Battle of Chaeronea: Philip II ends Greek independence
- Date
- 338 BCE
- Category
- Military & conflict
- Region
- Greece (Boeotia)
- Era
- Classical Antiquity
- Significance
At Chaeronea in Boeotia, Philip II of Macedon defeated a coalition of Greek city-states led by Athens and Thebes.
Commanding roughly 30,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, Philip lured the inexperienced Athenian wing out of position with a feigned retreat, opening a gap through which his 18-year-old son Alexander charged at the head of the Companion cavalry. The elite Theban Sacred Band was annihilated, fighting to the last. The defeat effectively ended the independence of the classical Greek city-states. In its aftermath Philip organised most of Greece into the League of Corinth under Macedonian hegemony and announced a planned war of revenge against the Persian Empire. The battle marks the transition from the era of independent poleis to Macedonian-dominated Greece, and laid the political and military foundation for Alexander's conquests.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in 338 BCE
- Roman Republic509 BCE – 27 BCE
- Achaemenid Empire550 BCE – 330 BCE
- Nanda Empire345 BCE – 322 BCE
- Kingdom of Kush1070 BCE – 350 CE
- Carthaginian Empire650 BCE – 146 BCE
- Odrysian Kingdom480 BCE – 46 CE
Related military & conflict events
- Alexander the Great invades the Persian Empire334 BCE
- Battle of Gaugamela destroys the Achaemenid Empire1 October 331 BCE
- The Kalinga War and Ashoka's turn to Dhammac. 261 BCE
- Battle of Gaixia and the founding of the Han dynasty202 BCE
- Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis480 BCE
- Death of Cyrus the Great in Battle Against the Massagetaec. 530 BCE
Further reading
The wider story
Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
Gripping popular narrative of the Republic's fall.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.