Battle of Chaeronea
338 BCE · Greece
The Battle of Chaeronea was fought in 338 BCE in Greece between Kingdom of Macedon vs Athens, Thebes and allied Greek states; decisive Macedonian victory that established Macedonian control over Greece.
Battle of Chaeronea: quick facts
- Date
- 338 BCE
- Location
- Greece
- Belligerents
- Kingdom of Macedon vs Athens, Thebes and allied Greek states
- Commanders
- Philip II and Alexander the Great vs Chares and Theagenes
- Result
- decisive Macedonian victory that established Macedonian control over Greece.
- Era
- 🏺 Ancient Greece & Rome
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Chaeronea?
Philip II of Macedon crushed the combined armies of Athens and Thebes at Chaeronea, ending Greek city-state independence forever. The eighteen-year-old Alexander commanded the left wing and led the Companion cavalry charge that annihilated the Theban Sacred Band. The victory made Philip the master of Greece and set the stage for Alexander's later conquest of the Persian Empire.
Did you know?
After Chaeronea, Philip II erected a stone lion over the mass grave of the Theban Sacred Band. When excavated in 1890, 254 skeletons were found arranged in seven orderly rows.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Chaeronea on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.