In a country to the north of Greece, called Macedonia, there was a ruler named Philip II. He was 23 strong and fearless and he had plans to build an empire that included the lands of Greece and of Persia. He accomplished this but was assinated at his daughter's wedding in 336 BCE. Philip's son, Alexander, then 20 years old, took the throne. Alexander was well-prepared for the job of king. He had been tutored by the finest Greek scholars and trained in the Macedonian army. He continued his father’s plan of creating an empire. And history will remember him as Alexander the Great.