Philip V of Macedon

238 BCE – 179 BCE(lived 59 years)

Philip V (r. 221–179 BCE), last great Antigonid strategist, tried to leverage Rome’s distraction in the Second Punic War to expand Macedonian influence across the Adriatic and Aegean. He struck at Illyrian and Adriatic positions and made terms with Hannibal, but the First Macedonian War ended inconclusively at Phoenice (205 BCE). In the Second Macedonian War he met defeat at Cynoscephalae (197 BCE), where Roman maniples shredded the Macedonian phalanx on broken ground. Flamininus’s proclamation of Greek “freedom” followed, curtailing Philip’s reach. Philip rebuilt Macedon’s finances and army, yet dynastic turmoil and Roman pressure weakened him; he died in 179 BCE, leaving Perseus a constrained kingdom on the eve of final collapse.

Biography

Born around 238 BCE into the Antigonid dynasty, Philip V was the son of Demetrius II Aetolicus and came to prominence under the guardianship—and then regency—of his kinsman Antigonus III Doson. When Doson died in 221 BCE, the teenage Philip inherited a kingdom surrounded by opportunistic neighbors and powerful naval states. Early campaigns in the Social War against the Aetolians won him acclaim; Polybius remembered him as handsome, energetic, and capable of winning allies with personal charm. Yet an appetite for advantage drew him westward when Rome tangled with Hannibal. Philip sought to carve out a position along the Adriatic, probing Illyria and testing Roman resolve while pretending deference to Greek sensibilities.

Key figure in Macedonian Wars

Philip V of Macedon's Timeline

Key events involving Philip V of Macedon in chronological order

-214

First Macedonian War Begins amid Second Punic War

In 214 BCE, as Hannibal rampaged across Italy, Philip V of Macedon tested Rome’s distracted defenses and triggered the First Macedonian War. Appian says the Romans “paid no attention to Philip,” a fatal misread of a king peering across the Adriatic [7]. The clash opened a new front from Illyria to Corcyra while Rome bled at home.

military

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-214

Philip V Attacks Corcyra and Adriatic Positions

In 214 BCE, Philip V struck at Corcyra and along the Illyrian coast, betting Rome was too busy with Hannibal to answer. Appian traces the move to a web of embassies and seized letters that enraged the Senate [7]. The Adriatic—gray, narrow, and noisy with oars—became a contested artery.

military

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-205

Peace of Phoenice Ends the First Macedonian War

In 205 BCE, Rome and Macedon agreed to the Peace of Phoenice, halting a conflict neither side prioritized while Hannibal remained in Italy. Appian and later summaries fix the war’s span at 214–205 BCE [18][14]. The treaty felt like a breath held, not exhaled.

diplomatic

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-197

Battle of Cynoscephalae

In 197 BCE at Cynoscephalae, Titus Quinctius Flamininus smashed Philip V’s phalanx on broken Thessalian hills. Polybius called the ground “very rough and broken,” a verdict on the pike formation’s rigidity [1]. About 8,000 Macedonians died and 5,000 were captured as Rome’s maniples found and widened every seam [11].

military

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-196

Isthmian Proclamation of Greek Freedom

At the Isthmian Games in 196 BCE, Flamininus announced the Greeks were “free, ungarrisoned, untaxed,” his herald’s voice rolling across the stadium [3][21]. The roar that followed crowned Rome’s victory with legitimacy even as garrisons lingered at key fortresses [5][12]. Theater became policy.

diplomatic

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-179

Death of Philip V; Perseus Succeeds in Macedon

In 179 BCE, Philip V died and Perseus took the Macedonian throne, inheriting both a chastened kingdom and Roman suspicion [14]. The diadem passed in Pella, but the judgment would be delivered in Thessaly and Pieria.

political

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Total Events

-214

First Event

-179

Last Event

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