At an early age, I learned from him the importance of knowing how to divide in order to conquer.

Alternatively, he recognized that Athens too relied on Macedonia’s metals and timber for shipbuilding and leveraged Athens’ weakness considerably. Demosthenes was one Athenian who saw through my father and repeatedly warned Athenians of this growing power. As a result, Athens joined forces with Thebes as a means to counter Philip’s clout, which led to ongoing strife.

The final great battle between Athens and Thebes against Macedonia and our allies took place on August 2nd, 338 BC. About thirty-five thousand men fought on each side. At the time, this number represented an enormous army. I was eighteen years old then and commanded my father’s cavalry, crushing the Sacred Band of Thebes. My father was reluctant to slay our fleeing enemies, once again demonstrating considerable diplomacy and tact. I had yet to develop such tact.

His goal was realized with this victory in Chaeronea in 338 BC.

His power base was crystallized with his offer of a friendly alliance with Athens, which the city embraced openly. This Common Peace was embraced by all – apart from Sparta, as always – and led to the League of Corinth, a coalition of the willing, if you wish.

He could now set his sights on the ultimate conquest: Persia. At the same time, the Greek orator Isocrates began to lobby that the Greek city-states would solve their problems by joining forces and attacking our common enemy: Persia.

While Demosthenes viewed Philip as a barbarian, Isocrates viewed him as a champion of our cause against Persia. The stars were quickly aligning as things began to fall in place. Well, all but one.

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