Philip II of Macedon was dead. In situations like this the line of succession
was never a sure thing, but for the , Philip’s son Alexander stood well positioned to take
his father’s crown. Alexander was the second of three sons. The oldest had cognitive disabilities and
did not participate in politics, but many believed that the younger son, an infant,
had been Philip’s intended heir. Either way, an infant king would mean a decades
long regency, and certain ambitious barons were eager to make this a reality. If the king was weak, they knew that they
would be the ones running the government. While everybody was waiting around to see
where the chips would fall, one of Philip’s most trusted generals, Antipater, acted decisively. He immediately grabbed his army and marched
to Alexander’s side, publicly announcing that Alexander was Philip’s intended heir
and the rightful king of Macedon. With Antipater’s endorsement, other prominent
generals began to rally to his side. Before too long, a majority of the Macedonian
military was openly supporting Alexander. The plot to place an infant on the throne
died in the crib, so to speak. The next several months were a flurry of activity,
and when the dust settled, three things had changed. First, Alexander had taken all of his father’s
strongest supporters and appointed them as advisers. Second, after getting some guarantees from
Alexander, Macedon’s largest barons were happily sitting on the sidelines. Third, Philip’s infant son and Alexander’s
potential rival was dead. It’s fair to say that he died under suspicious
circumstances. As king, Alexander’s first act was to announce
the abolition of all taxes. Going forward, the Macedonian state would
rely solely on the income generated from mining and conquest. This made his barons very happy, and may have
been one of the conditions of their support. His second act was to publicly pledge that
all of Philip’s laws and edicts would be upheld. This made the Old Guard in the military very
happy, and may have been one of the conditions of their support. It’s always interesting how the crown comes
with its own constraints. Now that Macedonian power was consolidated,
the new king needed to figure out where he stood with the Greeks. As Philip’s heir, the title of Greek Hegemon
was his by right, but whether or not the Greeks would honour this title remained an open question. Alexander grabbed 3,000 cavalry and rode south. Near Thessaly, the only way through the mountains
was to stick to a narrow road. When Alexander and his cavalry attempted to
cross the mountains, they discovered that the Thessalians had mobilized their army,
and were blocking the way. The Thessalians sent a messenger instructing
Alexander to wait until they decided whether or not they would let him into their territory. This was a slap in the face! Philip had annexed Thessaly during his reign. This was Macedonian territory, and here they
were treating Alexander like a foreign king. The pass was way too narrow to challenge directly,
especially with an smaller army. Alexander agreed to wait, but secretly got
to work cutting steps into the rock of a nearby mountain. After a couple of days, Alexander’s and
his men were able to climb the steps on horseback, and before the Thessalians knew what was happening,
the Macedonians came galloping up behind them. After some quick thinking, the Thessalians
changed their tune, and welcomed their new king with open arms. Alexander accepted their submission at face
value. As Alexander continued marching south, ambassadors
from various Greek city-states showed up to reaffirm his status as Hegemon. This whole time, the cities of Thebes and
Athens remained suspiciously silent, but when they heard that Alexander was marching south
with an army, they reluctantly acknowledged his status as their de facto ruler. As with Philip, the Spartans took pride in
standing up against Macedonian hegemony. They sent Alexander a message, saying that
“it is not in our fathers’ practice to follow others, but rather to lead them.” As I’ve mentioned in past videos, the Spartans
at this time were only able to mobilize like 1,000 citizens, and had resorted to arming
their own slaves as a last resort. They were no real threat to Macedon. Some have argued that keeping the Spartans
as a bogeyman to the south helped Alexander unify the rest of Greece. Sure, the Greeks mistrusted the Macedonians,
but they hated the Spartans. Now that Greece was secure, Alexander made
a quick detour to visit the Oracle at Delphi, just as his father once did. But there was a problem. The Oracle didn’t operate during the winter,
and Alexander was refused entry to the temple. The king flew into a blind rage, and according
to one story, stormed into the temple and kinda roughed up the head priestess. He dragged her up onto her sacred stool, and
under threat of further violence, commanded her to give him his prophecy. We are told that at some point during this
encounter, the priestess referred to Alexander as invincible. Despite the shady circumstances, Alexander
took this to be a genuine prophecy. Some believe that this story was invented
to be anti-Alexander propaganda, but if it’s true, the king returned to Macedon literally
believing that he could not be killed. While Alexander was busy consolidating power,
the Macedonian hinterlands rose up in open rebellion. These areas had only recently conquered by
Philip, and with the recent instability, tribes in the north and in the west were now demanding
independence. At the moment, the Macedonian frontier sat
5 days march south of the Danube. Alexander decided that in order to permanently
secure this frontier, he would extend the border north, all the way to the river. That winter he gave his army a crash course
in mountain warfare, and in the springtime, they marched off to meet the northern threat. Somewhere in modern Bulgaria, at a place called
Haemus Mons, the Macedonians encountered a Thracian army blocking their path. The Thracians were uphill, and had arranged
their wagons in a defensive pattern in front of them. Alexander sent his scouts to try and find
an alternate route around the enemy, but they failed to do so. Frustrated, and unwilling to turn back, Alexander
ordered his infantry to advance straight up the mountain in a loose, staggered formation. He was suspicious, and guessed that the wagons
were arranged that way for a reason. He guessed right. When the Macedonians were half way up the
mountain, the Thracians gave their wagons a push, sending them careening down the slope
towards the Macedonian army. Alexander had spent the winter training his
men for precisely this situation. On his signal, the Macedonians threw themselves
onto the ground, with their shields over their heads. The wagons sped down the mountain, and bounced
harmlessly over the prone Macedonians. Apart from a few cuts and bruises, nobody
was even hurt. Give the Thracians some credit. This wagon trick was an incredible idea, and
had it been successful, it would have broken the unbreakable Macedonian phalanx. But that’s not what happened. With their path clear, the Macedonian infantry
charged straight up the hill, while the archers covered their advance with arrow fire. The Macedonians made quick work of the Thracians,
and took virtually no casualties. Alexander’s first military encounter as
king was a flawless victory, but the Balkan campaign was not over yet. When Alexander and his army arrived at the
Danube, they discovered that a hostile tribe that had been harassing them on their trek
north had pulled back onto an island in the middle of the river. They appeared ready to fight if the Macedonians
attempted to make a landing. On the northern shore of the Danube there
was a third army, a nomadic tribe from the Steppes, cautiously keeping an eye on these
new arrivals. Alexander was in a bit of a conundrum. A contested landing would probably end in
disaster, but what else could he do? He had an idea. He had his cavalry fan out and steal fishing
boats from nearby villages. He kept the rest of his army busy by having
them build crude rafts out of whatever material they could find. Under the cover of darkness, Alexander loaded
a portion of his army onto his makeshift fleet, and lead them not to the island, but across
the river. They landed behind a crop field, which was
tall enough to hide their movements. By the time everybody had disembarked, the
sun was coming up. The Foot Companions got in one long line,
and advanced. Alexander personally took command of the Companion
Cavalry, and when the Macedonians got close to this neutral nomadic army, they charged. The nomads outnumbered Alexander’s tiny
force maybe 3 to 1, but they were totally taken by surprise, and retreated away from
the river. Once they were back at their camp, they stopped
to regroup, only to be surprised for a second time by the Macedonians, who, it turns out,
had followed them. The nomads were forced to abandon their camp
and disappear into the Steppe. To Alexander, this was a great victory. He spent some time looting, and then returned
to the Danube. The tribe on the island was shocked to discover
the Macedonians occupying both sides of the river. Rather than subject themselves to a prolonged
island siege, they surrendered. Alexander was a genuinely devout man, and
insisted that the Macedonians stop, and conduct a series of elaborate ceremonies to thank
the gods for their victory. Leading an army across the Danube was an impressive
logistical feat, and over the next several days, other tribes showed up to preemptively
surrender. Macedonian territory now stretched all the
way to the Danube. Mission accomplished. The northern frontier was secure. But to the west, Macedonian territory was
still under threat. The Illyrians had offered their submission
to Alexander’s father, but were unhappy with where he had set the Macedonian boarder. They decided that this moment of instability
was the perfect time to settle that dispute. When Alexander heard that the Illyrians were
on the march, he came directly from the Danube. He intercepted the Illyrian forces at a small
fort called Pelium. The Illyrians were wise to make their stand
at here, because the fort was extremely well positioned. It was protected on three sides by steep hills,
and on the fourth by a small river. This area was only accessible by a narrow
path that cut through the hills. Alexander used this path to enter the valley,
and settled in for a siege. In case you hadn’t guessed it, this was
a massive tactical blunder. Almost immediately, as if they were waiting
for him, another army appeared, lining the hills surrounding the Macedonian position. Alexander had walked straight into an ambush. The Illyrians on the hills kept their distance
for the moment. The path out of the valley created a bottleneck,
which meant that entering or exiting the valley with an army was an all day affair. If the Macedonians decided to flee, the Illyrians
would have plenty of time to charge down the hills and catch them in the rear. What we’re basically looking at here is
a siege within a siege. The Illyrians in the fort were trapped by
the Macedonians, who were in turn trapped by the Illyrians on the hills. Now, all they had to do was sit back and wait
for Alexander to make a mistake. As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, the
Macedonians had marched straight from their encounter on the Danube, which meant that
they were a little light on food. After some long nights and some long debates,
Alexander and his advisers came up with an insane plan. The absurdity on display here should give
you an idea of how desperate the Macedonians were. This was their great idea: the Macedonians
deployed for battle, stretching out their line to make it look like they had more people
than they actually did. Then, they ran drills. Yep, that was their plan. Drills. In fairness, they put on quite a show. The infantry advanced, then stopped, then
turned, then changed formation, all without any signals being given. As they advanced, they swished their sarissas
back and forth in perfect unison, which made a whooshing sound that they could hear all
the way up on the hills. Then, with no apparent warning, the entire
Macedonian army broke their silence by raising their distinctive war-cry and clashing their
weapons against their shields. Incredibly, this was super effective. The Illyrians on the hills had never seen
discipline like this. It must have seemed supernatural. Some groups were so shaken that they decided
to pull back for their own safety. This was the moment. As some of the Illyrians pulled back, a signal
was given, and the entire Macedonian army charged straight up the hill. Alexander took command of the Companion Cavalry,
and lead the charge personally. The Illyrians were completely taken by surprise,
and after some sporadic fighting, broke into a full retreat. The Macedonians didn’t lose a single man. Alexander had good reason to be pleased with
himself. After walking into a terrible situation, he
was able to walk himself out of it without suffering any consequences. Alexander was now in control of the valley,
but the Illyrians were still somewhere just over the horizon, and his food problem remained
the same as before. He still needed to figure out how to reestablish
his supply lines. He left the Companion Cavalry and archers
on the hills while he pulled everyone else back to the river. After some thought, he decided that a river
crossing would actually be faster than funneling everybody through the narrow pass. The elite Shield Bearers crossed first, to
make sure it was safe. The Foot Companions followed. All the while, the Companion Cavalry and the
archers maintained their presence on the hills, which prevented the Illyrians from returning
to see what the Macedonians were up to. Once the majority of the army was across the
river, the Companions and the archers came down off the hills to make their crossing. With the hills abandoned, the Illyrians returned,
and immediately realized that there was a river crossing in process. They charged down the hills toward the Macedonian
rear. By this time, the Macedonian infantry had
been able to set up their catapults, which had been intended for the siege, on the opposite
side of the river. As soon as the Illyrians entered the valley,
the catapults opened up on them. By the way, some have argued that this was
the first time in world history that siege weapons were used as field artillery. The archers, who were in the process of crossing
the river, turned mid-stream to fire arrows. This barrage was enough to stop the Illyrian
army in its tracks, which gave the Macedonians just enough time to complete their crossing. You know the expression “it’s better to
be lucky than good?” Alexander was lucky. Alexander encamped on the other side of the
river, sending out foraging parties and reestablishing his supply lines. Now that he was able to receive food shipments,
he had time on his side. After several days, he sent scouts back to
the river, to find out what the Illyrian army was up to. To his surprise, he discovered that they were
doing… nothing. The entire army was just lazing around, not
even bothering to post guards or anything. They were acting like they had just won the
war. This would not do. Alexander took his elite Shield Bearers and
some archers, and launched a nighttime raid back across the river. As expected, the enemy army was fast asleep,
with no guards posted or anything. The Shield Bearers descended on the Illyrian
camp, and before anybody even raised the alarm, the Macedonians were going tent to tent killing
Illyrians where they slept. By the time the camp was roused, people were
already fleeing en masse. A huge portion of the Illyrian army was were
killed, and even more were captured. In effect, the Illyrian army was wiped out
in a single blow. The next day, when the besieged Illyrians
in the fort surrendered. The Siege of Pelium was odd. Alexander showed amazing ingenuity getting
himself out of a situation that was his fault to begin with. Nevertheless, the victories here at Pelium,
and at the Danube, and at Haemus Mons, certainly sent a message. A group of Gauls from the Adriatic coast got
together and decided that it would be prudent to establish diplomatic relations with this
young king. When Alexander eventually met with this Gallic
delegation, he decided to give these foreigners a chance to grovel at his feet. He asked them a leading question: “what
do you fear most in the world?” Instead of groveling, the Gauls answered honestly,
saying that they feared that the sky would fall on their heads. Apparently, in Gallic mythology, this was
a thing. As a religious man, Alexander couldn’t help
but be charmed by this strange answer, so he offered the Gauls his friendship and let
them depart in peace. His ego did take a hit though, because he
would later complain to his men about how disrespectful and arrogant the Gauls were. Bruised ego aside, Alexander had good reason
to be pleased with himself. In the chaotic year following his father’s
death, the new king managed to preserve and even improve upon Philip’s conquests. Macedon narrowly avoided a civil war, and
survived the transfer of power with no significant losses of any kind. The future looked bright. With the home front secure, Alexander began
to speak openly about fulfilling his father’s dream to travel east and liberate Greek cities
living under Persian rule. But if that was the goal, he would need the
cooperation of the rest of Greece, and for the moment, their loyalty remained uncertain.
I wish I had these back when I was taking history. The clear visual presentation makes these events so much more comprehendible than textbook reading. Love the dry humour too!
It's always great to see more Historia Civilis. Anyway it is absolutely hilarious how Alexander got himself out of that ambush and everything that happened afterwards.
I love how well researched and thorough Historia Civilis is with all of his videos. Amazing production quality, it's clear that he truly cares about educating his viewers.
Greatest Channel Of All Time
I'm not sure why I live that outro so much. Just casually caps off a great learning experience so well.
BazBattles, Epic History, now this as well.
So much Alexander
Swish swish!
Iron Maiden has a song about this guy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oTEQf1d9Iw
I want more...