The Epic Father-Son Battle: Phillip Ii Versus Alexander the Great
The Epic Father-Son Battle:
Phillip II versus Alexander the Great
Chris L.
Word Count: 1595
During the times of ancient Greece, perhaps one of the most influential and known powers was Macedonia. Macedonia’s empire existed from the 800s BC to 146 BC and is principally known for the accomplishments of it’s leaders: Phillip II and his son, Alexander the Great. Phillip II worked internally in the regions near Greece strengthening his country, while Alexander operated very far from Greece, conquering much of the known world. Both of these leaders are two very different people, which makes them hard to compare, but a question arises; to what extent was Alexander greater than Phillip II? The purpose of this essay is to examine both leaders’ accomplishments in order to decipher which one was more distinguished. The two major historiographical views concerning this subject are that: a) Alexander was greater and was a superior commander because of the sheer amount of land he conquered, which was strikingly more than Phillip had, and b) Phillip had forged both a united country and an unstoppable army, which Alexander depended on for his conquests. Over the course of this essay, this historical debate will be addressed by examining both Phillip’s triumphs and Alexander’s triumphs. Phillip II and Alexander the Great are equally great, as Alexander defeated the Persians and conquered most of the known world, but it would have been impossible for him to do it, had Phillip not created an unbeatable army and a united country.
Phillip was in large part, responsible Alexander’s success as he developed the unsurpassed army and military tactics that Alexander used, which is what makes him better. Many steps went into the development of Macedonia’s famous army. From 370 to 360 BC, Phillip was held hostage in Thebes and during this time, he observed the military techniques of the Thebans under the great tactician Epaminondas. After he was released from the Thebans, he made a
Phillip II versus Alexander the Great
Chris L.
Word Count: 1595
During the times of ancient Greece, perhaps one of the most influential and known powers was Macedonia. Macedonia’s empire existed from the 800s BC to 146 BC and is principally known for the accomplishments of it’s leaders: Phillip II and his son, Alexander the Great. Phillip II worked internally in the regions near Greece strengthening his country, while Alexander operated very far from Greece, conquering much of the known world. Both of these leaders are two very different people, which makes them hard to compare, but a question arises; to what extent was Alexander greater than Phillip II? The purpose of this essay is to examine both leaders’ accomplishments in order to decipher which one was more distinguished. The two major historiographical views concerning this subject are that: a) Alexander was greater and was a superior commander because of the sheer amount of land he conquered, which was strikingly more than Phillip had, and b) Phillip had forged both a united country and an unstoppable army, which Alexander depended on for his conquests. Over the course of this essay, this historical debate will be addressed by examining both Phillip’s triumphs and Alexander’s triumphs. Phillip II and Alexander the Great are equally great, as Alexander defeated the Persians and conquered most of the known world, but it would have been impossible for him to do it, had Phillip not created an unbeatable army and a united country.
Phillip was in large part, responsible Alexander’s success as he developed the unsurpassed army and military tactics that Alexander used, which is what makes him better. Many steps went into the development of Macedonia’s famous army. From 370 to 360 BC, Phillip was held hostage in Thebes and during this time, he observed the military techniques of the Thebans under the great tactician Epaminondas. After he was released from the Thebans, he made a
Bibliography: Cartledge, Paul. Alexander the Great: A new Life. : Overlook Hardcover, 2004. McKenna, Amy. The 100 most influential world leaders of all time. New York, USA:Britannica Educational Publishing, 2010. O 'Brien, Alex. Alexander the great: the Invisible Enemy. : Questia School, 1994. Accessed April 8, 2011. http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=109087179 This source is a book that was found on Questia School Roisman, Joseph. Brill 's Companion to Alexander the Great. : Questia School, 2003. Accessed April 18, 2011. http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=109258906. Uzunovski, Lubi. Phillip II, Accessed May 1, 2011. http://faq.macedonia.org/history/philip.html. Yenne, Bill. Alexander The Great: Lessons from History’s undefeated general. : PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, 2010.