Osprey Men-at-Arms 148 : The Army of Alexander the Great

When Philip II ascended the throne at the age of 23 in 359 BC, Macedonia was in danger of being engulfed by wild barbarian tribes to the north and wily Greek cities to the south. Philip had to expand the power of the throne or be swallowed up by the difficulties surrounding him: the creation of a powerful army was imperative. Greek battles had been decided up to now by the manoeuvres of heavy infantry, the hoplites, who had become increasingly lightly equipped during the 4th century, abandoning much of their armour. Philip, however, created a large force of heavily-equipped cavalry to act as the corps de rupture of his army, and he further developed the new tactical formations to enable his cavalry to take a leading role in battle. At Chaeronea in 338 BC, the Greek hoplites smashed themselves to pieces against the solid lines of the more heavily-equipped Macedonian phalanx. An unwilling Greece was united under Philip in the League of Corinth; but the king was assassinated before he could launch his planned expedition against the Persian Empire. The expedition, however, was to proceed with an new leader. His son, Alexander, inherited his kingdom at the age of 20, he also inherited an army which was truly unrivalled. The Macedonians were veterans of battle, well equipped and eager for conquest. Add to this Alexander's supreme gifts as military commander and it is little wonder they achieved so much. Text by Nick Sekunda with illustrations by Angus McBride.

Contents

• Introduction
• Philip's Army
• The Cavalry
• The Infantry
• The Plates