Philip II of Macedon

(noun)

The king of Macedon from 359 BCE until his assassination in 336 BCE; the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.

Related Terms

Examples of Philip II of Macedon in the following topics:

  • The Rise of the Macedon

    • Philip II’s conquests during the Third Sacred War cemented his power, as well as the influence of Macedon, throughout the Hellenic world.
    • Macedon’s rise is largely attributable to the policies during Philip II’s rule.
    • The Athenians’ second confederacy would be Macedon’s main rivals for control of the lands of the north Aegean.
    • Subsequently, he agreed to lease the gold mines of Mount Pangaion to the Athenians in exchange for the return of the city of Pydna to Macedon.
    • For many Macedonian rulers, the Achaemenid Empire in Persia was a major sociopolitical influence, and Philip II was no exception.

  • Late Classical Period

    • The Late Classical period covers the last decades of the Classical periods in the fourth century BCE before the conquest of Greece by Philip II of Macedon and the beginning of the Hellenistic period following the death of Alexander the Great.
    • The weakened state of the heartland of Greece coincided with the Rise of Macedon, led by Philip II.
    • In twenty years, Philip II had unified his kingdom, expanded it north and west at the expense of Illyrian tribes, and then conquered Thessaly and Thrace.
    • Decisively defeating an allied army of Thebes and Athens at the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BCE), Philip II became the de facto ruler of all of Greece, except Sparta.
    • Alexander, son and successor of Philip, continued the war.

  • Athens

    • The latter part of this time period is often called The Age of Pericles.
    • The Assembly of the People was the first organ of democracy in Athens.
    • In theory, it was composed of all the citizens of Athens.
    • By the mid-4th century BCE, the northern Greek kingdom of Macedon was becoming dominant in Athenian affairs.
    • In 338 BCE, the armies of Philip II of Macedon defeated an alliance of some of the Greek city-states, including Athens and Thebes, at the Battle of Chaeronea, effectively ending Athenian independence.

  • Paintings, Macedonian Court Art, and the Alexander Mosaic

    • Philip II of Macedon ruled Macedon and expanded the Macedonian empire into Greece, reigning from 359 until 336 BCE, when he was assassinated.
    • Macedon was a kingdom to the north of mainland Greece and its inhabitants were considered barbarians by the Greeks.
    • However, Philip II was a crafty politician and he carefully cultivated relationships and rivalries among the Greek city-states until, in 338 BCE, he began conquering Greece.
    • Philip II was able to offer stability to the Greek poleis and to strengthen his ties to Greece.
    • The son of Philip II, Alexander, inherited the throne of Macedon as Philip was preparing to campaign in Asia Minor against the Persian Empire in 336 BCE.

  • The Legacy of Alexander the Great

    • Under Attalus I (r. 241-197 BCE), the Attalids allied with Rome against Philip V of Macedon, during the first and second Macedonian Wars.
    • They allied with Rome again under Eumenes II (r. 197-158 BCE) against Perseus of Macedon, during the Third Macedonian War.
    • Macedon, or Macedonia, was the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece.
    • During the reigns of Philip V (r. 221-179 BCE) and his son Perseus (r. 179-168 BCE), Macedon clashed with the rising Roman republic.
    • The Kingdom of Macedon at the death of Philip II (336 BCE)

  • Alexander the Great

    • Following the decline of the Greek city-states, the Greek kingdom of Macedon rose to power under Philip II.
    • Alexander III, commonly known as Alexander the Great, was born to Philip II in Pella in 356 BCE, and succeeded his father to the throne at the age of 20.
    • When he succeeded his father to the throne in 336 BCE, after Philip was assassinated, Alexander inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army.
    • Alexander broke the power of Persia in a series of decisive battles, most notably the battles of Issus and Gaugamela.
    • The Macedonian phalanx, armed with the sarissa, a spear up to 20 feet long, had been developed and perfected by Alexander's father, Philip II.

  • Philip II and the Spanish Armada

    • Extreme commitment to champion Catholicism against both Protestantism and Islam shaped both domestic and foreign policies of Philip II, who was the most powerful European monarch in an era of religious conflict.
    • The son of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, and his wife, Infanta Isabella of Portugal, Philip II of Spain was born in 1527.
    • Philip's third wife was Elisabeth of Valois, the eldest daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.
    • Portrait of King Philip II of Spain, in Gold-Embroidered Costume with Order of the Golden Fleece by Titian (around 1554)
    • Describe Philip II's convictions and how he attempted to carry them out

  • Defeat of Persia by Alexander the Great

    • Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon) was a king of the Greek kingdom of Macedon.
    • When Philip of Macedon was assassinated in 336 BCE, Alexander inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army at the age of twenty.
    • After reconfirming Macedonian rule by quelling a rebellion of southern Greek city-states and staging a short but bloody excursion against Macedon's northern neighbors, Alexander set out east against the Achaemenid Empire in 336 BCE.
    • On either 10 or 11 June 323 BCE, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon, at age 32.
    • However, the Diadochi continued to jostle for supremacy and after 40 years of war, the Hellenistic world settled into four stable territories: the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the Kingdom of Pergamon in Asia Minor, and Macedon.

  • FK Grade 6 Reading Level

    • Alexander's most immediate legacy was the conquest of large parts of Asia.
    • Instead, they supported Alexander's half-brother, Philip Arrhidaeus.
    • Eventually, the two sides reconciled, and after the birth of Alexander IV, he and Philip III were appointed joint kings.
    • After the assassination of Perdiccas in 321 BCE, Macedonian unity collapsed, and 40 years of war between "The Successors" (Diadochi) ensued before the Hellenistic world settled into four new empires: the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the Kingdom of Pergamon in Asia Minor, and Macedon.
    • In the process, both Alexander IV and Philip III were murdered.

  • The Question of Spanish Succession

    • In the late 1690s, the declining health of childless King Charles II of Spain deepened the ongoing dispute over his succession.
    • The French claim derived from Louis XIV's mother Anne of Austria (the older sister of Philip IV of Spain) and his wife Maria Theresa (Philip IV's eldest daughter).
    • On his deathbed in 1700, Charles II unexpectedly offered the entire empire to the Dauphin's second son Philip, Duke of Anjou, provided it remained undivided.
    • Louis eventually decided to accept Charles II's will and Philip, Duke of Anjou, became Philip V, King of Spain.
    • The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht recognized Louis XIV's grandson Philip, Duke of Anjou, as King of Spain (as Philip V), thus confirming the succession stipulated in the will of the Charles II.