Philip II's Final Banquet
A king steps into the theater after a night of drinking—only to fall to an assassin from his own guard.
Juan de Flandes — "Christ Appearing to His Mother" (ca. 1496), public domain
The King Walks Into the Arena.
In 336 BC, Philip II of Macedon emerges from a lavish wedding banquet, golden crown gleaming. As he strolls into the theater, unguarded and exultant, Pausanias—a member of his own bodyguard—breaks from the crowd and stabs him straight through the ribs.
Murder at the Pinnacle of Power.
Philip has just unified Greece under Macedon, is planning an invasion of Persia, and believes himself untouchable. His own guard, nursing a personal grudge, brings it all crashing down. The festival turns from celebration to chaos in a single heartbeat.
A Son and a Future Empire.
The assassins are cut down or flee. The twenty-year-old heir, Alexander, seizes power within days. Overnight, the fragile Greek alliance is thrown into uncertainty—no one yet suspects a boy from Macedon will change the world.
The murder of Philip II at the height of his power sent shockwaves through Greece—and thrust his 20-year-old son, Alexander, onto the throne.
