King Philip II of Macedon

Smarter in sixty minutes. Get smarter in just 60 minutes with in60Learning. Concise and elegantly written non-fiction books and audiobooks help you learn the core subject matter in 20% of the time that it takes to read a typical book. Life is short, so explore a multitude of fascinating historical, biographical, scientific, political, and financial topics in only an hour each. Philip II of Macedon, 382 to 336 BCE, was a part of the Argead dynasty of Macedonian kings and was the king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. Philip was the youngest son of king Amyntas III and Eurydice I. While very young, Philip was abducted and held in Thebes. Philip received a political and military education from Epaminondas while being held captive there. Upon Philip's eventual return to Macedon, Philip became king due to the deaths of his older brothers Alexander II and Perdiccas III. Philip achieved many military and diplomatic successes from early on in his rule, and conquered many of Macedon's long standing enemies and managed to expand his area of control significantly. Philip was assassinated in 336 BC by Pausanias of Orestis, one of his seven bodyguards, at Aegae, capital of Macedon, at a large gathering in celebration of the marriage between Alexander I of Epirus and Cleopatra of Macedon, Philip's daughter. The reasons for the assassination are still largely argued over and contested by various historians, and it is unlikely we will ever know definitively why Philip was murdered. Athenian orator and demagogue, Demades once purposed Philip be regarded as the thirteenth god, a lofty honour that would later be bestowed upon Philip's son Alexander the Great. Although it is unclear if Philip was ever formally rewarded the title of god, he enjoyed many high honours and left behind him a significant legacy.