Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors

by Adrian Goldsworthy · 2020

In this sweeping dual biography, historian Adrian Goldsworthy brings to life the intertwined destinies of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. From Philip’s daring transformation of a fragmented kingdom into a dominant Greek power, to the revolutionary armies he forged that would become Alexander’s instrument of conquest, the book reveals how the father’s political genius and military reforms laid the foundation for the son’s legendary campaigns against Persia and beyond. Goldsworthy’s narrative shows that Alexander’s meteoric rise was not a solitary miracle but the culmination of his father’s vision, ambition, and relentless state‑building, offering readers a fresh, richly detailed portrait of two men who together reshaped the ancient world.