Macedonia was situated on the borders of the Greek ancient world, they spoke some type of Greek dialect, but the culture development was slower and a little behind in comparison with the rest of Greece. Unlike the rest of Greece, they didn’t form City-States, instead, huge pieces of land were owned by nobles families. In the 5 century BC, the Kings of these lands tried to get in contact with the Greek world and Alexander I was the first noble who achieved the acceptance of his house as Greek. His successor, Archelaos extended the infrastructure, build streets and fortresses and invited Greek artist and poets in his land.

After the dead of Archelaos came up confusing situations and several power struggles, which ended 359 BC with the seizure of power by the just 24 years old Phillip II. He managed to eliminate his opponents and he could bundle up all the individual nobles to a united Macedonian State. In his youth Phillip was taken away from the Thebans as a hostage and learned there some military strategies, he used now to raise up Macedonia to a outstanding military power. He bought mercenaries, arranged the Phalanx in a deeper stagger, build up huge cavalry regiment and developed different strategies of siege.

He conquered Amphipolis, Rydna and Poteidaia what ended in a war with Athens, which saw their interest in those areas in danger. At the same time, during the 3rd Holy war around the year 356 BC, the Phocis were, with the support of Athens, in the area of Delphi, and during a while they had whole central Greece under control. Boeotia and Thessaly called Phillip for help and he pushed, 352 BC the Phocis out of Thessaly and just kept the new land for himself.

He provoked 349 BC a war with Olynth and the Chalcidician Alliance, which ended up in the totally destruction of Olynth and the connection of the region to the Macedonian Empire. In 346 BC Athens and Phillip made peace. He also arranged with Artaxerxes a non-aggression pact, with the goal to be save from the northern front line and in the same time to connect Thrace to his Empire. In 338 BC, in the fourth Holy war Phillip provoked, he defeated Athens and captured central Greece. In the deciding battle near Chaironeia in Boeotien he won and got the ruler ship also for Lemnos, Imbros, Skyros, Samos and Delos.

He also impose restrictions on Sparta and founded 337 BC the Corinthian Alliance. The members had to respect all member states, their borders and had to accept the same friends and enemies. Phillip didn’t become a member but made assure that he would have the chairmanship lifelong. He invented this alliance on purpose to extant his Empire to the east, an attack on Persian. After the Death of Artaxerxes II, 338 BC, in 336 BC the successor Darius III took the power, and in the same year 10.000 Macedonian soldiers crossed the Hellespont.

But Phillip couldn’t realized his further plans, he got killed by a noble in 336 BC, during a wedding ceremony. However he managed all prerequisite for his son to continue his plans of a huge Macedonian Empire.