Philip II of Macedon Facts & Worksheets

Philip II and the Road to Greek Unification

• After his victory in Thessaly, Philip did not rush into another war. For six years, he quietly waited for the right moment to secure Thermopylae – one of Greece’s most strategic gateways – not by battle, but through careful negotiation. His earlier military success earned him the rare title of archōn (president) of the Thessalian League around 352 BCE. It was a remarkable achievement, especially for a non-Greek, and this alliance would keep Thessaly tied to Macedonia for well over a century.
• In 348 BCE, Philip captured Olynthus and annexed the Chalcidice region, enslaving its population. While brutality wasn’t new to Greek warfare, Olynthus was a major city, and its fall raised concerns. 
• Even his allies started to question if allowing a Macedonian king with a growing army to march deeper into Greece was wise. Still, he had offered what the other Greeks could not: an end to the Sacred War, which had been dragging on for years.
• Athens observed Philip’s movements with increasing concern, particularly his campaign into Thrace, which jeopardised their grain supply route from the Black Sea. Philip’s vision was to align with Athens rather than destroy it, leading to peace talks even before a treaty was finalised. Athenian thinker Isocrates began advocating for Philip to unify Greece against Persia. Philip furthered this by ending the Sacred War, which secured him a seat on the Delphic Amphictyony, a prominent religious-political council. With the support of the Thessalians and their allies, he gained significant influence over pan-Hellenic matters.
• From 346 to 343 BCE, Philip deepened his reach into Greece without launching major wars. Instead, he used a mix of diplomacy, financial aid and sometimes a small force of mercenaries to win over local politicians and settle disputes. This approach earned him as many enemies as friends. In Athens, the orator Demosthenes emerged as his most vocal critic. To him, the former was not a peacemaker but a threat to Greek freedom. Philip, for his part, continued to handle Athens with caution, avoiding direct conflict, even as Demosthenes pushed harder for resistance.
• During such time, Philip also re-established Macedonian authority over the Illyrians and tightened control over Thessaly. In 342 BCE, he launched a new campaign into Thrace, gradually turning much of the region into a Macedonian province. He even made his presence felt near the Danube Delta, demonstrating his strength against the Scythians.
• His aggression in Thrace alarmed two of his former allies – Perinthus and Byzantium. They tried to distance themselves, which led to long sieges in both cities. These campaigns revealed the growing sophistication of Philip’s siege tactics and weapons, including artillery that would be perfected by his son Alexander later on.
• In 340 BCE, Athens declared war. As Philip had to lift the sieges, he shifted focus to central Greece, preparing to march into Attica. However, Thebes, once an ally, now turned against him. Despite his past support during the Sacred War, the Thebans were uneasy with his growing dominance and his control over the Delphic council. Hence, they eventually allied with Athens.
• In late 339 BCE, Philip advanced south. He had hoped Thebes would honour their old alliance, but they chose to fight. With Athens and Thebes now united, the Greek resistance was formidable. Everything came down to a single clash – Chaeronea, in 338 BCE.
• The battle was decisive. Philip’s cavalry, well-trained and disciplined, broke the Greek lines. His most brilliant manoeuvre may have been a feigned retreat, drawing part of the Greek force out of position and creating gaps that his cavalry could exploit. The defeat was total. Among the fallen were over 250 members of the elite Theban Sacred Band, memorialised later by the famous Lion of Chaeronea.
• After the battle, peace treaties followed. Thebes was punished by being forced to host a Macedonian garrison and replace its democratic system with a pro-Macedonian regime. Athens, however, was treated with restraint. Its territory was untouched, its democracy intact, and its navy left alone. Philip needed Athens – not just neutral, but actively supportive. If there was to be a campaign against Persia, the Athenian fleet was essential.
• Philip knew his popularity in Greece was limited, especially among the common people. However, many of the elites welcomed his court culture and Macedonian patronage. Cities that had long feared Sparta now saw Macedonia as a useful protector.
• By 337 BCE, Philip’s unification of Greece was nearly complete. That year, he established the League of Corinth, a federation of Greek states (Sparta notably refused) that pledged to maintain a common peace (koinē eirēnē) and recognise him as their leader (hēgemōn). It was a new kind of alliance, structured with a council (synedrion) representing each member state. The council could vote on matters of collective security, but it was he who had the authority to act.
• Although Macedonia didn’t hold seats on the council, everyone knew it was Philip’s army that gave the League its real power. The fact that Corinth, the League’s namesake, housed a Macedonian garrison was a quiet but clear message to all members: he was in charge.