Philip II
Philip II (382–336 BC),king of Macedon and architect of Macedonian greatness. In his youth he witnessed the near dissolution of the kingdom through civil war and foreign intervention, and spent some time (probably 369–367) as hostage in Epaminondas' Thebes. The nadir came when his brother, Perdiccas III, died in battle against Illyrian invaders (360/59), who occupied the north-western borderlands. On his accession (perhaps initially as regent for his nephew, Amyntas) his priority was to save Macedon from dismemberment by hostile powers, poised for the kill; and from the outset he displayed a genius for compromise and intrigue. The Athenians, who backed a pretender (Argaeus), were defeated in a skirmish near Aegae but wooed by the return of their prisoners (and by hints that he would recognize their claims to Amphipolis). Other belligerents (Paeonians and Thracians) were bought off, and Philip...
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