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Philip II of Macedoni Philip II, king of Macedon, brought his people and kingdom into the greater orbit of Greek culture. After successfully uniting much of Macedonia, Philip marched on Greece and became the first invader to have subdued the various city-states, a feat not even the powerful Persian Empire had been able to do. The father of Alexander the Great, Philip bequeathed to his son not only a great army, but also an eye looking east towards Persia. As king, Philip's brother Alexander II gave Philip as a hostage to the Thebans in order to secure peace. While in Thebes, Philip learned much of Greek politics and most likely acquired some knowledge of the great military innovations of Epaminondas, a famous Theban general. The Macedonian phalanx for example, which brought such success to Philip, and later his son, Alexander, was a modification of the Theban phalanx. In 359, Philip took control of Macedonia. Ancient sources describe Philip as cunning, intelligent, devious, and as a man who was unafraid to resort to bribery or murder. While it is true that Philip used any means to achieve his goals, even murder, his tactics were not uncommon in the kingdom of Macedonia. Once king, Philip set about uniting Macedonia and ensuring its borders against hereditary enemies like the Illyrians and Thracians. That was not an easy accomplishment. Lower Macedonia had long been the seat of the kings, but even there court politics were treacherous. Northern Macedonia was divided into various tribal groups, but those, too, Philip overcame. Having gained power over most of Macedonia, Philip then turned his attention to Greece. The impressive military success of the Macedonians was due in part to the use of the Macedonian phalanx. Macedonian soldiers carried long pikes called sarissas, and the Macedonian phalanx presented an almost impenetrable defense. The foot soldiers would keep the enemy at bay while units of cavalry attacked the enemy flank. After his victory, Philip organized a meeting of the Greek poleis in Corinth. The result of the meeting was the League of Corinth, which supposedly was a confederation of equals under Philip. Greek feeling about Philip was divided. To the great Athenian orator Demosthenes, Philip represented a threat, and in a series of speeches, he urged his fellow Athenians to fight against Philip. To many Greeks, Philip came from an uncouth, barely Greek region, one more like the barbarian Illyrians than the city-dwelling Greeks of Athens or Thebes. Isocrates, on the other hand, wanted Philip to unite the Greeks and attack Persia. Isocrates argued that Greeks should stop fighting one another and that all poleis should band together to invade Persia. However, it was clear that the Greek states would not stop squabbling, and Isocrates looked to Philip as the man who might prosecute a war in Asia. Philip did not live to carry out his plan for the invasion of Persia. In 336, he was assassinated. It was Philip's son, Alexander the Great, who accomplished his father's goal. By 334, Alexander brought fresh troops to join those his father had already sent to Asia Minor in expectation of the attack. Philip's plan to attack Persia, like that of Greeks such as Isocrates, was motivated by several factors. First, the exhaustive and destructive war against Persia in the last century was still fresh in the minds of the Greeks. Even after the Persian Wars, various Greek states had contended with the mighty king of Persia. Second, the Greek poleis had long sent colonies east. Philip II of Macedon set the stage for his son's amazing conquests. Without the thorough and vital unification of Macedonia, which brought this semi-barbaric territory into the cultural sphere of civilized Greece, Alexander would not have been able to leave for the Persian expedition. Much of Alexander's success also stemmed from the military support of a Greece under Macedonian control. i "Philip II of Macedon." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 13 Jan. 2010. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com>