King Philip II Research Paper

There were many great military leaders in the ancient world, but none left a legacy like Macedonia’s Philip II, known simply as Philip of Macedon. Philip was the son of King Amyntas III born around 380 BC. After his father’s death, Philip became the leader in 359 BC (Biography.com). Being equally as famous for fathering Alexander III, affectionately known as Alexander the Great, Philip was a cunning strategist and commander conquering much of Greece. His diplomatic skills coupled with his army’s military might made Philip a nearly unstoppable force. King Philip III ascended to the throne in 359 B.C following both of his elder brothers Alexander II and Perdiccas, of whom the latter was killed meeting an Illyrian invasion (Britannica). Having being suddenly thrust upon the throne, Philip took his new position in stride and first worked to “buy off his neighbors that were a threat to the kingdom before negotiating a treaty with Athens. He then worked to prepare his military and take care of two claimants to his throne “(Britannica). Having stopped any immediate threats, Philp worked to …show more content…
Having multiple marriages for alliances and political power, Philip built and left an amazingly powerful kingdom that set up many of the awe inspiring feats that Alexander the great could not have pulled off on his own. Improvement with the weapons and formations of the soldiers developed throughout Philip’s life and the resources gained through his conquests made the Macedonian army easily the most fearsome of the time and many subtle actions allowed Philip to exert a control of his kingdom that most leaders weren’t able to, culminating in an incredible power in the ancient world with a nearly invincible army, a large source of income and a large region under one