When Philip II became king of Macedon after the death of Perdiccas, he was left with a crisis of many issues. This included threats from other powers and the issues of pretenders, economic problems, and the army’s losses. Philip overcame this crisis by securing his position as king and stabilising Macedon through reforming the army with new training and structure, dealing with the issues of hostiles through use of diplomacy and battle, and securing land and wealth to increase Macedon’s power.
One of the first acts that Philip did was to reform the Macedonian army into a stronger, skilled force. Diodorus mentions that in the battle against the Illyrians that killed Perdiccas, the Macedonians had also lost over four thousand men, lowering the …show more content…
The most prominent of these were pretenders and neighbouring barbarian tribes. One of these was Argaeus, backed by Athens, who promised to recover Amphipolis. Philip dealt with this with careful diplomacy. He made a deal with Athens, offering to give them Amphipolis in exchange for Pydna. This resulted in Athens withdrawing their support of Argaeus and Philip dealt with him, defeating him battle and sending the Athenian men home, to stay on the good side of Athens. These acts helped Philip remove the immediate threats to his kingship and later to be used to increase Macedon’s power. To secure Macedon’s safety against barbarians, Philip used his trained army to defeat them. Paeonians had been pillaging Macedon’s land while the Illyrians already held some of her land and was preparing to strike again. When the Paeonian king died, Philip seized the chance to attack Paeonia and forced them into alliance , bolstering the territory of Macedon. He then attacked the Illyrians, defeating them in battle and recovering cities that had previously been taken. Philip married the Illyrian king’s daughter to help prevent the Illyrians from attacking again. These events show how despite the threats Philip faced, he dealt with them in stride, taking care to apply different methods to situations. The use of diplomacy allowed Philip to remove pretenders and secure his position while using his …show more content…
To help fund his army and to provide gifts to other leaders, he set about acquiring Amphipolis. Amphipolis provided access to the coast, allowing for wood to be traded and brining in commerce. In 357 BCE, Philip attacked, with the intent to secure it for himself. Amphipolis appealed to Athens for aid, who refused, believing that Philip would honour their deal. Philip took the city and declared them an ally and then recovered Pydna from Athens. This act helped to secure a port for trading and gaining land. Philip played Athens for his own means to both remove an immediate threat and to later obtain both territory and a trading port. To further add to Macedon’s wealth, Philip also secured access to mines around Mt Pangaeus, rich with gold and silver, in Thracian territory. In 356 BCE, Philip secured the city Crenides in response to Thracian aggression which allowed him access to the mines, bringing in an annual income of one thousand talents. Here Philip took an opportunity to seize access to valuable mines under the pretence of aiding a city in need of help. These mines allowed Philip to keep up with the costs of maintaining his army with equipment, pay rates higher than other Greeks, and bonuses granted for exceptional service. Philip took advantage of circumstances and acquired a large amount of income and critical land to help further his
One of the first acts that Philip did was to reform the Macedonian army into a stronger, skilled force. Diodorus mentions that in the battle against the Illyrians that killed Perdiccas, the Macedonians had also lost over four thousand men, lowering the …show more content…
The most prominent of these were pretenders and neighbouring barbarian tribes. One of these was Argaeus, backed by Athens, who promised to recover Amphipolis. Philip dealt with this with careful diplomacy. He made a deal with Athens, offering to give them Amphipolis in exchange for Pydna. This resulted in Athens withdrawing their support of Argaeus and Philip dealt with him, defeating him battle and sending the Athenian men home, to stay on the good side of Athens. These acts helped Philip remove the immediate threats to his kingship and later to be used to increase Macedon’s power. To secure Macedon’s safety against barbarians, Philip used his trained army to defeat them. Paeonians had been pillaging Macedon’s land while the Illyrians already held some of her land and was preparing to strike again. When the Paeonian king died, Philip seized the chance to attack Paeonia and forced them into alliance , bolstering the territory of Macedon. He then attacked the Illyrians, defeating them in battle and recovering cities that had previously been taken. Philip married the Illyrian king’s daughter to help prevent the Illyrians from attacking again. These events show how despite the threats Philip faced, he dealt with them in stride, taking care to apply different methods to situations. The use of diplomacy allowed Philip to remove pretenders and secure his position while using his …show more content…
To help fund his army and to provide gifts to other leaders, he set about acquiring Amphipolis. Amphipolis provided access to the coast, allowing for wood to be traded and brining in commerce. In 357 BCE, Philip attacked, with the intent to secure it for himself. Amphipolis appealed to Athens for aid, who refused, believing that Philip would honour their deal. Philip took the city and declared them an ally and then recovered Pydna from Athens. This act helped to secure a port for trading and gaining land. Philip played Athens for his own means to both remove an immediate threat and to later obtain both territory and a trading port. To further add to Macedon’s wealth, Philip also secured access to mines around Mt Pangaeus, rich with gold and silver, in Thracian territory. In 356 BCE, Philip secured the city Crenides in response to Thracian aggression which allowed him access to the mines, bringing in an annual income of one thousand talents. Here Philip took an opportunity to seize access to valuable mines under the pretence of aiding a city in need of help. These mines allowed Philip to keep up with the costs of maintaining his army with equipment, pay rates higher than other Greeks, and bonuses granted for exceptional service. Philip took advantage of circumstances and acquired a large amount of income and critical land to help further his