King Philip II of Macedon
Introduction:
Philip II (359-336 BC) is the true founder of the Macedonian Empire. Philip II was born in Bella in 382 BC, and is the son of Amontas III. He was sent as a hostage to the king of Thebes between the years (368-365 BC), and he was fifteen years old when he joined the Military Academy in Thebes, and that academy is considered the best military school in that period in the countries of Greece. He learned martial arts in it, and his presence in the Tayyibi court had a great impact to show the Greek spirit within him, because Thebes realized that Philip II was the future king of Macedonia, because of his personality, so he was known about him as a handsome and polite boy, and he also had the intelligence and great ambition, which made him a leader Real military. He knew that fighting was not an end but a means to achieve political influence and power, and that is why Thebes wanted to make him an ally against the Greek cities.
With the death of Perdiccas III, and the proclamation of Philip II as regent to the throne, Macedonia entered a period of new struggle to claim the throne. It represented the return of Pausanias to claim the throne again, as well as the claim of three half-brothers of Philip II to the throne. That is why Philip II declared himself king of Macedonia, rid himself of the claimants to the throne, and then killed his half-brother, Archelaus, who was demanding the throne, and this led to the flight of his remaining brothers, as well as Pausanias. Then Philip II began to restore stability and security to Macedonia in order to achieve his goal of establishing a great kingdom.
Thus, the loyalty of the Macedonian people to the king and his family only. The Macedonian king also gathered the leaders of the barbarian tribes of the Illyrians and the Thracians and attached them to the military, so these leaders became the nucleus of the knights in the Macedonian army. And with that, those tribes became opulent, and they were called comrades, and they began to play an important role in the army despite their limited number, ranging from five hundred to six hundred horsemen.
Philip II began to reorganize the Macedonian army and divided it into two parts:
The first section:
The infantry corps ((Phalanx), and it consists of six to ten rows. Thus, the Macedonian Legion is modeled after the Tayyibi Legion. In addition to its position, the archers squads in the rear of the Legion to protect it. As for the Legion's weapons, it was in the Athenian style.
The second section:
The cavalry division, and divided it into a starboard and soft, bordered by the infantry from each side to protect it, and thus the cavalry division is the heart of the Macedonian army. King Philip II also demobilized Greek mercenaries, and was replaced by Macedonian tribes. Hence, King Philip II formed a powerful army of ten thousand fighters, which he used to control the countries of Greece. With this, King Philip of Macedon achieved the military leadership and popular leadership because the Macedonian army became composed of the Macedonian people. With this army, the Macedonian king began to fulfill his dream of forming a great kingdom. The first test of the Macedonian army was to put down the rebellion of the Leninist tribes that King Philip had wiped out.
Macedonia and the countries of Greece in the era of Philip Macedon:
After King Philip II spent on internal strife. He embarked on his dream of drawing closer to the priests of Apollo in Delphi, to take Macedonia as a fortress in its religious league known as the Amphictyony. He bribed Greek leaders to NATO members in order to coax the Greek cities near him. King Philip II seized the city of Amphipolis, the Athenian settlement in 357 B.C., taking advantage of the opportunity of Athens to engage in its internal political struggles. In addition to controlling the gold mines on Mount Pangaeus, creating a fortified town called Philippea in the plain west The city of Amphipolis, making it a center for gold production and coinage.
Philip II began applying the phenomenon of political marriage in order to consolidate relations and control the Greek cities, so he married Olympias, the daughter of the king of Epirus in the year he ascended the throne. He was introduced to him while he was in Thrace to participate in religious ceremonies. And watch her practicing dancing in the moonlight with the participation of the holy life. Olympias is Philip's fifth wife, with Philip II marrying seven wives. When Olympias bore her son Alexander, she said that Zeus was the true father of her son, and that he sent a thunderbolt that set fire to her body, and astrologers predicted that the newborn would be a hero. Philip Macedon disliked his wife's behavior, because of her association with life, and her claim that Zeus was the father of her child.
And in the year 356 BC, the news of Olympias' birth in Bella came to him and that the newborn was mentioned, at the same time as the news of the Parmenion's victory over the Illyrians. This child was surrounded by many stories that indicate his sanctity. Philip II called him Alexander after a great ancestor, and his third arrangement was thus known as Alexander III.
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