Philippos lives!-TL

336 BC: OTL: Philppos II of Macedon is assassinated, Alexander the Great becomes king

TTL: Someone warns the King. Philippos manages to ward off his would-be assassin until alert guardsmen runs him (the assassin) through. The festivities continue. Philippos joins his army in Anatolia and proceeds with his war against Persia, defeating the local Satraps.

334 Philippos' new wife gives birth to a son, named Archelaos

336-334 Philippos has conquered Asia Minor. Being a bit more cautious than his son he is more thorough and takes longer, conquering Kappadokia and Pisidia as well. A Persian fleet is active in the Aegean.

334 Sparta is induced to rise up by Persian gold. Thebes joins, massacring its Macedonian garrison, so does Athens, Antipatros marches to Boiotia. Amyntas, son of Perdikkas, Philippos' nephew and son-in-law, rushes in with reinforcements for Antipatros who has been forced back. They defeat the Greeks at Pharsalos. Thebes is razed and its citizens settled at a number of cities in interior Asia Minor.
In the meantime Philippos advances into Kilikia and defeats for the Persians.

333 Philippos receives an offer of the Persian empire west of the Euphrates and the hand of Darius' daughter. Parmenion advises to take it. Philippos replies the he isn't Parmenion and rejects it. He gives Darius' daughters to Alexander and Philotas, son of Parmenion. Tyrus and Egypt are conquered.

332 Battle of [Gaugamela]: Persian defeat. Babylon, Susa, Persepolis taken. Philippos appoints Alexander viceroy in the east with a 1000 Companions, 3000 Silver Shields, the Agrianians (whose king is Alexanders close friend) and those Greek allies and Thracians who take up mercenary service and Asian light infantry and cavalry. Alexander seeks his destiny in the east [much as in OTL]

331 Philippos deals with a revolt in Thrakia.

330 Philippos conducts a frustrating and inconclusive campaign against the Getai north of the Danube. These Skythian-style steppe nomads keep retreating out of reach driving their herds before them while snapping at the Macedonians' heels.
News of the death of Alexander of Epirus reaches Philippos.

329 Philippos mounts an expedition to Italy to avenge his son-in-law. Taras and the other south Italian Greek cities are subdued. It takes him two years to beat the Lucanians and Messapians. Along the way he concludes an alliance with the Romans against the Samnites whom the Lucanians have called upon for help.

327 Philippos gets the allegiance of the Apulians against the Samnites and inflicts a major defeat on them at Luceria.

326 Joint Roman-Macedonian invasion of Samnium.

326 While besieging Multan (the city of the Mallians) Alexander is cut off inside the walls withe a few Companions. When the other Macedonians finally break in [because there are fewer proportionally they take hust a little longer] he and his two Companions (Peukestes and Leonnatos are dead. [In OTL he was dragged out with an arrow (or spear) in his lungs and barely recovered].

325 Philippos campaigns against the Bruttians.

324 Philippos moves onto Sicily, obtains the allegiance of the Greek cities and drives the Carthaginians as far as Lilybaeum. The siege of that city stalemates as the Carthaginian fleet defeats the Macedonian one at the Aegetian Isles. Parmenion is killed.

323 Philippos gathers a new fleet. Leaving Amyntas in charge in Sicily he transports an army to Africa with which he overruns Carthage's mainland domain and defeats its field army.

320 Carthage surrenders after 3 years of siege, having seen the other Punic cities defect and its fleet worn down by superior numbers.
 
"Philippos receives an offer of the Persian empire west of the Euphrates and the hand of Darius' daughter. Parmenion advises to take it. Philippos replies the he isn't Parmenion and rejects it." - I've read in the past a TL in which he takes it. IMHO Philippos was rather more his son's father than that writer gave him credit for.
 
True, I belive in this Timeline, Phillippos wouldn't have taken all of Persia, I think an strong Macedonian prescence in Anatolia and mabye an more northern Expansion policy(Possibly to the Danube) would occur. He wasn't necessarily influenced by the greek ideas taught to Alexander by Aristotle. We most definatley could see an more dominant True Macedonian Empire.

Darius and his successors could restrengthen the Persian Empire or it could easily just fall apart on it's own. The Celts, bieng driven further north could hopefull unite and establish an poweful buffer state between Rome and Macedon.

Is Alexander in control of Egypt and rules there as an seperate kingdom? This could open open up an window of oppurtunity.
 
There are a number of reasons why I think that Philippos would not have taken up Darius' offer.
Firstly because he CAN smash Persia completely, the Persians having lost most of their Greek mercenaries, they cannot stand up against the Macedonian army.
Secondly because he is in financial trouble and has been since the start of his Persian campaign. Keeping up an army is costly and looting conquered provinces can only last him so long. (Alexander for that reason disbanded his fleet.) 'Liberating' the Persian treasuries in Babylon, Susa, Persepolis, Ekbatana is thus a powerful attraction.
Thirdly it's bad policy to leave an enemy behind, smarting with defeat but capable, given time, of rebuilding his forces and try to regain lost territories at some point in the future. Philippos has plenty of experience with Balkan tribes who wouldn't stay down, despite repeatedly being beaten, until properly conquered.
And while Philippos wasn't quite the dare-devil Alexander was, he wasn't shy of taking a calculated gamble once in a while. Parmenion was the cautious and conservative one.
 
On another matter, wasn't the son born to Phillip's second wife mentally retarded? I think the POD won't change that, unless the son's mental disability resulted from stress on the mother after Phillip's death or something like that.

Phillip will want a more favorable heir if his dynasty is to continue, so that might put some pressure on him to stay at home and get busy there for awhile.
 
MerryPrankster said:
On another matter, wasn't the son born to Phillip's second wife mentally retarded? I think the POD won't change that, unless the son's mental disability resulted from stress on the mother after Phillip's death or something like that. ...
I think you are thinking of Philippos Arridaios, who became co-ruler with Alexander the Great's unborn son in 323 BC. Arridaios was born to another of Philippos' wives (he had six or seven) well before this POD.
The son I have named Archelaos is conceived and born after the POD.
 
brief update

321-320 Philotas, governor of Egypt interferes in civil war in Kyrene and reduces Kyrenaika to vassalship.

320 Carthage surrenders after 3 years of blockade and siege, having seen the other Punic cities defect and its fleet worn down by superior numbers.

319 Antipatros dies. Philippos campaigns against the Dardanians.

318 Philippos invades Triballian lands. The Triballians call in Celts to help. In the ensuing battle the Macedonians slaughter the bulk of the enemy army, but Philippos, facing the Celtic cavalry is mortally wounded.
 
Map of Philippos'empire at his demise

philippos'empire 318.jpg
 
Philippos' family members (those marked by* exist only in this TL):

- Amyntas, his nephew, son of his brother Perdikkas III
- Kynna, Amyntas' wife, daughter of Philippos by Audata, daughter of Bardylis the Illyrian
- Aclea/Hadeia/Eurydike, daughter of Amyntas and Kynna
- *Perdikkas, son of Amyntas and Kynna
- Arridaios, mentally retarded son of Philippos by Philinna of Larissa
- Kleopatra, daughter of Philippos by Olympias, widow of Alexander of Epirus
- Europe, daughter of Philippos by Kleopatra/Eurydike, niece of Attalos
- *Archelaos, son of Philippos by Kleopatra/Eurydike, niece of Attalos
- Thessalonike, daughter of Philippos
- *Alexander, son of Alexander [OTL's The Great] and Dareios' daughter
- *Herakles, son of Philippos by Barsine
 
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