Changes

Macedonia had been forced to concede territory to its neighbors in the recent past and Phillip used the army to retake these territories. He and the new army was able to conquer several new territories and greatly improved the strategic position of the kingdom. This expansion made it less vulnerable to invaders. Phillip was married several times and he had at least seven wives and he formed marriage alliances with many of his neighbors. <ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>. 1 7</ref>. By 357 BCE Phillip was all powerful and he sidelined his nephew from the succession and had himself crowned as King of Macedonia. After securing his position in Macedonia he turned his attention to the south. He intervened in the Third Sacred War and was able to annex Thebes.

From 357 BCE, he fought a series of wars with the Athenians for control of Thrace and especially rich mines in Amphipolis. Phillip struggled with Athens for control of much of Greece. Phillip II built up a series of alliances with his neighbors and he became even more influential after he managed to defeat a large Scythian army. Phillip controlled much of the Balkans by 340 BCE. Rich mines had been discovered in Macedonia and Phillip used his wealth to bribe his enemies and to purchase allies. The king was able to overcome the resistance of the Athenians and he was able to secure possession of the rich gold mines at Amphipolis. This allowed him to strengthen his kingdom and expand his army and create a navy. The first in Macedonian history. The Greek city-states became very fearful of Macedonian power and they united in an alliance against Phillip II.<ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>, 2. 8</ref>

The Greek City-States, under the leadership of Thebes, met the army of Phillip at Chaeronea in 338 BCE. Phillip’s new phalanx formation annihilated the Thebans and the rest of the Greek army . <ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Pelopidas</i>. 18</ref>. This was a great victory for Phillip II and in its wake, he was master of nearly all of Greece. No one had dominated Greece to such an extent and to formalize his control he established the League of Corinth, with himself as its ‘hegamon’ <ref>Lewis, p. 45</ref>. This was a political-military alliance that effectively subjugated all of Greece to the Macedonian king. Phillip II lost none of his vigor as he aged despite walking with a limp and being blind in one eye. He dreamed of invading and conquering the Persian Empire and had pressurized the Greek City-States to join his proposed invasion army.<ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>, 6</ref> However, he did not live long enough to invade Persia. During a procession, Phillip II was assassinated by a former friend and bodyguard. Some have claimed that the assassin of Phillip was motivated by a personal grievance. There have long been suspicions that the wife of Phillip II, had been behind the assassination. She was concerned that Phillip II was going to disinherit her son Alexander and that another of Phillip’s sons would be made his heir. Phillip II was only 46 when he was killed.<ref>Plutarch, <i>Life of Alexander</i>, 7</ref>