Greek Wars: Battle of Chaeronea, 338 BC
The decline of the Greek empire and the subsequent Macedonian rule under Alexander the Great was a direct result of the Battle of Chaeronea, which was fought in 338 BC between the Greek allied city-states and the forces of Philip II of Macedon.
Though Philip had brought peace to an internally warring Greece, his declaration of leadership came much to the chagrin of the independent and patriotic Greeks.
As Athens attempted to break away from his leadership by forming an alliance with a city Philip was trying to seize, he declared war on the state.
The battle was at a stalemate for several months before Philip’s forces advanced into the region and attempted to take Thebes and Athens — at which point his large Macedonian army easily crushed the Greek forces.
The Greek city-states were defeated, Athens’ power dwindled and the country came under the rule of the Macedonians for centuries, making it one of the most important battles of ancient Greece.
