, about 18 feet. The sarissa, when held upright by the rear rows of the phalanx (there were usually eight rows), helped hide maneuvers behind the phalanx from the view of the enemy. When held horizontal by the front rows of the phalanx, it was a brutal weapon for people could be run through from 20 feet away.
Philip made the military a way of life for the Macedonian men. It became a professional occupation that paid well enough that the soldiers could afford to do it year-round, unlike in the past when the soldiering had only been a part-time job, something the men would do during the off peak times of farming. This allowed him to count on his man regularly, building unity and cohesion among his men.
He used force only when necessary, preferring negotiation, bribery, and fraud to achieve his purpose. Philip had several political inventions that helped turn Macedonia into a power. He bought off the neighboring leaders with gifts. His primary method of creating alliances and strengthening loyalties was through marriages, and it is said that he was more proud of his diplomatic maneuvers then of his military victories.
The Athenian orator Demosthenes urged the Greeks to unite against Philip but little was done until it was too late. Philip defeated Athens and its allies at Chaeronea in 338 B.C. and then subdued the Peloponnesus. He planned next to free the Greek cities of Asia Minor from Persian rule, and in 336 sent advance forces to the Hellespont. Before he could take further action he was assassinated by Pausanias, a member of his court. Both Alexander and his mother, Queen Olympias, have been suspected of involvement in the crime (Philip had recently left Olympias for another woman), but probably without justification.
/ Greece – Philip of Macedon