A Chronology for the Conquests of Philip II

359 – Philip dealt with Thrace and Athens; Paeonia suppressed.

358 - Battle of Monastris, King Bardylis and the Dardanians were defeated

357 – Philip married Olympias. Athens aligned with the three Thracian kings; Philip seized Amphipolis (the mining zone of the Nestros River), created Philippi; Social War erupted, hamstringing Athens.

356 – Philip took Pydna, Potidea, and other cities, Acclaimed king by the Macedonian army.

355 – Outbreak of 3^rd Sacred War (356-346 BC), Thebes, Locris, and Thessaly v.s. Phocis, Athens, and Sparta. On Theban instigation a heavy fine was levied against the Phocians for sacrileges committed against the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi. If not paid, their land was to be confiscated by the Amphyctionic League. Phocians seized the sanctuary and used its treasury to purchase mercenaries. Attacked Thebes, Boeotia, Locris and Thessaly.

354 – Philip took Methone, Abdera, Maroneia; drove remaining Greek influence from the Thermaic Gulf. Thessaly requested his aid against Phocis after Phocians try to disrupt Thessalian oligarchies.

353 – Philip defeated by Onomarchus of Phocis at the Battle of the Krokus fields in Thessaly, withdrew to Macedonia

352 Philip was elected Archon of the Koinon of Thessaly for Life, he defeated Phocis on Krokion Plain; founded colony at Gonnoi, advanced toward Thermopylae, found it defended by the Phocians with naval support of Athens; withdrew and attacked Kersopleptes of Thrace. Athens came to Kersopleptes’ support; Demosthenes issues his first Philippic warning of the danger Philip posed were he to gain control of the Hellespont.

349 Philip seized Stageira (home of Aristotle); Athens sent forces to the aid of Olynthos, under Macedonian siege.

348 – Philip took Olynthos by siege, loss of this commercial center was sobering to the Athenian leadership who sent a series of embassies between 348 and 347. Philip courted and bribed Athenian ambassadors even as he started a revolt in Euboea (island province of Athens, where the Athenians kept their herds during emergencies). The costs of the destructive Sacred War began to bear down on Phocians who offered the fortress of Thermopylae to Athens, then changed their mind and used it as an asset with which to open peace negotiations with Philip.

346 – Kersopletes of Thrace surrendered to Philip, treaties, embassies followed. Sensing that the Athenians were cutting a separate deal with Philip, leaving them isolated, the Phocians offered Thermypolae to Philip. For the first time Philip marched his Macedonian army into southern Greece. Philip settled the Sacred War, but was not unduly harsh v.s. the Phocians, as Thebes and Thessaly demanded. He assumed the two votes of Phocis on the Amphyctionic Council, and presided over the Pythian games at Delphi.

341 – Philip installed Alexander II, his brother in law, as king of Epirus; Aristotle became Alexander, his son’s, tutor.

340 – Philip removed all Thracian kings from their thrones; converted Thrace into Macedonian provinces; he attempted to besiege Perinthos and Byzantium but failed; 4^th Sacred War erupted.

339 – Sparta accused Amphissians (Locris) of sacrilege, 4^th Sacred War vs. Amphissa (339-338); Philip was elected Hegemon; Thebes and Athens formed an alliance vs. Macedonia. Controlling the pass at Thermopylae, Philip could enter central Greece at will.

338 – Philip defeated Thebes and Athens at the battle of Chaeronea; held a conference at Corinth, formed the Common Peace – the League of Corinth

a) Athenian naval confederacy disbanded; Athens was allowed to keep its Aegean islands

b) Thebes – the Boeotian league was abolished; member cities declared independent; Thebes was forced to recall all political prisoners; puppet govt. installed; Macedonian troops garrison the Cadmea (Theban Acropolis).

338 – King Artaxes Ochus III of Persia was killed by his eunuch Bagoas, who put his son Arses on the throne. In 336 Darius III of a collateral line was able to eliminate Bagoas and seized the throne.

337 – Philip held second conference at Corinth; declared sacred war vs. Persia; declared all Greeks working with the Persians as traitors (some 15,000 Greek mercenaries serving with Persia); Philip married Cleopatra, “niece” of Attalus, exile of Alexander and Olympias.

PEACE OF CORINTH a) Greek states enjoyed a common peace and alliance (similar to the Hellenic League of the past); Synhedrion council, 5 presidents, sat at Corinth. The council met at the four Panhellenic festivals (Olympia, Nemea, Delphi, Isthmia). B) The league formed an alliance with Macedonia, which was not a league member. Treaty was made with Philip II and his descendents in perpetuity. King was to act as Hegemon of League joint forces, combined civil and military force. The council could pass resolutions which the Hegemon executed (in principle). If the king needed military aid he could requisition forces, as commander of the allied forces he acted as strategos autokrator.

336 – Philip dispatched advance party to Asia Minor under the command of Attalus; Parmenio, and Amyntas son of Antioch, to “liberate Greek cities”; Philip inquired at the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi his chances of defeating the ‘great king.’ The oracle’s response: “The bull is garlanded. All is done. The sacrifice is ready.” While initiating the extremely public and publicized marriage ceremony of Alexander of Epirus to Cleopatra, Philip’s own daughter by Olympias, Philip was assassinated by a royal page, Pausanias.