Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

XI.PHILIP AND MACEDON. B. C. 359-336.The kings of Macedon had long been vassals of the Great King, but afterthe Persian wars the country began to approach Greece in its tendencies. Thegovernment was not unlike a modern constitutional monarchy. Philip, Alexander'sfather, was a man second oidy to his son in ability. He found Macedona small kingdom, and made it the most important and the most thriving statein Hellas. He married Olympias, princess of Epirus, and from her Alexanderinherited his imagination and superstitious habit, as from his father his crispcommon sense.Alexander was manly and precocious, and when eighteen commandedthe left wing of the Macedonian army at Chaeronaea, — the GrecianWaterloo, — where by obstinate charges at the head of the Thessalian horse hedestroyed the theretofore invincible Theban Sacred Band. Philip was in consequenceof this victory elected autocrator of Greece, and made preparationshimself to invade Asia ; but he was murdered, and Alexander took up his work,having secured the throne by vigorous and rapid assertion of his rights, and byputting out of the way all possible claimants.Alexander I. of Macedon had been a Persian vassal.But the country had regained its freedom on the finalretreatof the Persians (b. c. 478), and thenceforward began toapproach Greece in its tendencies rather than the East. ThisAlexander was called by Pindar the Philhellenic. Ai'chelaus(f B. C. 399) was the next king of note. He did much- toraise the country's prosperity by building roads, fostering commerce,instituting public games like those of Greece, and bycopying whatever a more advanced civilization could teachhim. He was pronounced by his contemporaries the richestand happiest of men.After Archelaus, the Macedonian throne passed throughseveral kings, there being considerable difficulty in determiningtheir respective rights ; might and popular suffrage being