3/24/20

Philip II was the king of Macedonia from 359 BC to 336 BC, when he was assassinated by one of his personal bodyguards. As a youth, he was taken as hostage in Illyria and then held in Thebes. There he gained military and diplomatic education by Epaminondas. Phillip returned to Macedonia in 364 BC and became king in 359 BC. Had many military conquests, such as defeating 3,000 hoplites, creating the Phalanx, and defeating 7,000 Phocians in the Third Sacred War. He was assembling an army to fight Persia, however, he was assassinated before he could attack.

Alexander the Great, son of King Philip II, succeeded his father at the age of 20 after he was assassinated. He was tutored by Aristotle until he was 16. After inheriting his father's army, he launched the attack on the Persians that his father had planned. After invading Persia, he began a series of campaigns that lasted 10 years, and, eventually, overthrew King Darius and took control of the Persian Empire. He continued his conquest until 323 BC and died in Babylon on his way back home.

King Darius III was the last King of Persia and had assassinated everyone who succeded him as well as his father in order to get the crown. He didn't have the experience the other members of his family had and was without the talent needed to rule an Empire of that caliber. After Alexander began his conquest on Persia, he fought them at the battle of Issus in 333 BC and outnumbered them 2 to 1. Despite this, however, he was defeated and after an amazing number of defeats had his Empire seized from him by the hands of Alexander.