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→Life of Phillip II
From 357 BCE, he fought a series of wars with the Athenianstor control Thrace and prosperous 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 were discovered in Macedonia, and Phillip used his wealth to bribe his enemies and purchase allies. The king was able to overcome the Athenians' resistance, 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>
Under the leadership of Thebes, the Greek City-States met Phillip's army 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 to 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 vigors vigor as he aged despite walking with a limp and 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 would 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>
====Military Reforms====
