King Philip II raised Macedon to new heights of power. Coming to the throne in 359 BC, he at first ruled over only a small kingdom. However, he set about reforming his army by increasing the size of the cavalry and creating 'phalanx' units of infantry which were armed with extra long pikes called 'sarissas'. These units were virtually unbeatable when properly used.
He quickly subjugated neighbouring peoples and unified the various Macedonian tribes. By 356 BC, he had crushed the Illyrians and taken several Thracian cities. In that same year he assumed the title of 'King of the Macedonians', and his son Alexander was born.
Pushing into Thessaly, he soon came into conflict with Athens and other Greek city-states. After many years that fluctuated between conflict and peace settlements, matters came to a head at Chaeronea in 338 BC when the combined army of Athens and Thebes was defeated by the Macedonians. Laconia was then invaded and Sparta subjugated.
With his domination over Greece secured, Philip summoned the various Greek city-states to Corinth with the intention of uniting the Greeks and Macedonians in a war against Persia. Stopped by an assassin's knife in 336 BC, the responsibility for this campaign fell onto the shoulders of his extremely able son, Alexander.
