Lecture 9, 10, 11: Alexander
• Resource-rich but weakly centralized Argead kingdom of
Macedonia
◦ Map (Blue area is Macedon)
◦ In Greece, lots of small ciDzen-states
◦ During archaic, Macedon became a kingdom
◦ Macedon had lots of resources and man-power
◦ Macedon was disunited
• Argead kings had weak central control
• So, Macedon was a marginal player who was seen as
primiDve to the Greeks to the south
• 359- Philiip II becomes king
◦ Forged a strong, unified kingdom; United under royal rule
◦ Mobilized resources of the kingdom and put them to work
in projecDng power abroad
◦ One eye blinded in baRle
◦ Brilliant general and poliDcian
◦ Army:
• Freer to innovate than any Greek ciDes as it wasn't
Ded to tradiDons of any warfare
• Professional royal army (permanent)
• Professional training for a new and improved phalanx
that was combined with other troops for more
variable modes of tacDcal warfare
• Philip unifies Macedonia under strong royal rule and reorganizes
army
• SystemaDc military reform:
◦ Baggage train
• Men carried their own goods and packed light (unlike
tradiDonal hoplites who had slaves to carry their
things)
◦ Macedonian phalanx (armed with sarissas (50-long pipes))
, • Tight phalanx that prevented penetraDon of Greek
phalanx (Macedonian phalanx penetrated Greeks)
◦ Cavalry
• Macedonian cavalry drove in a wedge formaDon to
completely divide enemy phalanx
◦ Light-armed scouts and skirmishes
◦ Torsion catapult and siege warfare
• Now city walls could succumb to Macedonian might
• 357-338- Macedonian expansion: Chalcidice, Thessaly, then all
Greece, as well as Illyria and Thrace
• 338- BaRle of Chaeronea: Macedonians versus Greeks (Theban
Sacred Band)
◦ Allied Greek army confronted Macedonian forces of Philip
◦ Philip's army decisively defeated Greeks
◦ Elite squadron of Theban army (Sacred Band) fought to the
last man
• Philip marked their burial place with a monument as a
testament to their courage
◦ Made Philip master of Greece
• Philip's dominaDon of Greece
• League of Corinth
◦ League of all Greek states subordinated to Philip
• Except Sparta- Sparta was weak and so, Philip decided
to ignore them)
• War with Persia
◦ First decree of League
◦ In vengeance of Xerxes invasion 150 years before
◦ Philip (a Macedonian who had not done anything except
maybe quietly support Persians during this Dme) did this
because he's trying to solidify rule over Greeks and gain
their support (plays to the rhetoric of Greek liberty)
• Also hopes to extend power over Persia
• Panhellenism and Macedonian expansionism
• 336- Philip assassinated
◦ Macedonian unity was sDll very new
• Resource-rich but weakly centralized Argead kingdom of
Macedonia
◦ Map (Blue area is Macedon)
◦ In Greece, lots of small ciDzen-states
◦ During archaic, Macedon became a kingdom
◦ Macedon had lots of resources and man-power
◦ Macedon was disunited
• Argead kings had weak central control
• So, Macedon was a marginal player who was seen as
primiDve to the Greeks to the south
• 359- Philiip II becomes king
◦ Forged a strong, unified kingdom; United under royal rule
◦ Mobilized resources of the kingdom and put them to work
in projecDng power abroad
◦ One eye blinded in baRle
◦ Brilliant general and poliDcian
◦ Army:
• Freer to innovate than any Greek ciDes as it wasn't
Ded to tradiDons of any warfare
• Professional royal army (permanent)
• Professional training for a new and improved phalanx
that was combined with other troops for more
variable modes of tacDcal warfare
• Philip unifies Macedonia under strong royal rule and reorganizes
army
• SystemaDc military reform:
◦ Baggage train
• Men carried their own goods and packed light (unlike
tradiDonal hoplites who had slaves to carry their
things)
◦ Macedonian phalanx (armed with sarissas (50-long pipes))
, • Tight phalanx that prevented penetraDon of Greek
phalanx (Macedonian phalanx penetrated Greeks)
◦ Cavalry
• Macedonian cavalry drove in a wedge formaDon to
completely divide enemy phalanx
◦ Light-armed scouts and skirmishes
◦ Torsion catapult and siege warfare
• Now city walls could succumb to Macedonian might
• 357-338- Macedonian expansion: Chalcidice, Thessaly, then all
Greece, as well as Illyria and Thrace
• 338- BaRle of Chaeronea: Macedonians versus Greeks (Theban
Sacred Band)
◦ Allied Greek army confronted Macedonian forces of Philip
◦ Philip's army decisively defeated Greeks
◦ Elite squadron of Theban army (Sacred Band) fought to the
last man
• Philip marked their burial place with a monument as a
testament to their courage
◦ Made Philip master of Greece
• Philip's dominaDon of Greece
• League of Corinth
◦ League of all Greek states subordinated to Philip
• Except Sparta- Sparta was weak and so, Philip decided
to ignore them)
• War with Persia
◦ First decree of League
◦ In vengeance of Xerxes invasion 150 years before
◦ Philip (a Macedonian who had not done anything except
maybe quietly support Persians during this Dme) did this
because he's trying to solidify rule over Greeks and gain
their support (plays to the rhetoric of Greek liberty)
• Also hopes to extend power over Persia
• Panhellenism and Macedonian expansionism
• 336- Philip assassinated
◦ Macedonian unity was sDll very new
