Alexander's Early Bravery and estrangement from Philip

http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_plutarch_alexander.htm
Al4exander at 16 was left as lieutenanty in Macedon ,and went out and reduced the Maedi,taking their town by storm ,drove out the barbarians and replanted a colony,renaming it Alexandropolis.At Chaeronea ,his father fought the Grecians ,he was the first man to charge the Thebans sacred band,and there stood an old Oak by the river Cephisus called Alexander's Oak because his tent was pitched under it. This was early bravery a prelude to later estrangement from his father Philip.even though Philip was pleased at his subjects calling Alexander their king, and Philip their general. His new marriages and attachm,ents casued the later estrangement just alluded to.

• The rifts were made wider by Olympias a jealous woman.


• Philip fell in love with and married Cleopatra and at the wedding (she was much too young for Philip) her uncle Attalus with drink desired the Macedonians implore the gods to give them a lawful successor to the kingdom by his niece. Alexander fell into a rage throwing one of the cups at his head exclaiming,"What am I ,teh, a bastard?"Philip took Attalus' part arose and would have run Alexander through but slipped and fell,fortunately. Alexander then reproached him with additional insult (Quote) "See there," said he, "the man, who makes preparations to pass out of Europe into Asia, overturned in passing from one seat to another." He and Olympias withdrew, he to Ilyria and she to Epirus.


• Demaratus the Corinthian , in response to Philip's question about Greek strife stated it ill befitted Philip to comment when such strife in his own house existed.Demaratus' mediation prevailed and he sent for Alexander to reconcile with him but this did not last for long.


• The affair with Pixodorus quoted below opened wounds afresh. (QUOTE) when Pixodorus, viceroy of Caria, sent Aristocritus to treat for a match between his eldest daughter and Philip's son Arrhidaeus, hoping by this alliance to secure his assistance upon occasion, Alexander's mother, and some who pretended to be his friends, presently filled his head with tales and calumnies, as if Philip, by a splendid marriage and important alliance, were preparing the way for settling the kingdom upon Arrhidaeus. In alarm at this, he dispatched Thessalus, the tragic actor, into Caria, to dispose Pixodorus to slight Arrhidaeus, both as illegitimate and a fool, and rather to accept of himself for his son-in-law. This proposition was much more agreeable to Pixodorus than the former. But Philip, as soon as he was made acquainted with this transaction, went to his son's apartment, taking with him Philotas, the son of Parmenio, one of Alexander's intimate friends and companions, and there reproved him severely, and reproached him bitterly, that he should be so degenerate, and unworthy of the power he was to leave him, as to desire the alliance of a mean Carian, who was at best but the slave of a barbarous prince. Nor did this satisfy his resentment, for he wrote to the Corinthians, to send Thessalus to him in chains, and banished Harpalus, Nearchus, Erigyius, and Ptolemy, his son's friends and favorites, whom Alexander afterwards recalled, and raised to great honor and preferment.
  

While Philip went on his expedition against the Byzantines, he left
Alexander, then sixteen years old, his lieutenant in Macedonia, committing the
charge of his seal to him; who, not to sit idle, reduced the rebellious Maedi,
and having taken their chief town by storm, drove out the barbarous inhabitants,
and planting a colony of several nations in their room, called the place after
his own name, Alexandropolis. At the battle of Chaeronea, which his father
fought against the Grecians, he is said to have been the first man that charged
the Thebans' sacred band. And even in my remembrance, there stood an old oak
near the river Cephisus, which people called Alexander's oak, because his tent
was pitched under it. And not far off are to be seen the graves of the
Macedonians who fell in that battle. This early bravery made Philip so fond of
him, that nothing pleased him more than to hear his subjects call himself their
general and Alexander their king.
But the disorders of his family, chiefly
caused by his new marriages and attachments, (the troubles that began in the
women's chambers spreading, so to say, to the whole kingdom,) raised various
complaints and differences between them, which the violence of Olympias, a woman
of a jealous and implacable temper, made wider, by exasperating Alexander
against his father. Among the rest, this accident contributed most to their
falling out. At the wedding of Cleopatra, whom Philip fell in love with and
married, she being much too young for him, her uncle Attalus in his drink
desired the Macedonians would implore the gods to give them a lawful successor
to the kingdom by his niece. This so irritated Alexander, that throwing one of
the cups at his head, "You villain," said he, "what, am I then a bastard?" Then
Philip taking Attalus's part, rose up and would have run his son through; but by
good fortune for them both, either his over-hasty rage, or the wine he had
drunk, made his foot slip, so that he fell down on the floor. At which Alexander
reproachfully insulted over him: "See there," said he, "the man, who makes
preparations to pass out of Europe into Asia, overturned in passing from one
seat to another." After this debauch, he and his mother Olympias withdrew from
Philip's company, and when he had placed her in Epirus, he himself retired into
Illyria.
About this time, Demaratus the Corinthian, an old friend of the
family, who had the freedom to say anything among them without offense, coming
to visit Philip, after the first compliments and embraces were over, Philip
asked him, whether the Grecians were at amity with one another. "It ill becomes
you," replied Demaratus, "to be so solicitous about Greece, when you have
involved your own house in so many dissensions and calamities." He was so
convinced by this seasonable reproach, that he immediately sent for his son
home, and by Demartatus's mediation prevailed with him to return. But this
reconciliation lasted not long; for when Pixodorus, viceroy of Caria, sent
Aristocritus to treat for a match between his eldest daughter and Philip's son
Arrhidaeus, hoping by this alliance to secure his assistance upon occasion,
Alexander's mother, and some who pretended to be his friends, presently filled
his head with tales and calumnies, as if Philip, by a splendid marriage and
important alliance, were preparing the way for settling the kingdom upon
Arrhidaeus. In alarm at this, he dispatched Thessalus, the tragic actor, into
Caria, to dispose Pixodorus to slight Arrhidaeus, both as illegitimate and a
fool, and rather to accept of himself for his son-in-law. This proposition was
much more agreeable to Pixodorus than the former. But Philip, as soon as he was
made acquainted with this transaction, went to his son's apartment, taking with
him Philotas, the son of Parmenio, one of Alexander's intimate friends and
companions, and there reproved him severely, and reproached him bitterly, that
he should be so degenerate, and unworthy of the power he was to leave him, as to
desire the alliance of a mean Carian, who was at best but the slave of a
barbarous prince. Nor did this satisfy his resentment, for he wrote to the
Corinthians, to send Thessalus to him in chains, and banished Harpalus,
Nearchus, Erigyius, and Ptolemy, his son's friends and favorites, whom Alexander
afterwards recalled, and raised to great honor and preferment.