The League of Corinth

The League of Corinth, decidedly, was successful in its purpose to King Phillip. The purpose of the League was to enable King Phillip in his control of the Greek states such as Athens, Thebes, etc. The military strength of Macedonia intimidated the states into joining the League. Being a member of the League meant that the states were not only at peace with Macedonia and the other Greek states, but that they had further trade opportunities, and were not isolated from trade like Sparta became when they were not invited to join the League. However, what this meant for the League and the states that had military power (Athens, for example) was that King Phillip expected them to assist in his war against Persia, after the Persian people had invaded Athens and destroyed significant monuments. This is what led to the decline in the League’s success as each state held it's own political opinions and did not want to be forced into wars that they did not decide upon. Instead, many states revolted, especially upon the death of King Phillip and the rumoured death of Alexander the Great. However, the control Macedonia held meant that these revolts were quickly and harshly ended by the King at the time, as revolts occurred when both King Phillip and Alexander were in control of the League. When Thebes revolted upon Alexander’s rumoured death, they brought in exiled political figures and brought together their army (supposedly to support the Persian Empire) but were met with the Macedonian army at their gates and Alexander, who demanded the heads of the rebellion leaders in exchange for amnesty. After this debacle, the states rushed to apologise and welcome his safe return, as was expected of them. This showed how for Macedonia, the League was successful, as it allowed them to control Greece. However, it was not successful for the Greek states as they were being controlled by Macedonia against their will despite the numerous benefits. In addition, it led to many Greeks turning to Persia for assistance, whether that be leaving the country or looking to them for support in their rebellion, which was a hindrance to Macedonia.