Macedonia: From Ancient Kingdom to Aegean Sea Haven - Essay Sample

Introduction

Macedonia is an ancient kingdom. It was located between Mediterranean and Balkan developments. During the reign of Alexander the Great, Macedonia greatly expanded and became the world's largest territory. Currently, Macedonia is a small kingdom that is along the Aegean Sea. It is on the northeastern side of the Greek Peninsula. Initially, the Greek political strengths was centered in the southern cities like Athens and Thebes. Phillip (r. 359-336), who was King before Alexander, triumphed them during his reign. Alexander expanded the kingdom to stretch from as far west as in Greece, India in the East, and Egypt to the south. He founded a massive empire in less than a decade.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Alexander would not have accomplished all these if it were not for King Phillip, his father. King Phillip transformed Macedonia from an estranged and undeveloped kingdom on the outskirts of Greek into a strong military and a mighty stable economic center (Worthington & University of Missouri, 2015). Besides, he seized Greece. Alexander constructed the Macedonian empire, but Phillip designed it. The reign of these two kings was exceptional.

Expansion of Macedonia Under Philip II

Reconstruction of the Army

When Phillip came to power, his biggest priority was to rebuild the Macedonian soldiers and build back the people’s attitude. He met up with the Macedonian people several and built their morale through eloquent talks. Phillip thoroughly re-trained the men with new fighting techniques and advanced equipment. To be precise, he prompted the use of the Phalanx structure by the Macedonian army. He equipped the armed forces with the sarissa, which is a 6-meter long spear.

Diplomacy

At the same time, Phillip actively took part in friendly activities. He once paid off Berisades, son to King Cotys, to prevent the Thracian attack. Likewise, he bribed Paionians to withdraw from Macedon. Phillip signed a treaty with King Bardylis, giving up large sections of Macedon in place of peace. Phillip had to marry Bardylis' daughter as part of the agreement. King Phillip's diplomacy bought Macedon time to recover and develop.

Expansion of Macedonia Under Alexander II

Beginning of the Persian Expedition

Alexander’s priority when he ascended to power was to explore Persia. This is because he required the wealth that was in Persia to finance the army that had been put up by Phillip and set off his five hundred talents debt. The adventures of the Greek military and Agesilaus, while expediting in Persian lands, had exposed the Persian authority's weaknesses. If Alexander assembled a well-equipped force, he would be in a position to defeat the Persian soldiers. In the spring of 334BC, he lead an army of five thousand cavalry, which was composed of approximately fourteen thousand Macedonians and seven thousand allies from Greek (Walbank, 2019). This army had an excellent combination and set of weaponry and was well organized. Besides, they had been accompanied by other professions like engineers, historians, and scientists. From the beginning, Alexander appeared to have conceptualized a mighty operation.

Homer inspired him to visit Ilium as a kind gesture. After that, Alexander confronted the first set of Persian soldiers. A few satraps guided it at the modern-day Kocabas River. The Persians had planned to kill Alexander in the melee as he tried to cross the river. This plan was about to succeed when Persian’s line split. Alexander won. The triumph made the majority of the cities to welcome the Macedonians and exposed western Asia Minor. All the dictators were removed from power, and democracies were put in place.

Alexander stressed his Panhellenic regulation. It was illustrated by sending three hundred arrays of armor presented at the Granicus as a sacrifice to Athena at Athens. In reality, these cities were under Alexander. He appointed satrap Calas as a reflection of his desire to take over from the King of Persia. He dissolved his naval army and declared that he would beat the Persian navy on land by seizing the coastal cities. This was after Miletus resisted as they were motivated by the closeness of the Persian navy. In Caira, when Halicarnassus opposed, he was attacked.

Asia Minor and the Battle of Issus

Alexander triumphed western Asia Minor between 334-333 BC, conquering the hill tribes of Pisidia and Lycia. In 333, he extended along the coast to Perga. He overlooked the top of Mt Climax due to the changing wind (King, 2017). At Gordium, Alexander gained from the abrupt death of a thorough commander of the Persian navy. After leaving Gordium, he proceeded to Ancyra through Cilicia. Meanwhile, Darius was advancing northwards on the east side of Mt Amanus. When Alexander discovered that Darius was extending towards Issus, he attacked him and won. Darius had to flee.

Campaign Eastward to Central Asia

Darius's death left no hindrances to Alexander's desire to become the great King and, consequently, expand the Macedonian Empire. Alexander led the army to cross to Caspain. He conquered Hyracania and got the allegiance of some satraps and Persian dignitaries. Alexander advanced rapidly eastward (Gilley & Worthington, 2010). He seized Aria and Drangiana. Parmenio's son, who was alleged to be plotting to kill Alexander, was assassinated. This inhumane deed caused a widespread fear that solidified Alexander’s position as the leader.

From Phrada, he proceeded to Parapamisadae. There he established a colony at an essential communication point referred to as Alexandria by Caucasus. He appointed loyal satraps in Bactria and Aria as he was marching west. From the modern-day Samarkand, he advanced to Jaxartes, where he subdued the nomads that resided there. The gap between Macedonians and Alexander widened after he killed one of his trustworthy commander in a drunk misunderstanding at Maracanda. This was a step towards Eastern absolutism. Alexander perceived himself as a God, and he introduced the Persian court ceremonial. The Macedonians were against it; thus, he had to abandon it.

Invasion of India

In 326 B.C, after crossing Indus, he conquered Hydaspes. Then he established two cities there, namely Alexandria Nicaea and Bucephala. Since he didn't know much of India besides Hyphasis, he preferred to turn back rather than proceed to the tropical. In Hyphasis, he had put up twelve altars and twelve Olympian gods, He left Porus and went down the river to storming into Malli town. In Patala, he built a harbor then proceeded to Gedrosia, which was a desert.

Consolidation of the Empire

Alexander replaced senior authorities with governors. A third of the satraps were overruled between 326 and 324, and six were murdered. He ensured the ethical conduct of the governors by severely punishing those who for wrongfully administered when he was away. He rescued the west from Persian governance and spread Greek culture to Asia and Egypt. Macedonian empire advanced to east India. When he returned to Susa, he held a feast to celebrate the capturing of the Persian Empire. He married Persian wives and attempted to include Persians in the army. This brought about increased friction Macedonians relation with Alexander as they were against racial fusion. With time, the Macedonians reconciled with the Persians when Alexander disbanded the whole army and instead enrolled the Persians. Thus breaking down the opposition and consequently solving the problem.

Decline of the Macedonian Empire

Alexander died in 323 B.C of unknown causes. He died at the age of thirty-three years. His death marked the beginning of the end for the Macedonian empire as Alexander had no direct heirs (Walbank, 2019). The generals appointed both King Phillip’s illegitimate son and the son that Roxana bore with Alexander as Kings. The two equally shared power. After some time, both kings were killed. The military generals split Macedonian territory in a chain of civil wars.

Conclusion

For the five years that Phillip ruled, he managed to unify Macedon and converted it into a powerhouse. In Northern Greece. He minimized the Athenian influence in the area, and became allies with the other dominant power in Greek, Chalkdian league. He obtained access to the Aegean Sea, which had been dominated by the Greek colonist. Furthermore, he had restored the army into a battle-hardened army and had a ready money source to finance for more soldiers.

This swift rise in power is attributed to Phillip's outstanding military and diplomatic tactics. Also, it was because of the vulnerable situation of vital forces in Greece like Sparta and Athens. Although they opposed Phillip's actions, they had more significant problems. Therefore, Phillip was unopposed for quite some time. Alexander took control after his father was assassinated. He mobilized the military forces and assembled a vast army. He successfully seized the Persian Empire, and made Macedonia the largest, most powerful empire. The Macedonian empire crossed from Greece to India.

References

Gilley, D. L., & Worthington, I. (2010). Alexander the Great, Macedonia, and Asia. A Companion to Ancient Macedonia, 186–207. doi: 10.1002/9781444327519.ch10

King, C. J. (2017). Alexander III and Macedonia, 356–334. Ancient Macedonia, 131–150. doi: 10.4324/9781315177410-6

Walbank, F. W. (2019, November 13). Alexander the Great. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-the-Great

Wars and Conquests of Alexander The Great. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.historyguy.com/wars_of_alexander_the_great.htm

Worthington, I., & University of Missouri. (2015, May 27). The rise and fall of the Macedonian Empire. Retrieved from https://blog.oup.com/2014/05/rise-macedonian-empire-slideshow/