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How did Philip II’s marriage to Olympias affect Macedonia’s western frontier?
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Philip II
Bust, tentatively identified as Philip II of Macedonia, mid-4th century bce; in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen.
Philip II’s marriage to Olympias, a Molossian princess of Epirus, served as a strategic alliance that helped to stabilize Macedonia’s western frontier. By securing this diplomatic tie, Philip was able to mitigate threats from the west, allowing him to focus his military and political efforts on expanding his influence elsewhere, such as in Thrace and Greece.1