Philip II of Macedon After the royal world freed Sparta from difficulties in Asia, she returned to her former hegemonic policy in Greece. In 378 BC. e. this led to a war with Thebes, in which Sparta was supported by Athens; military clashes continued until

Armor of Philip II: iron, decorated with gold.
Six rings fixed in the mouths of lions,
served to fasten equipment parts.

Philip II of Macedon (382-336 BC) - Macedonian king (359 BC - 336 BC). Father Alexander the Great. According to Gumilyov, he conquered Greece for the first time. In 338 B.C. e. under Chaeronea defeated the Greek city-states and established personal rule - hegemony.

Quoted from: Lev Gumilyov. Encyclopedia. / Ch. ed. E.B. Sadykov, comp. T.K. Shanbai, - M., 2013, p. 613.

Philip II (382-336 BC) - son of Amyntas III, king Macedonia from 359 he spent his boyhood and youth in Thebes as a hostage. Upon his return to Macedonia, he restored his rights to the throne and dealt with the pretenders to power. In 358, Philip II came to an agreement with Athens and turned against the Illyrians. In the battle near Lake Lichnida, the Illyrian king Bardil suffered a crushing defeat, and Philip II returned the lost lands of Upper Macedonia. Having captured Amphipolis, he refused to return it to the Athenians and in 357 entered into an alliance with Olynthus, to whom he gave Potidea captured from the Athenians. While Athens was arguing with Olynthus, Philip II took the region of Krenil from the Thracian dynast Ketripor. In July 356, the offended Ketripor concluded an alliance against Macedonia with the Paeonian dynast Lipei and the Illyrian dynast - Grab. The allies were supported by Athens. Philip II defeated them in Thrace, while his general Parmenion defeated the Illyrians and peonies.

In 353, Philip II intervened in the III Holy War (356-346) on the side of the Delphic Amphictyony. Having defeated the army of Phaillas in Thessaly, he was defeated by the strategist of Phocis Onomarchus. The next year's campaign was more successful for the Macedonians. In 352 Onomarch was defeated on the Crocus field and died. When Philip II moved to the borders of Phocis, at Thermopylae, a new army under the command of Faillus blocked his path. Not daring to enter into battle, Philip II returned home and, even before the onset of winter, undertook a new campaign in Thrace. The Macedonians crossed the Gebrus, drove the Athenian garrisons from coastal Thrace, and laid siege to Hieron on the banks of the Propontis.

In 350-349 years. Philip II defeated the Illyrians and peonies. Fearing the rapid growth of his power, Olynthes concluded an agreement with Athens. Philip II immediately approached the city and demanded the termination of the agreement; the war began. Despite the help of the Athenian strategist Haridemus, the Chalcidians were defeated. In the autumn of 348 the city was taken by storm and destroyed.

In February 346, Philip II concluded a peace with Athens Philocrates, which untied his hands in Thrace. The Macedonians again crossed Gebr and invaded the possessions of the king of the Odryses, Kersobleptus. Philip II took Methone, his commander Antipater took possession of Abdera and Maroneya. The Macedonian military colonies of Philippopolis and Kabila were founded in the Gebra Valley. At the end of the same year, Philip II ended the war in Phocis. The Amphictyony of Delphi elected him their head, and in 344 he was elected archon of Thessaly. In 343, Philip II made a campaign in Illyria, placed Alexander I, the brother of his wife Olympias, on the throne of Epirus, and annexed the regions of Orestida, Timthea and Perrebia to Macedonia. After his new campaign in Thrace in 342-341. she finally fell into dependence on Macedonia.

In 340, Philip II laid siege to Perinth. The city was assisted by the Byzantines and the Athenian strategists Diopif and Apollodorus. Leaving Antigonus I One-Eyed under the walls of Perinth, Philip I attacked Byzantium. The siege went badly. In the winter of 340/339 The Macedonian fleet in the straits was defeated by the Athenians. In the spring, Philip II retreated. In the same year, he rushed to Thrace and defeated the Scythian king Atheus in a heavy battle. The Macedonians took a lot of booty. On the way back, they were ambushed by the Triballi, and Philip II himself was seriously wounded.
From the beginning of the Holy War IV in 338, Philip II quickly crossed Thermopylae and appeared in Greece with an army of 32,000. A coalition was immediately formed against him, led by Athens and Thebes. In the battle of Chaeronea, the Greeks were defeated. Philip II in Corinth gathered a congress of Greek states and in the winter of 338/337. was proclaimed hegemon of the Hellenic Union in order to start a war against the Persians. Sparta, which evaded participation in the union, was punished by Philip II, who, having appeared in the Peloponnese, seized a number of territories from her. In the midst of preparations for a campaign against Persia in September 336, Philip II was killed at the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra.

Used materials of the book: Tikhanovich Yu.N., Kozlenko A.V. 350 great. A brief biography of the rulers and generals of antiquity. The Ancient East; Ancient Greece; Ancient Rome. Minsk, 2005.

The struggle of Philip II for the establishment of Macedonian hegemony in Greece

Philip II was a cautious politician, he set and solved real foreign policy tasks. These tasks were dictated by the specific conditions of the existence of Macedonia in the restless Greek world. In the first five years of his reign, Philip II, busy with major reforms, set himself rather modest tasks: securing his northern borders from incursions of the Illyrians and Thracians, on the one hand, and spreading his influence among the Greek cities of the Chalkis Peninsula, on the other. Already in this initial period of his reign, Philip II showed outstanding diplomatic skills, the ability to maneuver and use a variety of means to achieve his goals. So, with the Thracians, he achieved reconciliation through bribery, in order to fight the warlike Illyrians, who constantly devastated his northeastern possessions, he entered into an alliance with the king of a small Molossian tribe, whose daughter, Olympias, he married. The Illyrians were defeated and sued for peace.

In the fight against the strong alliance of the Chalcis cities led by Olynthos, Philip, at the cost of some concessions, enlisted the support of Athens. Having achieved his goals, Philip II soon changed his policy: he besieged the strategically important city of Amphipolis, which was claimed by Athens, and soon captured it, relying on this time for an alliance with Olynthus. In the middle of the 50s of the IV century. BC e. Philip began to move east along the Thracian coast of the Aegean Sea. He captured the rich region of the famous Pangaean mines and founded the city of Philippi here, dominating the district. The active penetration of Macedonia into Halkidiki and the coastal regions of Thrace forced the Thracian kings, the Chalcis Union led by Olynthus and Athens to unite. However, Athens, busy at war with its allies, could not provide much help, and the Thracian troops were defeated by the Macedonians. By the end of the 50s of the IV century. BC e. The Chalcis Union was isolated and no longer posed a serious danger to Macedonia, part of its lands was captured by Philip.

Having strengthened the northern borders and positions in Halkidiki, Philip begins a new stage in his policy of conquest, beginning to intervene in the affairs of Central Greece. He deftly used the confused political situation that developed in the Greek world in the middle of the 4th century. BC e., associated with the crisis of the system of polis relations: the existing unions of Greek cities are disintegrating, the cities are waging endless wars that weaken all the warring parties. One of these wars, which broke out on an insignificant occasion and gradually involved many Greek cities into its orbit, was the Holy War (355-346 BC). The reason for the opening of hostilities was the capture by the Phocians of a small border area belonging to the Delphic temple of Apollo. The Phocians were accused of sacrilege, and Thebes came to the defense of the common Greek shrine. The Phocians, in turn, laid claim to the leadership of the sanctuary of Apollo, suddenly attacked Delphi and seized the huge treasures accumulated in the temple over several hundred years, reaching a huge amount - 10 thousand talents of gold and silver. With this money, the Phokian strategist Philomelo recruited a mercenary army of 20 thousand hoplites to defend their rights to Delphi. Local conflict in a nervous situation in the middle of the 4th century. BC e. soon escalated into a general war. Some cities of Thessaly and Lokrid sided with Thebes. Fokidyan supported Sparta and Athens. The hostilities were carried out mainly by mercenaries and resulted in numerous small clashes in various places in Central Greece. During the hostilities, the belligerents sought allies for themselves, and this created favorable opportunities for Philip to intervene in Greek affairs. After carefully weighing all the circumstances, Philip II decided to take the side of the defenders of the common Greek shrine of Apollo. It was difficult to object to such an intervention of the Macedonian king, unexpected for the Greeks, and Philip received a certain freedom of action. The Macedonian king brought his army into Thessaly and began to capture the Thessalian cities that supported the Phocians. In 352 BC. e. Philip utterly defeated the army of the Phocians operating in Thessaly. Demonstrating his love for the god Apollo, whose defender Philip portrayed himself, he ordered 3,000 captured Phocians to be drowned in the sea, and the body of their commander to be crucified in disgrace.

This victory strengthened the authority of the Macedonian king as the protector of the temple of Apollo and justified his intervention in Greek affairs. Thessaly was forced to recognize the supremacy of Philip, he was declared the leader of the general Thessalian militia and received the right to place Macedonian garrisons in the strategically important cities of Thessaly. The rapid growth of Philip's popularity in Greece and his active interference in its affairs began to cause reasonable concern in Athens. In an effort to block the path of the Macedonian army to Central Greece, the Athenians occupied the Thermopylae pass and blockaded Philip in Thessaly. Having failed in an attempt to penetrate into Central Greece, Philip again turned to the conquests in Halkidiki and South Thrace. After careful preparation, he unexpectedly attacked the center of the Chalkid League - the city of Olynthus. The Athenians made an attempt to help Olynthos and sent 17 triremes, 300 horsemen and 4 thousand hoplites to help the besieged city. However, Philip managed to capture the city before this help arrived. One of the largest Greek cities, Olynthos, was completely destroyed and abandoned by the inhabitants (348 BC). The Chalkid League was dissolved, and Chalkidike itself recognized the authority of the Macedonian king.

Having achieved such serious successes in Halkidiki and on the Thracian coast, Philip freed his hands for a new intervention in the events of the ongoing Holy War. Athens was forced to come to terms with the loss of its influence in Chalkidike and South Thrace and, wanting to save the remnants of its influence in Propontis, in particular possessions in Thracian Chersonese, concluded a peace treaty with the powerful Philip (the so-called Peace of Philokratov 346 BC. e. .). The Macedonian king took advantage of the withdrawal from the war of Athens and continued to interfere in the affairs of Central Greece. In particular, he accepted the invitation of Thebes, brought his strong army into the territory of Phocis and forced the Phocians to capitulate. Philip was given all the fortified points of Phocis, including control of the strategically important Thermopylae Pass. In 346 BC. e. the grueling Holy War, which lasted about 10 years, ended. Its result was the further weakening of the Greek policies and the strengthening of the influence of the Macedonian king. He not only became the master of Chalkidike and South Thrace, but also the hegemon of Thessaly, a member of the Delphic Amphictyony (the union of Greek policies - the guardians of the temple of Apollo in Delphi) and thereby received a legitimate opportunity to interfere in the affairs of Central Greece.

History of Ancient Greece.// Ed. IN AND. Kuzishchina. Moscow: Higher school, 1996.

Philip II - King of Macedonia in 359-336 BC. Son of Amyntas III. Genus. OK. 382 BC + 336 B.C.

Wives: 1) Phylla, sister of the Elimitid prince Derda; 2) Olympias, daughter of the king of Epirus Neoptolemus; 3) Avdat; 4) Meda, daughter of the king of the Getae; 5) Nikesipolis; 6) Fillina; 7) Cleopatra.

At the beginning of his reign, the Macedonian king Alexander II, Philip's elder brother, paid off the war with the Illyrians, agreeing with them on an exchange and ransom and giving them Philip as a hostage (Justin: 7; 5). A year later, Alexander established friendly relations and peace with the Thebans (in 369 BC), giving them Philip again as a hostage. The Theban commander Pelopidas then took Philip, and with him thirty more boys from the most noble families to Thebes, to show the Greeks how far the influence of the Thebans extends thanks to the glory of their power and faith in their justice. Philip lived ten years in Thebes and on this basis was considered an ardent follower of Epaminondas. It is possible that Philip actually learned something, seeing his indefatigability in matters of war and command (which was only a small part of the virtues of this man), but not his temperance, nor justice, nor generosity, nor mercy, qualities that of which he was truly great - Philip did not possess by nature, and did not try to imitate (Plutarch: "Pelopis"; 26). While Philip lived in Thebes, his older brothers succeeded each other on the throne. The last - Perdiccas III - died in the war with the Illyrians. After this, Philip fled from Thebes to Macedonia, where he was proclaimed king.

Macedonia was at that time in an extremely difficult position. In the last war, 4,000 Macedonians fell. The survivors trembled before the Illyrians and did not want to fight. At the same time, the peons went to war against the country and devastated it. To complete all the troubles, Philip's relative Pausanias put forward his claims to the throne and was going to take control of Macedonia with the help of the Thracians. Another contender for kingship was Avgei. He found support from the Athenians, who agreed to send 3,000 hoplites and a fleet with him.

Having assumed power, Philip began to vigorously strengthen the army. He introduced a new type of formation, called the Macedonian phalanx, and then, through hard training and continuous exercises, instilled in the Macedonians the ability to stay in close formation. From shepherds and hunters, he turned them into first-class warriors. In addition, with gifts and affection, he managed to inspire love and trust in himself.

Philip persuaded Pausanias and the peonies to peace with gifts and cunning speeches, but against the Athenians and Augeus he marched with the whole army and defeated them in the battle of Aegian. Philip understood that the Athenians started a war with him only because they dreamed of keeping Amphipolis. Immediately after the victory, he sent an embassy to Athens, announced that he had no claims to Amphipolis, and made peace with the Athenians.

Having thus got rid of the war with the Athenians, Philip in 358 BC. turned against the peonies. Having defeated them in open battle, he subjugated their entire country and annexed it to Macedonia. After that, the Macedonians regained their lost self-confidence, and the king led them against the Illyrians. Vardil, king of the Illyrians, led a 10,000-strong army against Philip. Philip, commanding the cavalry, scattered the Illyrian cavalry and turned on their flank. But the Illyrians, lining up in a square, repelled the attacks of the Macedonians for a long time. Finally, unable to stand it, they took to flight. The Macedonian cavalry stubbornly pursued the fugitives, completing the rout. The Illyrians lost up to 7,000 people in this battle and, under a peace treaty, left all the previously captured Macedonian cities (Diodorus: 16; 2-4).

Having done away with the Illyrians, Philip led his army to Amphipolis, laid siege to it, brought battering rams under the walls and began to make incessant attacks. When part of the wall was destroyed by battering rams, the Macedonians broke into the city and captured it. From Amphipolis, Philip led an army to Halkidiki and took Pydna on the move. He sent the Athenian garrison stationed here to Athens. After that, wanting to attract Olynthes to his side, he gave him Pydna. Then he went to the Crinides and renamed them Philippi. Having populated this previously small city with new citizens, he took possession of the gold mines of Pangea and so arranged the business that he had an annual income of 1000 talents from them. Having acquired great wealth, Philip began to mint a gold coin, and from that time Macedonia began to enjoy such fame and influence as it had never had before.

In the next 357 BC. Philip, called by the Alevades, invaded Thessaly, overthrew the tyrants of Thera, Lycophron and Tisiphon, and restored the Thessalians to their liberty. From that time on, he always had reliable allies in the Thessalians (Diodorus: 16; 8.14).

While Philip's affairs were going so well, he married Olympias, the daughter of Neoptolem, king of the Molossians. This marriage was arranged by the guardian of the girl, her uncle and paternal cousin, the king of the Molossians Arrib, married to the sister of Olympias - Troad (Justin: 9; 6). However, Plutarch reports that Philip was initiated into the Samothracian mysteries at the same time as Olympias, when he himself was still a boy, and she was a girl who had lost her parents. Philip fell in love with her and married her, having obtained the consent of Arrib (Plutarch: "Alexander"; 2).

In 354 B.C. Philip laid siege to Methona. As he was walking ahead of the troops, an arrow fired from the wall pierced his right eye. From this wound he did not become less warlike or more cruel to his enemies. When, after some time, he made peace with the enemies, he showed himself to the vanquished not only moderate, but even merciful (Justin: 7; 6). After that, he took possession of Pagi, and in 353 BC, at the request of the Thessalians, he got involved in the Holy War, which by that time had engulfed all of Hellas. In an extremely fierce battle with the Phocaean commander Onomarchus, the Macedonians won (largely thanks to the Thessalian cavalry). 6,000 Phocians died on the battlefield, and another 4,000 were taken prisoner. Philip ordered the onomarch to be hanged, and all the captives to be drowned in the sea as blasphemers.

In 348 B.C. Philip, wishing to take possession of the Hellespont, occupied Thorona. Then, with a large army, he approached Olynthus (Diodorus: 16; 35; 53). The reason for the war was that the Olynthians, out of compassion, gave shelter to Philip's two brothers, born of his stepmother. Philip, who had previously killed another of his brothers, wanted to kill these two as well, since they could claim royal power (Justin: 8; 3). Having defeated the Olynthians in two battles, Philip besieged them in the city. Thanks to the betrayal, the Macedonians broke into the fortifications, plundered the city, and sold the citizens into slavery.

In 347 B.C. the Boeotians, completely devastated by the Holy War, sent ambassadors to Philip, demanding his help. The next year, Philip entered Locris, having, in addition to his own, a large Thessalian army. The Phocaean commander Peleg, not expecting to defeat Philip, made peace with him and left for the Peloponnese with his entire army. The Phocians, having lost after this the hope of victory, all surrendered to Philip. So Philip ended the war, which had been going on for ten years, without a single battle. In gratitude, the Amphictyons determined that Philip and his descendants should henceforth have two votes in the council of the Amphictyons.

In 341 B.C. Philip went with income to Perinth, laid siege to it and began to break down the walls with machines. In addition, the Macedonians built towers, which, rising above the walls of the city, helped them fight the besieged. But the Perinthians held out courageously, made sorties every day and fiercely fought the enemy. In order to wear down the townspeople, Philip divided the entire army into many detachments and simultaneously stormed the city from all sides, without stopping fighting day or night. Having learned about the plight of the besieged, the Persian king considered it profitable for himself to send them a large amount of food, money and hired soldiers. In the same way, the Byzantines provided great assistance to the Perinthians. Philip, leaving part of the army near Perinth, proceeded to Byzantium with the other half.

In 340 BC. the Athenians, having learned about the siege of Byzantium, equipped a naval expedition and sent it to the aid of the Byzantines. Together with them the Chians, Rhodians and some other Greeks sent their squadrons. Philip, leaving the siege, was forced to make peace.

In 338 B.C. Philip suddenly captured Edatea and will transport the army to Greece. All this was done so discreetly that the Athenians learned of the fall of Elathea before its inhabitants ran to Attica, bearing the news of the Macedonian advance.

At dawn, when the alarmed Athenians gathered for a meeting, the famous orator and demagogue Demosthenes suggested that ambassadors be sent to Thebes and persuade them to fight together against the invaders. There was no time to turn to other allies. The Athenians agreed and sent Demosthenes himself as an ambassador. By his eloquence, he soon won the Boeotians to an alliance, and thus the two most powerful Greek states united for joint action. The Athenians put Haritas and Lysicles at the head of their army, ordering them to follow with all their might to Boeotia. All the young people who were then in Attica volunteered to go to war with amazing willingness.

Both armies united under Chaeronei. Philip at first hoped to win over the Boeotians to his side and sent Python, known for his eloquence, as an ambassador to them. However, in the popular assembly, Python was defeated by Demosthenes, and the Boeotians remained loyal to Hellas in this difficult hour. Realizing that he would now have to deal with the most valiant army that Hellas could put forward, Philip decided not to rush to start the battle and waited for the auxiliary detachments following the Macedonians to approach. In total, he had up to 30,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry. Considering his strength sufficient, the king ordered the battle to begin. Alexander, his son, he entrusted the command of one of the flanks.

When the battle began, both sides fought with great ferocity, and for a long time it was not clear who would prevail. Finally, Alexander broke through the enemy line and put his opponents to flight. This was the beginning of the complete victory of the Macedonians (Diodorus: 16; 53-84).

After the Chaeronean victory, Philip very cunningly harbored in his soul the joy of victory. On this day, he did not even bring the usual sacrifices in such cases, did not laugh during the feast, did not allow any games during the meal; there were no wreaths, no incense, and, as far as it depended on him, he behaved after the victory in such a way that no one felt a winner in him. He ordered not to call himself the king of Greece, but its leader. He so skillfully concealed his joy in the face of the despair of his enemies that neither his associates noticed that he was overjoyed, nor the vanquished saw gloating in him. To the Athenians, who showed particular hostility towards him, he returned the captives without ransom and handed over the bodies of the dead for burial. In addition, Philip sent his son Alexander to Athens to conclude a peace of friendship. On the contrary, Philip took a ransom from the Thebans not only for the prisoners, but even for the right to bury the fallen. He ordered the heads of the most prominent citizens to be cut off, sent others into exile, and took the property of all of them for himself. From among the former exiles, he appointed 300 judges and rulers of the state. After this, having put things in order in Greece, Philip ordered the representatives of all states to convene in Corinth in order to establish a certain order in the current state of affairs (in 337 BC).

Here Philip determined the terms of peace for all Hellas in accordance with the merits of individual states and formed a common council from all of them. Only the Lacedaemonians scorned his institutions, considering not peace, but slavery, the peace that was granted by the conqueror. Then the number of auxiliary detachments was determined, which were to be put up by individual states either to help the king in the event of an attack on him, or to be used under his command in case he himself declared war on someone. And there was no doubt that these preparations were directed against the Persian state. In early spring, Philip sent forward to Asia, subject to the Persians, three generals: Parmenion, Amyntas and Attalus, whose sister he took as his wife after he divorced Alexander's mother Olympias, suspecting her of adultery (Justin: 9; 4-5 ).

Philip himself was preparing to go on a campaign, but stayed in Macedonia, celebrating the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra, whom he married to Alexander 1 of Epirus, brother of Olympias. Guests for this celebration were invited from all over Greece. At the end of the feast, games and competitions began. Philip went out to the guests, dressed in all white, like a deity. He deliberately left his guard at a distance in order to show the Greeks what confidence he had in them.

Among the pages of Philip was a certain Pausanias, who came from the Orestid family. For his beauty, he became the royal lover. Once, at a feast, Attalus, having drunk Pausanias, began to laugh at him as if he were an indecent woman. Pausanias, deeply wounded by his laughter, complained to Philip. But the king ignored his complaints, since Attalus was a noble man and, moreover, a good commander. He rewarded Pausanias by making him his bodyguard. So he thought to heal him from resentment. But Pausanias had a gloomy and implacable heart. He took the royal favor as an insult and decided to take revenge. During the games, when Philip was left unguarded, Pausanias approached him, hiding a short sword under his clothes, and struck the king in the side. Having committed this murder, Pausanias wanted to escape on horseback, but was captured by Perdiccas and killed (Diodorus: 16; 91).

After finding out the reasons for the murder, many believed that Pausanias had been sent by Olympias, and Alexander himself was apparently not in the dark about the plotted murder, for Olympias suffered no less from the fact that she was rejected than Pausanias from her shame. Alexander, on the other hand, was afraid to meet an opponent in the person of his brother, born by his stepmother. They thought that Alexander and Olympias, in their approval, pushed Pausanias to such a terrible atrocity. It was said that on the night of Philip's funeral, Olympias laid a wreath on the head of Pausanias, who was hanging on the cross. A few days later, she burned the corpse of the murderer removed from the cross over the remains of her husband and ordered a mound to be poured in the same place. She also took care to bring sacrifices to the deceased every year. Then Olympias forced Cleopatra, because of whom Philip divorced her, to hang herself, first killing her daughter in the arms of her mother. Finally, she dedicated to Apollo the sword with which the king was stabbed. She did all this so openly, as if she was afraid that the crime she had committed would not be attributed to her. Philip died at the age of forty-seven, having reigned for twenty-five years. From a dancer from Larissa, he had a son, Arrhidaeus - the future Philip III (Justin: 9; 7-8).

All the monarchs of the world. Ancient Greece. Ancient Rome. Byzantium. Konstantin Ryzhov. Moscow, 2001

PHILIP II (382–336 BC), king of Macedonia who united Greece under his rule. The grandiose conquests of Alexander the Great, the son of Philip and the Epirus princess Olympias, became possible only thanks to the achievements of his father. At the age of 15, Philip, the son of the Macedonian king Amyntas III (reigned 394-370 BC), was sent as a hostage to Thebes (Boeotia, central Greece). During the three years that Philip spent here, he was imbued with a love for Greek culture, which had not yet had time to take root deeply in Macedonia, and studied the military tactics of the great Theban general Epaminondas.

Strengthening of the Macedonian kingdom.

Philip seized power in Macedon in 359 BC when a succession struggle unfolded. The gold mined on Mount Pangei in Thrace, captured by Philip at the very beginning of his reign (about 1000 talents, i.e. about 26 tons annually), gave him the opportunity to build roads and support his supporters throughout Greece. The rural inhabitants of Macedonia, who underwent thorough military training, formed the backbone of a reliable and loyal army to the king. In battle, the infantry formed a deep (up to 16 ranks), relatively free and maneuverable formation, called a phalanx. The phalanx warriors were lightly armed, but had a spear (sarissa) that was elongated in comparison with the usual (up to 4 m). Maneuverability was ensured by increasing the interval between adjacent warriors in the line to almost 1 m.

Philip formed light and heavily armed detachments from the cavalry, and the nobility served in the latter, being called "comrades" (Greek "gaetairs") of the king, forming his guard and striking force. Philip's army also included archers, slingers and other auxiliaries, rear services, reconnaissance and siege weapons. From Epaminondas, Philip adopted the practice of simultaneously introducing infantry and cavalry into battle, as well as the technique of breaking through with one flank, while holding the enemy back with the other.

Not allowing the enemy to come to his senses, Philip subjugated the entire region from the Hellespont to Thermopylae, i.e. all of Thrace and northern Greece, after several campaigns, wild tribes in the Balkan mountains were pacified. Philip intervened in the pan-Greek 3rd Holy War (355-346 BC), which, under the plausible pretext of protecting the Delphic oracle, opened the way for Macedonian troops to central Greece. Thessaly was conquered by Philip in 352 BC, Olynthes was taken and destroyed in 348 BC. In 346 BC Philip obtained an invitation to head the Delphic Amphictyony (a union of Greek city-states centered in Delphi). Some Greeks, such as the Athenian orator Aeschines, sympathized with Philip, but Demosthenes acted as his most implacable opponent. Starting from 352 BC Demosthenes began to pronounce his famous Philippics, in which he encouraged the Greeks to fight so as not to be enslaved by the northern barbarian. The Greeks, as usual, did not shine with unity. Another Athenian speaker, Isocrates, called them to war not with each other, but with the traditional enemy, Persia, which was in the hands of Philip's further plans. However, the fear of Macedonia was so strong that Demosthenes managed to create an alliance between Athens and Thebes and in 338 BC. the allies marched against Philip.

Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC) and its aftermath.

Under Chaeronea in Boeotia, a Greek army of 30,000 fought against a roughly equal Macedonian force. The left flank of the Macedonians, where Alexander commanded, managed to destroy the famous Sacred Band of the Thebans. Philip on the right flank began a false retreat, and when the Athenians set off in pursuit, he skillfully took advantage of the gaps in their ranks, where the Macedonian cavalry rushed. The allied Greek army suffered a complete defeat. The huge stone lion, now rising in the middle of the deserted Boeotian plain, is not only a monument to the fallen Greeks, but also a milestone that marks the end of the era of city-states in Greece. A Macedonian garrison was placed in Thebes, Philip did not touch Athens: he wanted to achieve respect here, and also believed that the Athenian fleet could be useful to him in the war against Persia.

After that, Philip once again proved himself an outstanding politician. At his invitation in 337 BC. the cities of central and southern Greece (with the exception of Sparta, which he did not have time to conquer), as well as the inhabitants of the islands of the Aegean Sea, sent their representatives to Corinth, where universal peace was proclaimed and a pan-Greek union, the Corinthian Congress, was founded. Macedonia itself was not a member, but the king of Macedonia and his successors were assigned the leadership of the armed forces of the congress, as well as the place of its chairman, i.e. real power. Under the pretext of retaliation for the invasion of 150 years ago, Congress decided to start a general Greek war against the Persian Empire, and Philip was to wage it. Soon the outstanding Macedonian commander Parmenion was sent to seize a bridgehead on the other side of the Hellespont.

Philip intended to follow him, but this was prevented by death: he was killed at a feast, for personal reasons, by the Macedonian aristocrat Pausanias. The throne and plans of Philip, as well as his magnificent army and commanders, passed to his son, who was to go down in history under the name of Alexander the Great.

Materials of the encyclopedia "The world around us" are used.

Read further:

Historical Persons of Greece (biographical guide).

Greece, Hellas, the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, one of the most important historical countries of antiquity.

Macedonia - a historical region, a diocese (imperial district) and a Byzantine theme.

Literature^

Shofman A.S. History of ancient Macedonia, part 1. Kazan, 1960

Philip 2 created all the prerequisites so that his son could conquer half of the world. Philip began with an army defeated by the Illyrians, with a poor and weak state. Having strengthened the army and defeated the northern barbarians, Philip took control of the rich mines. Where by diplomacy, where by bribery, and where by decisive military action, Philip subjugated neighboring states, starting with Thessaly. Like Rome in the future, Philip divided and ruled Greece. The Battle of Chaeronea finally consolidated the hegemony of Macedon, allowed Philip to lead the Corinthian League and begin preparations for the invasion of Persia. Death prevented him from fulfilling his plan.

Information about Philip 2 of Macedon and the battle of Chaeronea can be found in Diodorus Siculus “Historical Library”, Polien “Strategems”, Plutarch “Comparative Lives” and Justin “History of Philip - Pompey Trogus”. Philip's preparation of 2 phalangites is described in the article.

Plutarch, Pelopidas

He (Pelopis) settled the strife, returned the exiles, and taking hostage Philip, the king's brother, and thirty other boys from the most noble families, sent them to Thebes to show the Greeks how far the influence of the Thebans extends thanks to the fame of their power and faith in their justice. This was the same Philip who subsequently challenged Greece with her freedom by force of arms. As a boy, he lived in Thebes with Pammenes, and on this basis was considered an ardent follower of Epaminondas. It is possible that Philip actually learned something, seeing his indefatigability in matters of war and command ...

Justin, 6.9

At the same time (the Athenians) began to divide the public funds, which used to contain soldiers and rowers, among the urban population. As a result of all this, it happened that, due to the fault of such licentiousness of the Greeks, a contemptible, unknown people, the Macedonians, rose from insignificance, and Philip, who was held in Thebes for three years as a hostage, brought up on the examples of the valor of Epaminondas and Pelopidas, imposed on all Greece and Asia like a yoke of slavery domination of Macedonia.

Diodorus, 16.2,3,8,35

Philip, son of Amyntas and father of Alexander, who defeated the Persians in war, received the Macedonian throne in the following way. When Amyntas was defeated by the Illyrians and forced to pay tribute to the conquerors, the Illyrians took Philip, Amyntas' youngest son, as a hostage and left him in the care of the Thebans. They, in turn, entrusted the boy to the father of Epaminondas and ordered him to carefully monitor his ward and direct his upbringing and education. When Epaminondas was given to the teacher of philosophy of the Pythagorean school, Philip, who was brought up with him, acquired a wide acquaintance with Pythagorean philosophy. Since both students showed natural ability and diligence, they proved their superiority by valor. Of the two, Epaminondas went through the most severe trials and battles and brought his fatherland, almost miraculously, to the leadership of Hellas, while Philip, using his exactly the same initial training, achieved no less than the glory of Epaminondas. After the death of Amyntas, Alexander, the eldest of the sons of Amyntas, succeeded to the throne. But Ptolemy of Alor killed him and succeeded to the throne, and then in a similar way Perdiccas dealt with him, and reigned as king. But when he was defeated in a great battle with the Illyrians and fell in battle, Philip, his brother, escaped from custody as a hostage, and received a kingdom in a bad state. The Macedonians lost more than four thousand men in battle, and the rest, seized with panic, became extremely afraid of the Illyrian army and lost courage to continue the war. At about the same time, the peons who lived near Macedonia began to plunder its lands, showing contempt for the Macedonians, the Illyrians began to raise a large army and prepare to invade Macedonia, while a certain Pausanias, who was associated with the royal family of Macedonia, plans to with the help of the Thracian king to join the struggle for the throne of Macedonia. Likewise, the Athenians, also hostile to Philip, tried to place Argaeus on the throne and dispatched the general Mantias with three thousand hoplites and a sizable naval force.

The Macedonians, because of the misfortunes suffered in battle and the great dangers that pressed upon them, were in great confusion. And yet, because of such fears and dangers that threatened him, Philip was not seized with panic at the significance of the expected works, but by calling the Macedonians together for a series of meetings and calling them in a vivid speech to be men, he raised their morale, improved organization of his forces and supplied the people with suitable weapons for war, he introduced constant exercises of people under arms and competitions in physical exercises. Indeed, he developed the close formation and equipment of the phalanx, imitating the closed battle formation with overlapping shields of the Trojan warriors, and was the first creator of the Macedonian phalanx.

Artist A.Karashchuk

... And since from these mines he soon accumulated wealth, with an abundance of money he raised the prestige of the Macedonian kingdom higher and higher flesh to the highest position, since the gold coins that he minted became known by his name as Philippiki, he organized a large detachment mercenaries, and with the help of this money, by bribes, incited many Greeks to become traitors to their native land.

After this, Philip, responding to the call of the Thessalians, brought his troops into Thessaly, and at first waged war against Lycophron, the tyrant of Fer, helping the Thessalians, but later, Lycophron called for auxiliary forces from his Phocian allies, Phaylus, brother of Onomarchus, was sent with seven thousand Human. But Philip defeated the Phocians and drove them out of Thessaly. Then Onomarchus came in a hurry with all his military forces to support Lycophron, believing that he would achieve dominance over all of Thessaly. When Philip, together with the Thessalians, entered the battle against the Phocians, Onomarchus, having a numerical superiority, defeated him in two battles and killed many of the Macedonians. Philip, found himself in extreme danger, and his soldiers were so discouraged that they left him, but having aroused the courage of the majority, he forced them with great difficulty to obey his orders. Later, Philip withdrew troops to Macedonia, and Onomarchus, having gone to Boeotia, defeated the Boeotians in battle and took the city of Coronea. As for Thessaly, Philip just at that time returned with an army from Macedon and marched against Lycophron, the tyrant of Ther. Lycophron, however, since the balance of power was not in his favor, summoned the Phocians to reinforce his allies, promising to organize a government in Thessaly together with them. Therefore, when Onomarchus hurried to support him with twenty thousand foot and five hundred horse, Philip, having persuaded the Thessalians to wage war together, gathered a joint force of more than twenty thousand foot and three thousand horse. A hard-fought battle took place and, with the Thessalian cavalry outnumbering the enemy both in numbers and prowess, Philip was victorious. Since Onomarchus fled to the sea and Chares of Athens accidentally sailed on his triremes, a great massacre of the Phocians took place; people, trying to escape, took off their armor and tried to swim to the triremes, and among them was Onomarchus. As a result, more than six thousand Phocians and mercenaries were killed, among them the general himself, and no less than three thousand were taken prisoner. Philip hanged Onomarchus, he threw the rest into the sea as defilers of the temple.

Polyaene, 4.2.17

Philip, wishing to acquire Thessaly, himself did not openly fight with the Thessalians, but while the Pellineians fought with the Pharsalians and the Thereians fought with the Larissans, and the rest were divided along the warring sides, he always came to the aid of those who called him. In gaining the upper hand, he did not drive out the vanquished, did not take away weapons, did not destroy fortifications, but further intensified strife or unleashed them, supported the weak, overthrew the stronger, was a friend to the representatives of the people, rendered services to demagogues. It was with these stratagems, and not weapons, that Philip took possession of Thessaly.

2.38.2 (Philip's defeat by stone-throwers)

Onomarch, who was preparing for battle against the Macedonians, occupied a semicircular mountain in his rear and, hiding stones and stone-throwers on both peaks, led his army to the plain below. When the advancing Macedonians fired, the Phocians pretended to be running towards the middle of the mountain. The Macedonians were already pushing them, pursuing them with courage and pressure, the same, throwing stones from the peaks, crushed the Macedonian phalanx. It was then that Onomarchus gave the signal to the Phocians to turn and attack the enemy. The Macedonians, when some attacked them from behind, while others threw stones, fled with great difficulty, retreated. It is said that during this flight, King Philip of the Macedonians said: "I did not run, but retreated like a ram, in order to strike again with a stronger blow."

Plutarch, Demosthenes

... Then, traveling as an ambassador throughout Greece and delivering incendiary speeches against Philip, he (Demosthenes) rallied almost all states to fight Macedonia, so that it was possible to recruit an army of fifteen thousand foot and two thousand horsemen, in addition to detachments of citizens, and each the city willingly contributed money to pay the salaries of the mercenaries.

Demosthenes, Speeches

First of all, then, the Lacedaemonians, and indeed all the rest, within four or five months, just at the very best time of the year, would invade, devastate the country *opponents* with their hoplites, that is, the civilian militia, and then go back home. Now, on the contrary, you hear that Philip goes wherever he pleases, not with the help of an army of hoplites, but surrounding himself with lightly armed, cavalry, archers, mercenaries - in general, troops of this kind. When, with these troops, he attacks people suffering from internal ailments, and no one comes to the defense of his country due to mutual distrust, then he will set up military machines and begin a siege. And I'm not talking about the fact that it is completely indifferent to him whether it is winter at that time or summer, and he does not make exceptions for any season and does not suspend his actions at any time.

And look how it was with Philip, with whom we had a struggle. Firstly, he disposed of his subordinates himself with sovereignty, and this in matters of war is the most important thing of all. Then, his people never let go of their weapons. Further, he had an abundance of money, and he did what he himself found necessary, ... he did not have to give an account to anyone - in a word, he was himself over all the master, leader and master. Well, and I, put one on one against him (it’s fair to make out this too), over what did I have power? - Nothing! ... But nevertheless, despite such disadvantages in our position, I attracted the Euboeans, Achaeans, Corinthians, Thebans, Megarians, Leucadians, Corcyrians to an alliance with you - from all of them I managed to recruit a total of fifteen thousand mercenaries and two thousand horsemen other than civilian forces; I tried to raise as much money as I could.

Artist Johnny Shumate

Battle of Chaeronea, 338 BC

The description of the Battle of Chaeronea is very vague. Most later writers try to emphasize the role of Alexander. Even with the alignment of armies there is no complete clarity. Modern authors try to reconstruct the battle often from directly opposite points of view. Andrei Kurkin's reconstruction is peculiar, completely changing the disposition of the troops in comparison with the generally accepted interpretation of the sources. It is based on the location of the lion - a monument to the dead and explains many aspects of the battle, but does not agree with the fact that Philip directly fought the Athenians. In Hammond's reconstruction, the wing, led by the Thebans' sacred detachment, for some reason deviated back. Whereas Epaminondas, on the contrary, built an oblique battle formation with the strongest wing forward.

Diodorus, 16.85-86

He (Philip) waited for the last straggler of his allies to arrive and then entered Boeotia. His troops came with more than thirty thousand infantry and no less than two thousand cavalry. Both sides were on the battlefield, in good spirits and ardent, and were comparable in courage, but the king had the advantage both in numbers and in the gift of a commander. He fought many battles of various kinds and won in most cases, so he had a lot of experience in military operations. On the Athenian side, the best of their strategists were dead—Iphicrates, Chabrias, and Timothy included—and the best of those left, Chares, was no better than any average soldier in the energy and prudence required of a commander.

Artist Christos Gianopoulos

The armies turned around at dawn and the king placed his son Alexander, a young man in years, but marked by valor and speed of action, on one wing, placing his most experienced strategists next to him, and he himself commanded at the head of selected detachments on the other; separate units were placed where the case required. On the other hand, dividing the front by nations, the Athenians gave one wing to the Boeotians, and themselves took the lead on the other. As soon as the battle began, both sides competed fervently for a long time, and there were many fallen on both sides, so that for a while the course of the struggle gave hope of victory for both sides.

Then Alexander, whose soul forced him to show his father his prowess and indomitable will to win, skillfully supported by his people, was the first to break the solid front of the enemy line and, having killed many, he laid a heavy burden on the troops opposing him. The same success was achieved by his comrades, the gaps in the front line were constantly open. Heaping up the corpses, Alexander eventually pushed through the line and put his opponents to flight. Then the king also personally moved forward significantly and not inferior in honor to victory even to Alexander, he first pushed back the troops located in front of him, and then, forced them to flee, became the man who brought victory. Over a thousand Athenians fell in battle and no less than two thousand were captured. In addition, many of the Boeotians were killed, and many were taken prisoner. After the battle, Philip set up a victory trophy, gave out for the burial of the fallen, made sacrifices to the gods for the victory, and rewarded those of his people who distinguished themselves according to their merits.

Reconstruction of the battle, A. Kurkin

Polyene, 4.2.2.7

Philip, when he fought at Chaeronea with the Athenians, leaning back, retreated. Stratocles, the strategist of the Athenians, exclaiming: "We must keep up with the enemies until we drive them into Macedonia!" – continued to follow the Macedonians. “The Athenians do not know how to win,” said Philip and began to retreat facing the enemy, closing the phalanx and defending himself with weapons from the onslaught of the Athenians. A little later, having occupied the hills, he encouraged his army, made a turn and, resolutely rushing to the Athenians, brilliantly fought with them and won.

Philip under Chaeronea, knowing that the Athenians were impulsive and not accustomed to military exercises, and the Macedonians were experienced and trained, dragging out the battle a lot, soon tired the Athenians and thus easily defeated them.

Reconstruction of the battle, N. Hammond

Plutarch, Alexander

Alexander also participated in the battle with the Greeks at Chaeronea and, they say, was the first to rush into battle with the sacred band of the Thebans.

Justin, 9.3.5

However, as soon as Philip recovered from his wound, he began a war against the Athenians, which he had long secretly prepared. The Thebans sided with the Athenians, fearing that if the Athenians were defeated, the flames of war would spread to them. Between these two states, not long before so hostile to each other, an alliance was concluded, and they sent embassies throughout Greece: they consider [they said] that a common enemy must be repulsed by common forces, for Philip, if his first actions are successful , will not rest until he conquers all of Greece. Under the influence of this, some states joined the Athenians; some, however, were persuaded by the fear of the difficulties of war to the side of Philip. When it came to battle, the Athenians, though far outnumbering the enemy, were defeated by the prowess of the Macedonians, tempered in constant warfare. But they died, remembering their former glory; the wounds of all [the fallen] were on the chest, and each, [falling and] dying, covered with his body the place where he was placed by his commander. This day was for all Greece the end of her glorious dominion and her ancient freedom.

Artist Adam Hook

Philip, having put things in order in Greece, ordered representatives from all states to be summoned to Corinth in order to establish a certain order in the current state of affairs. Here Philip determined the conditions of peace for all Greece in accordance with the merits of individual states and formed from all of them a common council, as it were, a single senate. Only the Lacedaemonians treated with contempt both the king and his institutions, considering not peace, but slavery, that peace, which was not agreed upon by the states themselves, but which was granted by the conqueror. Then the number of auxiliary detachments was determined, which were to be put up by individual states either to help the king in the event of an attack on him, or to be used under his command in case he himself declared war on someone. And there was no doubt that these preparations were directed against the Persian state. The number of auxiliary detachments was two hundred thousand infantry and fifteen thousand horsemen. In addition to this number - the Macedonian army and detachments of barbarians from the neighboring tribes conquered by Macedonia. At the beginning of spring, he sent forward to Asia, subject to the Persians, three commanders: Parmenion, Amyntas and Attalus

Philip II went down in history more as the father of Alexander the Great, although he carried out the most difficult, initial task of strengthening the Macedonian state and the actual unification of Greece within the framework of the Corinthian Union. Later, his son took advantage of the strong, battle-hardened army formed by Philip to create his vast, but quickly crumbling empire.

Philip's reign

However, on the way home, the warlike Triballi attacked the Macedonians and recaptured all the trophies. " In this battle, Philip was wounded in the thigh, and moreover, so that the weapon, passing through the body of Philip, killed his horse.»

Barely recovering from his wounds, although the limp remained, the indefatigable Philip moved quickly to Greece.

Subjugation of Greece

Philip entered Greece not as a conqueror, but at the invitation of the Greeks themselves, in order to punish the inhabitants of Amfissa in central Greece for the unauthorized seizure of sacred lands. However, after the ruin of Amfiss, the king was in no hurry to leave Greece. He captured a number of cities from where he could easily threaten the main Greek states.

Thanks to the energetic efforts of Demosthenes, Philip's longtime opponent, and now also one of the leaders of Athens, an anti-Macedonian coalition was formed between a number of cities; through the efforts of Demosthenes, the strongest of them was attracted to the union - Thebes, who were still in alliance with Philip. The long-standing enmity of Athens and Thebes gave way to a sense of danger from the increased power of Macedonia. The combined forces of these states tried to squeeze the Macedonians out of Greece, but to no avail. In 338 BC. e. there was a decisive battle at Chaeronea, which put an end to the splendor and grandeur of ancient Hellas.

The defeated Greeks fled from the battlefield. Anxiety, almost turning into panic, seized Athens. In order to stop the desire to escape, the people's assembly adopted a resolution according to which such acts were considered high treason and were punishable by death. Residents began to vigorously strengthen the walls of the city, accumulate food, the entire male population was called up for military service, freedom was promised to the slaves. However, Philip did not go to Attica, mindful of the unsuccessful siege of Byzantium and the fleet of Athens in 360 triremes. Having severely disposed of Thebes, he offered Athens relatively mild peace terms. The forced peace was accepted, although the words of the orator Lycurgus about the fallen in the fields of Chaeronea speak of the mood of the Athenians: “ After all, when they lost their lives, Hellas was also enslaved, and the freedom of the rest of the Hellenes was buried along with their bodies.»

Philip's death

Assassination of Philip II by Pausanias. Drawing by Andre Castaigne (1899).

« Philip determined the terms of peace for the whole of Greece in accordance with the merits of individual states and formed from all of them a common council, as it were, a single senate. Only the Lacedaemonians treated with contempt both the king and his institutions, considering not peace, but slavery, that peace, which was not agreed upon by the states themselves, but which was granted by the conqueror. Then the number of auxiliary detachments was determined, which were to be put up by individual states either to help the king in the event of an attack on him, or to be used under his command in case he himself declared war on someone. And there was no doubt that these preparations were directed against the Persian state ... In the beginning of spring, he sent forward to Asia, subject to the Persians, three commanders: Parmenion, Aminta and Attalus ...»

However, an acute family crisis, caused by the king's human passions, got in the way of these plans. Namely, in 337 BC. e. he unexpectedly marries the young Cleopatra, which brought to power a group of her relatives, led by Uncle Attalus. The result was the departure of the offended Olympias to Epirus to his brother, Tsar Alexander of Molos, and the departure of Philip's son Alexander of Macedon, first after his mother, and then to the Illyrians. Philip eventually worked out a compromise, the result of which was the return of Alexander. Philip smoothed out the resentment of the king of Epirus for his sister by extraditing his daughter Cleopatra for him.

The king's death was overgrown with various versions, based mainly on conjectures and conclusions on the principle of "who benefits." The Greeks suspected an indomitable Olympias; they also called the name of Alexander the Great, and in particular they told (according to Plutarch) that he answered the complaints of Pausanias with a line from the tragedy: “To take revenge on everyone: father, bride, groom ...”. Modern scholars also pay attention to the figure of Alexander of Molossky, who had both political and personal interests in the murder. Alexander the Great executed two brothers from Lyncestis for complicity in the assassination attempt, but the grounds for the sentence remained unclear. Then the same Alexander blamed the death of his father on the Persians. History deals with accomplished facts, and one of them is indisputable. The son of Philip, Alexander, took the throne of Macedonia, eclipsing his father with his deeds, and whose name is associated with a new era in the history of Hellas and the entire ancient world.

Wives and children of Philip II

“Philip always took a new wife in each of his wars. In Illyria he took Audatha and had a daughter, Cinana, by her. He also married Phil, the sister of Derda and Mahat. Wishing to lay claim to Thessaly, he had children from Thessalian women, one of them was Nikesipolis of Ther, who bore him Thessalonica, the other was Philinna of Larissa, from whom he had Arrhidaea. Further, he acquired the kingdom of the Molossians [Epirus] by marrying Olympias, from whom he had Alexander and Cleopatra. When he subjugated Thrace, there the Thracian king Kofelay passed to him, who gave him his daughter Meda and a large dowry. By marrying her, he thus brought home a second wife after the Olympics. After all these women, he married Cleopatra, with whom he fell in love, the niece of Attalus. Cleopatra bore Philip a daughter, Europa.

Philip as a commander

It was Philip who had the merit of creating a regular Macedonian army. Previously, the Macedonian king, as Thucydides wrote about Perdikka II, had at his disposal a permanent cavalry squad of about a thousand soldiers and mercenaries, and the foot militia was called up in case of an external invasion. The number of cavalry increased due to the admission of new "getairs" for military service, thus the king tied the tribal nobility to himself personally, enticing them with new lands and gifts. The cavalry of the hetairoi in the time of Alexander the Great consisted of 8 squadrons of 200-250 heavily armed horsemen. Philip was the first in Greece to use the cavalry as an independent strike force. At the battle of Chaeronea, the Hetairoi under the command of Alexander destroyed the invincible "Holy Band" of the Thebans.

The foot militia, thanks to successful wars and tribute from the conquered peoples, turned into a permanent professional army, as a result of which the creation of the Macedonian phalanx, recruited according to the territorial principle, became possible. The Macedonian phalanx at the time of Philip consisted of regiments of about 1,500 people and could operate both in a dense monolithic formation and maneuver units, rebuild, change depth and front.

Philip also used other types of troops: shield-bearers (guards infantry, more mobile than the phalanx), the Thessalian allied cavalry (not much different in armament and numbers from the hetairoi), barbarian light cavalry, archers, allied foot units.

Philip accustomed the Macedonians to constant exercises, in peacetime as in real business. So he often made them march 300 furlongs, carrying with them helmets, shields, greaves and spears, and besides that, provisions and other utensils.

The tsar maintained discipline in the troops rigidly. When two of his generals brought a girl from a brothel to the camp, he drove them both out of Macedonia.

Thanks to Greek engineers, Philip used mobile towers and throwing machines during the siege of Perinth and Byzantium (340-339 BC). Previously, the Greeks had taken cities, as in the case of the legendary Troy, mostly by starvation and smashing the walls with battering rams. Philip himself preferred bribery to assault. Plutarch ascribes to him the catch phrase - " a donkey loaded with gold will take an impregnable fortress».

At the beginning of his reign, Philip, at the head of the army, rushed into the thick of battle: under Meton, an arrow knocked out his eye, triballi pierced his thigh through and through, and in one of the battles they broke his collarbone. Later, the king controlled the troops, relying on his commanders, and tried to use a variety of tactics, and even better political ones. As Polien writes about Philip: He was not as successful in force of arms as he was in alliances and negotiations… He neither disarmed the vanquished nor destroyed their fortifications, but his main concern was to create rival factions to protect the weak and crush the strong».
Justin repeats: Any move that led to victory was not shameful in his eyes.»

Philip in the reviews of contemporaries

Philip left controversial opinions of his contemporaries about himself. In some, he aroused hatred as a strangler of freedom, others saw in him a messiah sent to unite the fragmented Hellas. Insidious and generous at the same time. He won victories, but also suffered defeats. He invited philosophers to the court, while he himself indulged in unrestrained drunkenness. He had many children, but none of them died of age.

Philip, despite the years spent in Thebes in his youth, did not in any way resemble an enlightened sovereign, but was similar in manners and way of life to the barbarian kings of neighboring Thrace. Theopompus, who personally observed the life of the Macedonian court under Philip, left such a damning review:

“If there was anyone in all of Greece or among the barbarians, whose character was distinguished by shamelessness, he was inevitably attracted to the court of King Philip in Macedonia and received the title of “comrade of the king”. For it was Philip's custom to glorify and promote those who spent their lives in drunkenness and gambling... Some of them, being men, even shaved their bodies cleanly; and even bearded men did not shy away from mutual filth. They took with them two or three slaves for lust, while at the same time betraying themselves for the same shameful service, so it would be fair to call them not soldiers, but prostitutes.

Drunkenness at the court of Philip amazed the Greeks. He himself often went drunk into battle, received Athenian ambassadors. The violent feasts of the kings were characteristic of the era of the decay of tribal relations, and the refined Greeks, who severely condemned drunkenness and depravity, also spent time in feasts and wars in their heroic era, which has come down to us in the legends of Homer. Polybius quotes an inscription on Philip's sarcophagus: He appreciated the joys of life».

Philip loved a merry feast with immoderate consumption of undiluted wine, appreciated the jokes of his companions and, for his wit, brought not only the Macedonians, but also the Greeks closer. He also appreciated education, for the training and education of Alexander, heir to the throne, he invited Aristotle. Justin noted Philip's oratory:

“In conversations he was both flattering and cunning, in words he promised more than he fulfilled ... As a speaker, he was eloquently resourceful and witty; the sophistication of his speech was combined with ease, and this very ease was sophisticated.

He respected his friends and generously rewarded him, treated his enemies with indulgence. He was not cruel to the vanquished, he easily released the captives and granted freedom to the slaves. In everyday life and communication, he was simple and accessible, although conceited. As Justin writes, Philip wanted his subjects to love him and tried to judge fairly.

Notes

Links

• Philip II of Macedon (English). - in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
• Justin, Epitome of Pompeius Trogus' History of Philip, Book. VII
• Documentary film - Sacrifice. The Life and Death of the Macedonian King Philip II - Makto Studio

see also

King Philip II of Macedonia became known in history as the conqueror of neighboring Greece. He managed to create a new army, consolidate the efforts of his own people and expand the borders of the state. The successes of Philip fade before the victories of his own son Alexander the Great, but it was he who created all the prerequisites for the great achievements of his successor.

early years

The ancient king Philip of Macedon was born in 382 BC. e. His hometown was the capital of Pella. The father of Philip Amyntas III was an exemplary ruler. He was able to unite his country, previously divided into several principalities. However, with the death of Aminta, the period of prosperity ended. Macedonia broke up again. At the same time, external enemies also threatened the country, including the Illyrians and Thracians. These northern tribes periodically made raids against their neighbors.

The Greeks also took advantage of Macedonia's weakness. In 368 BC. e. they traveled north. As a result, Philip of Macedon was captured and sent to Thebes. Paradoxical as it may seem, but staying there only benefited the young man. In the IV century. BC e. Thebes was one of the largest Greek cities. In this city, the Macedonian hostage got acquainted with the social structure of the Hellenes and their developed culture. He even mastered the basics of the military art of the Greeks. All this experience later influenced the policy that King Philip II of Macedon began to lead.

Rise to power

In 365 BC. e. the young man returned home. At this time, the throne belonged to his elder brother Perdiccas III. Quiet life in Pella was disrupted when the Macedonians were again under attack from the Illyrians. These formidable neighbors defeated the army of Perdicia in a decisive battle, while killing him and 4,000 of Philip's compatriots.

Power by inheritance passed to the son of the deceased - the young Amint. Philip was appointed regent. Despite his youth, he showed his outstanding leadership qualities and convinced the political elite of the country that at such a difficult moment, when the enemy is on the threshold, it is he who should be on the throne and protect civilians from aggressors. Aminth was deposed. So at the age of 23, Philip 2 of Macedon became the king of his country. As a result, he did not part with the throne until his death.

Diplomat and strategist

From the very beginning of his reign, Philip of Macedon demonstrated his remarkable diplomatic skills. He was not shy in front of the Thracian threat and decided to overcome it not with weapons, but with money. Having bribed a neighboring prince, Philip caused trouble there, thereby securing his own country. The monarch also took possession of the important city of Amphipolis, where gold mining was established. Having gained access to the noble metal, the treasury began to mint high-quality coins. The state got rich.

After that, Philip II of Macedon set about creating a new army. He hired foreign craftsmen who built the most modern catapults at that time, etc.). Using bribery of opponents and cunning, the monarch first recreated a united Macedonia, and then began external expansion. He was lucky in the sense that in that era Greece began to experience a protracted strife and enmity of policies. The northern barbarians were easily bribed with gold.

Reforms in the army

Realizing that the greatness of the state is based on the power of his troops, the king completely reorganized his armed forces. What was the army of Philip of Macedon? The answer lies in the phenomenon of the Macedonian phalanx. It was a new infantry fighting formation, which was a regiment of 1,500 people. The recruitment of phalanxes became strictly territorial, which made it possible to improve the interaction of soldiers among themselves.

One such formation consisted of many lochos - rows of 16 foot soldiers. Each line had its own task on the battlefield. The new organization made it possible to improve the fighting qualities of the troops. Now the Macedonian army was moving solidly and monolithically, and in case the phalanx needed to turn, the lochos responsible for this began the redeployment, giving a signal to the neighbors. The others followed him. The last lochos monitored the harmony of the regiments and the correct formation, correcting the mistakes of their comrades.

So what was the army of Philip of Macedon? The answer lies in the king's decision to combine the experience of foreign troops. In his youth, Philip lived in Thebes in honorable captivity. There, in local libraries, he got acquainted with the works of Greek strategists of different times. Considerations of many of them, a sensitive and capable student later brought to life on his own army.

Rearmament of the troops

Being engaged in military reform, Philip of Macedon paid attention to issues not only of organization, but also of weapons. Under him, the sarissa appeared in the army. So the Macedonians called the long spear. Foot soldiers of the Sarissophores received other weapons. During the assault on fortified enemy positions, they used throwing darts, which worked perfectly at a distance, inflicting deadly wounds on the enemy.

The Macedonian king Philip made his army highly disciplined. Soldiers learned how to handle weapons every day. A long spear occupied both hands, so Philip's army used copper shields that were hung on the elbow.

The armament of the phalanx emphasized its main task - to hold the enemy's blow. Philip II of Macedon, and later his son Alexander, used cavalry as the main attacking force. She beat the enemy army at the moment when it unsuccessfully tried to crack the phalanx.

Start of military campaigns

After the Macedonian king Philip was convinced that the transformations in the army had borne fruit, he began to interfere in the affairs of the Greek neighbors. In 353 BC. e. he supported the Delphic coalition in another civil war of the Hellenes. After the victory, Macedonia actually subjugated Thessaly, and also became a universally recognized arbiter and arbitrator for numerous Greek policies.

This success proved to be a harbinger of the future conquest of Hellas. However, Macedonian interests were not limited to Greece. In 352 BC. e. the war with Thrace began. Its initiator was Philip of Macedon. The biography of this man is a vivid example of a commander who tried to protect the interests of his people. The conflict with Thrace began because of the uncertainty about the ownership of the border regions of the two countries. After a year of war, the barbarians ceded the disputed lands. So the Thracians learned what the army of Philip of Macedon was.

Olynthian War

Soon the Macedonian ruler resumed his intervention in Greece. The next on his path was the Chalcis Union, the main policy of which was Olynthus. In 348 BC. e. The army of Philip of Macedon began the siege of this city. The Chalcis League received the support of Athens, but their help came too late.

Olynthus was captured, burned and destroyed. So Macedonia further expanded its borders to the south. Other cities of the Chalcis Union were also attached to it. Only the southern part of Hellas remained independent. The reasons for the military successes of Philip of Macedon were, on the one hand, in the coordinated actions of his army, and on the other hand, in the political fragmentation of the Greek policies, which did not want to unite with each other in the face of external danger. A skilled diplomat deftly took advantage of the mutual hostility of his opponents.

Scythian campaign

While contemporaries puzzled over the question of what were the reasons for the military successes of Philip of Macedon, the ancient king continued his campaigns of conquest. In 340 BC. e. he went to war against Perinth and Byzantium, the Greek colonies that controlled the strait separating Europe and Asia. Today it is known as the Dardanelles, but then it was called the Hellespont.

Under Perinth and Byzantium, the Greeks gave a serious rebuff to the invaders, and Philip had to retreat. He went to war against the Scythians. Just then, the relationship between the Macedonians and these people deteriorated noticeably. The leader of the Scythians, Atey, shortly before asked Philip for military assistance in order to repulse the attack of neighboring nomads. The Macedonian king sent him a large detachment.

When Philip was under the walls of Byzantium, unsuccessfully trying to capture this city, he himself found himself in a difficult position. Then the monarch asked Atey to help him with money in order to somehow cover the costs associated with a long siege. The leader of the Scythians mockingly refused his neighbor in a response letter. Philip did not tolerate such an insult. In 339 BC. e. he went north to punish the treacherous Scythians with a sword. These Black Sea nomads were indeed defeated. After this campaign, the Macedonians finally returned home, though not for long.

Battle of Chaeronea

In the meantime, they created an alliance directed against the Macedonian expansion. Philip was not embarrassed by this fact. He was going to continue his march south anyway. In 338 BC. e. there was a decisive basis of the Greek army in this battle consisted of the inhabitants of Athens and Thebes. These two policies were the political leaders of Hellas.

The battle is also notable for the fact that the 18-year-old heir to the tsar, Alexander, took part in it. He had to learn from his own experience what the army of Philip of Macedon was like. The monarch himself commanded the phalanxes, and his son had at his disposal the cavalry on the left flank. The trust was justified. The Macedonians defeated the opponents. The Athenians, along with their influential politician and orator Demosthenes, fled the battlefield.

Corinthian Union

After the defeat at Chaeronea, the Greek policies lost their last strength for an organized fight against Philip. Negotiations began on the future of Hellas. Their result was the creation of the Corinthian Union. Now the Greeks found themselves in a dependent position from the Macedonian king, although the old laws were formally preserved in them. Philip also occupied some cities.

The union was created under the pretext of a future struggle with Persia. The Macedonian army of Philip of Macedon could not cope with the Greek policies alone and agreed to provide the king with their own troops. Philip was recognized as the protector of all Hellenic culture. He himself transferred much of the Greek realities into the life of his own country.

Family conflict

After the successful unification of Greece under his rule, Philip was about to declare war on Persia. However, his plans were thwarted by family squabbles. In 337 BC. e. he married the girl Cleopatra, which led to a conflict with his first wife, Olympias. It was from her that Philip had a son, Alexander, who in the future was destined to become the greatest commander of antiquity. The offspring did not accept the act of his father and, following the offended mother, left his yard.

Philip of Macedon, whose biography was full of successful military campaigns, could not allow his state to fall apart from the inside due to a conflict with the heir. After lengthy negotiations, he finally reconciled with his son. Then Philip was going to go to Persia, but before that, the wedding celebrations were to end in the capital.

Murder

At one of the festive feasts, the king was unexpectedly killed by his own bodyguard, whose name was Pausanias. The rest of the guards immediately dealt with him. Therefore, it is still unknown what motivated the killer. Historians do not have any reliable evidence of anyone's involvement in the conspiracy.

It is possible that Philip's first wife Olympias stood behind Pausanias. Also, the version that Alexander planned the murder is not ruled out. Be that as it may, the tragedy that broke out in 336 BC. e., brought to power the son of Philip. He continued his father's work. Soon the Macedonian armies conquered the entire Middle East and reached the borders of India. The reason for this success was hidden not only in the military talent of Alexander, but also in Philip's many years of reforms. It was he who created a strong army and a stable economy, thanks to which his son conquered many countries.