Editing Macedonia (ancient kingdom) (section)

===Kingship and the royal court===
The earliest known government of ancient Macedonia was that of its [[monarchy]], lasting until 167{{nbsp}}BC when it was abolished by the Romans.<ref name="king 2010 373">{{harvnb|King|2010|p=373}}.</ref> The Macedonian hereditary monarchy existed since at least the time of [[Archaic Greece]], with Homeric aristocratic roots in [[Mycenaean Greece]].<ref>{{harvnb|King|2010|pp=375–376}}.</ref> Thucydides wrote that in previous ages, Macedonia was divided into small tribal regions, each having its own [[petty king]], the tribes of [[Lower Macedonia]] eventually coalescing under one great king who exercised power as an [[overlord]] over the lesser kings of [[Upper Macedonia]].<ref name="king 2010 376">{{harvnb|King|2010|p=376}}.</ref> The direct line of [[Order of succession|father-to-son succession]] was broken after the assassination of [[Orestes of Macedon]] in 396{{nbsp}}BC (allegedly by his [[regent]] and successor [[Aeropus II of Macedon]]), clouding the issue of whether [[primogeniture]] was the established custom or if there was a constitutional right for an assembly of the army or [[Popular assembly|of the people]] to choose another king.<ref>{{harvnb|King|2010|pp=376–377}}.</ref> It is unclear if the male offspring of Macedonian queens or [[Queen consort|consorts]] were always preferred over others given the accession of [[Archelaus I of Macedon]], son of [[Perdiccas II of Macedon]] and a [[Slavery in ancient Greece|slave woman]], although Archelaus succeeded the throne after murdering his father's designated [[heir apparent]].<ref>{{harvnb|King|2010|p=377}}.</ref>

[[File:Hades abducting Persephone.jpg|thumb|left|[[Hades]] abducting [[Persephone]], fresco in the small Macedonian royal tomb at [[Vergina]], [[Macedonia, Greece]], c.{{nbsp}}340{{nbsp}}BC]]
It is known that Macedonian kings before Philip{{nbsp}}II upheld the privileges and carried out the responsibilities of hosting foreign diplomats, determining the kingdom's foreign policies, and negotiating alliances with foreign powers.<ref name="king 2010 378">{{harvnb|King|2010|p=378}}.</ref> After the Greek victory at [[Battle of Salamis|Salamis]] in 480{{nbsp}}BC, the Persian commander [[Mardonius (general)|Mardonius]] had [[Alexander I of Macedon]] sent to Athens as a chief envoy to orchestrate an alliance between the Achaemenid Empire and [[History of Athens|Athens]]. The decision to send Alexander was based on his [[Marriage of state|marriage alliance]] with a noble Persian house and his previous formal relationship with the city-state of Athens.<ref name="king 2010 378"/> With their ownership of natural resources including gold, silver, timber, and [[royal land]], the early Macedonian kings were also capable of [[Bribery|bribing]] foreign and domestic parties with impressive gifts.<ref name="king 2010 379">{{harvnb|King|2010|p=379}}.</ref>

Little is known about the [[Judiciary|judicial system]] of ancient Macedonia except that the king acted as the [[wikt:chief judge|chief judge]] of the kingdom.<ref name="errington 1990 222"/> The Macedonian kings were also [[Commander-in-chief|supreme commanders]] of the military.<ref group="note">{{harvnb|King|2010|p=379}}; {{harvnb|Errington|1990|p=221}}; early evidence for this includes not only Alexander&nbsp;I's role as a commander in the [[Greco-Persian Wars]] but also the city-state of [[Potidaea]]'s acceptance of [[Perdiccas II of Macedon]] as their [[commander-in-chief]] [[Battle of Potidaea|during their rebellion]] against the [[Delian League]] of Athens in 432&nbsp;BC.</ref> Philip{{nbsp}}II was also highly regarded for his acts of piety in serving as the [[high priest]] of the nation. He performed daily [[ritual sacrifice]]s and led [[religious festival]]s.<ref name="king 2010 380">{{harvnb|King|2010|p=380}}.</ref> Alexander imitated various aspects of his father's reign, such as granting land and gifts to loyal aristocratic followers,<ref name="king 2010 380"/> but lost some core support among them for adopting some of the trappings of an Eastern, Persian monarch, a "lord and master" as Carol J. King suggests, instead of a "comrade-in-arms" as was the traditional relationship of Macedonian kings with their companions.<ref>{{harvnb|King|2010|p=380}}; for further context, see {{harvnb|Errington|1990|p=220}}.</ref> Alexander's father, Philip{{nbsp}}II, was perhaps influenced by Persian traditions when he adopted institutions similar to those found in the Achaemenid realm, such as having a [[Royal Secretary|royal secretary]], royal archive, royal pages, and a seated [[throne]].<ref>{{harvnb|Olbrycht|2010|pp=345–346}}.</ref>