Philip, planning his Asiatic war under the convenient banner of the Hellenic ‘crusade’ created by Isocrates and other intellectuals, sends to Asia Minor an advance force of the Macedonian army under Amyntas, a son of Philip's brother late Perdiccas, and generals Parmenio and Attalus (Parmenio's son-in-law) early in 336 BCE.

Philip will presently lead the grand army into Asia, and the Greeks will be with him.

Perhaps some Macedonian soldiers, who might have preferred Athenian loot to an Athenian alliance, are puzzled about Philip's motives.

Thus, it may be for the benefit of such doubters that Philip has himself depicted in a domestic Macedonian context (he would surely not risks such a thing in Greece) as a “thirteenth Olympian god.”

On the eve of the Persian invasion, however, during the wedding of his daughter, Cleopatra, to his brother-in-law, Alexander of Molossia in June/July 336, the forty-six-year-old Philip is assassinated in mysterious circumstances, perhaps at the instigation of Persian king Darius III.

The assassin, a bodyguard (somatphylax) named Pausanias, is quickly slain, perhaps accidentally, by one Leonnatus; but suspicion immediately falls upon Alexander, never far from Philip's side that day, and Alexander's abused mother Olympias and her political party, those with most to gain from Philip's death.

Alexander, however, is quickly presented to the army as Macedon's new king, and immediately executes two highly placed suspects, the princes of Lyncestis, alleged to be behind Philip's murder, along with all possible rivals and the whole of the opposition faction.

Not many actual rivals have to be eliminated, however, because Alexander's succession is not in serious doubt.

Amyntas is still alive, but there is no reason for Alexander to see him as a threat (in any case, he is probably dead by 335).

Olympias, on her return from Epirus, has Cleopatra and her infant daughter killed.

Ptolemy returns from exile also and joins the King's bodyguard.

The murdered Philip is apparently entombed at Veria in western Macedonia (according to Greek archaeologists, who in 1977 will claim the find).

Alexander marches south, recovers a wavering Thessaly, and …

…at an assembly of the Greek League at Corinth, is appointed generalissimo for the forthcoming invasion of Asia, already planned and initiated by Philip.

Demosthenes comes under several forms of subtle legislative attack by Aeschines and others as the bitter hostility between Aeschines and Demosthenes worsens.

Aeschines sues a certain Ctesiphon in 336 BCE for illegally proposing the award of a crown to Demosthenes in recognition of his services to Athens.

Syracuse refounds the city of Akragas.

Alexander advances into Thrace in spring 335 and, after forcing the Shipka Pass, drives the Triballi to the junction of the Lyginus with the Danube.

Their king Syrmus takes refuge in Peuce (Peukë, an island in the Danube), where Alexander is unable to follow him, and instead crosses the Danube to disperse the Getae.

The punishment inflicted by Alexander upon the Getae, however, induces the Triballi to sue for peace.

Alexander returns to Macedonia by way of Delphi, where the Pythian priestess acclaims him “invincible”.

Turning west, Alexander defeats and shatters a coalition of Illyrians, led by their chieftain Cleitus, who have invaded Macedonia.