Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedon and Princess Olympias of Epirus. Both his parents had strong personalities and influenced their son in different ways. Olympias had a fiery temperament and did not tolerate Philip having other wives and lovers. As Alexander was close to his mother, this bred further discontent between himself and Philip, who had a difficult relationship right up until Philip was murdered. Most importantly however, Philip was someone Alexander could emulate and because of his passionate desire for fame, Alexander would attempt to surpass his father wherever possible. Philip II reinvigorated a formerly weak kingdom in Macedon to create the most powerful state in Northern Greece . From his childhood, Alexander had a legacy to continue and he was eager to prove himself in any way. Even Philip himself noted his son’s great aspirations and perhaps put ideas in Alexander head; My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions.