Editing Philip II of Macedon (section)

===Early military career===
{{see also|Ancient Macedonian army|Government of Macedonia (ancient kingdom)}}
Philip had married [[Audata]], daughter or granddaughter of the [[Illyrians|Illyrian]] king [[Bardylis]]. However, this marriage did not prevent him from marching against the Illyrians in 358 BC and defeating them in a battle in which some 7,000 Illyrians died (357 BC). By this move, Philip established his authority inland as far as [[Lake Ohrid]] and earned the favour of the [[Epirotes]].<ref>''The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 6: The Fourth Century BC'' by D. M. Lewis, 1994, p. 374, {{ISBN|0-521-23348-8}}: "...&nbsp;The victory over Bardylis made him an attractive ally to the Epirotes, who too had suffered at the Illyrians' hands, and his recent alignment ..."</ref>

After securing the western and southern borders of Macedon, Philip went on to besiege [[Amphipolis]] in 357 BC. The Athenians had been unable to conquer Amphipolis, which commanded the [[Gold mining|gold mines]] of [[Mount Pangaion]], so Philip reached an agreement with Athens to lease the city to them after his conquest, in exchange for [[Ancient Pydna|Pydna]] (which was lost by Macedon in 363 BC). However, after conquering Amphipolis, Philip captured Pydna for himself and kept both cities (357 BC). Athens soon declared war against him, and as a result, Philip allied Macedon with the [[Chalcidian League]] of [[Olynthus]]. He subsequently conquered [[Potidaea]], this time keeping his word and ceding it to the League in 356 BC.{{snf|Hammond|1994|pp=30–31}}
[[File:Cetriporis (Ketriporis) of Thrace base metal coin.jpg|thumb|245x245px|Coin of the western [[Odrysian kingdom|Odrysian]] king [[Cetriporis]], who was subjugated by Philip in the late 350s]]
In 357 BC, Philip married the [[Epirus|Epirote]] princess [[Olympias]], who was the daughter of the king of the [[Molossians]]. [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] was born in 356 BC, the same year as Philip's racehorse won at the [[Ancient Olympic Games|Olympic Games]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Green|first=Peter|title=Alexander of Macedon, 356–323 B.C. : A Historical Biography|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=2013|isbn=978-0520954694|location=Berkeley |pages=39}}</ref>

During 356 BC, Philip conquered the town of [[Krinides|Crenides]] and changed its name to [[Philippi]]. He then established a powerful garrison there to control its mines, which yielded much of the gold he later used for his campaigns. In the meantime, his general [[Parmenion]] defeated the Illyrians again.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hammond |first1=N.G.L. |title=The Kingdoms in Illyria circa 400–167 B.C. |journal=The Annual of the British School at Athens |date=1966 |volume=61 |pages=239–266 |doi=10.1017/S0068245400019043 |jstor=30103175 |s2cid=164155370 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30103175 |access-date=2 March 2021 |archive-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310233515/https://www.jstor.org/stable/30103175 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 355–354 BC, he besieged [[Methoni, Pieria|Methone]], the last city on the [[Thermaic Gulf]] controlled by Athens. During the siege, Philip was injured in his right eye, which was later removed surgically.<ref name="Rico_1950">{{cite journal|vauthors=Rico-Avello|title=Diseases and physicians in the life of Philip II |journal=Rev Sanid Hig Publica (Madr) |volume=24|issue=11–12|pages=817–867|date=1950|pmid=14816808}}</ref>{{efn|A special instrument known as the [[Spoon of Dioclese]] was used to remove his eye.}} Despite the arrival of two Athenian fleets, the city fell in 354 BC. Philip also attacked [[Abdera, Thrace|Abdera]] and Maronea, on the [[Thrace|Thracian]] coast (354–353 BC).<ref name="Bevan1911">{{EB1911|wstitle = Philip II., king of Macedonia|volume=21|first=Edwyn Robert |last=Bevan|page=377|inline=yes}}</ref>