Philip of Macedon essays

Philip of Macedon essays The internal reforms that took place under Philip, strengthened Macedonia and enabled him to conquer the Greek states. Philip used the League of Corinth to consolidate and maintain his power through terms of peace. To test the validity of this hypothesis we must look at three things: The major reforms in Macedonia under Philip How Philip went about conquering the Greek states The policies and terms under which the League of Corinth operated Following the death of Perdiccas, Philip came to the throne in the autumn of 360B.C. He realised that great reforms were essential if he intended to remain the King of Macedonia. Macedonia underwent a major reconstruction at the hands of Philip but it was his military and political reforms that truly strengthened his kingdom. Due to Philip's intentions of immediate expansion, there was a large emphasis placed on the reforms of his military. Philip made vast improvements in his cavalry and siege engines, both of which were widely exploited by his son and successor, Alexander the Great. These two improvements may have been important, but according to Tritle (1997:179), the most telling tactical innovation of the famous Macedonian phalanx was the introduction of the sarissa. The sarissa was a large pike up to 18 feet long, twice as long as the Greek hoplite spears. To compensate for the size and weight of this weapon, the Macedonian soldiers wore lighter, cheaper and more maneuverable armour. This, combined with their famous rigorous training and discipline, proved to be decisive in the battlefield. The military reforms of Philip were decisive, but without the internal strength and effective foreign policy built by his political reforms, Philip would not have been able to capitilise on his military supremacy. It can be said that the might of the Macedonians came from their unity. After Philip came to power, he worked to strengthen and expand hi...