Possible reasons for King Philip of Macedon's assassination

                           Today in class we discussed the assassination of King Philip of Macedon and the mysteriousness behind it's motive.  The true intentions behind this act remain unknown however I decided to look further into the event as it had a major effect on later world history.  Upon further research I discovered two theories that have been thoroughly discussed and analyzed by ancient historians and decided to share them with everyone who might be interested. 

 

Theory 1:  Aristotle claims that King Philip was killed on the grounds that Pausanias had been offended by the followers of Attalus.  At the time Attalus was an important courtier of Philip and a prominent commander in the Macedonian military, he was also Philip's wife's uncle.  This is the most contemporary theory to date. 

Theory 2:  As a class, we all discussed the theory of Alexander and his mother Olympias planning an assassination on they're own blood.  Olympias definitely had festering contempt against her unfaithful husband and Alexander willingly sided with her on all affairs.  Possibly the most concrete evidence behind this theory is the reaction of Olympias upon the death of her husband, instead of mourning she openly expressed her gratitude to Pausanias by adorning his corpse with jewelry, rising a grave in his name and ordering annual sacrifices in his name.  

The true nature behind King Philip's assassination (or murder) will remain unknown, however analyzing the possible motives gives us a better insight on Philip and who he was as a father, husband, and conqueror.

       Sources: "The Death of Philip." The Death of Philip. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015. http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander_t72.html