Alexander III, known today as Alexander the Great, was born in the kingdom of Macedon on the twenty-first of July, 356 BC, and became king upon the death of his father, King Philip II, in 336 BC. Alexander acquired his nickname at the age of 18, two years before he became king, both for his military prowess and for his diplomatic skills. Alexander’s promise as a general was first noted at the Battle of Charonea in 338 BC, where he helped to turn the tide of the battle and bring about a decisive Macedonian victory, defeating the allied Greek city-states. In 334 BC, when Alexander had been king for roughly two years, he crossed over into Asia Minor, sacked the city of Baalbek, and renamed it Heliopolis. He then went on to liberate the Greek …show more content…
He is, in fact, still known in some areas and cultures as “Two-horned devil” because of how ruthlessly he treated those who dared to oppose him. While Alexander is seen often in Western culture as a great hero, many Eastern cultures still see him as a symbol of death and destruction the likes of which would not be seen again until Genghis Khan. Though Alexander, with his love of Homer’s stories and desire to live his life in much the same way as the great Achilles, would have likely preferred the Western image, the facts often show him in an entirely different light. The best known example of his ruthless behavior is probably the siege of Tyre. After a lengthy siege, Alexander took Tyre, but the people of the city continued to resist his rule. As punishment, nearly all of the inhabitants of the city were slaughtered while Alexander’s troops looted the city. The few survivors were sold into …show more content…
Having heard of Alexander’s ruthlessness, most of the area’s kings and leaders gave in to him without a fight, but a few tribes still resisted him. In battles over the next two years, Alexander conquered these tribes, finally defeating his last remaining opponent in the area, King Porus of Paurava, on the battlefield in late 326 BC. Alexander intended to cross the Ganges River to conquer India, but his troops, exhausted from near-constant fighting, refused to continue, threatening mutiny. Alexander tried to persuade them to press on, but eventually relented. He sent half of his army home and marched the other half along the route he had originally planned. Alexander made many more plans for his empire, but would not live to see them completed. He died in Babylon in the summer of 323 BC. He was thirty-two years old. Theories abound concerning the cause of his death, some of the most popular ones being poisoning or malaria. Plutarch stated that, two weeks prior to his death, Alexander entertained two of his close friends with days of parties and drinking, and then fell into a fever that ultimately ended his life. When Alexander was asked who should succeed him, his only answer was, “The strongest”, which led to his empire being divided between four of his generals: Cassander, Ptolemy, Antigonus, and
Diodorus and Plutarch portray Alexander with extreme amounts of arrogance because of his extravagant ideas and goals, but in Arrian’s pieces, Alexander is shown as a barbarian because of his inheritance of Persian culture.
Many small government officials took pieces of land, changing the laws and affecting the citizens in big ways. Ten years later, the empire fell apart, leaving people with many burdens. Alexander left his empire after he died in a big mess, hoping someone could help him. This was unsmart because even though death might not be expected, it is always important to create a will with as much at stake as there was in Alexander’s situation. In summary, Alexander was not smart because he wasn’t able to think ahead to help his empire stay strong.
He was a heavy drinker of wine and when he drank, he became very aggressive with an uncontrollable temper. These drunken states led to irrational decisions and questionable events [Foner and Garraty]. The obsession he had with constructing a name for himself led him to not being able to accept criticism. When he is confronted with criticism, he becomes spiteful, ill-mannered and harsh. Alexander was also known to have an erratic temper with impassioned outbursts. These outbursts could lead to the most tragic outcomes. For example, Alexander murdered Cleitus during a drunken rage outburst
Bury, J. B.; Russell Meiggs (2000). A History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great
Greene, David and Richmond Lattimore, Eds. Greek Tragedies. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1991.
Alexander the Great is hailed, by most historians, as “The Great Conqueror” of the world in the days of ancient Mesopotamia. “Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in little more than a decade. Alexander was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BCE. His parents were Philip II of Macedon and his wife Olympias. Philip was assassinated in 336 BCE and Alexander inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom. He quickly dealt with his enemies at home and reasserted Macedonian power within Greece. He then set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire” (Web, BBC History). It is important to note, which will maybe explain his brutal actions, that Alexander was only twenty years old when he became the king of Macedonia. “When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next three years Aristotle gave Alexander training in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which became of importance in Alexander’s later life” (Web, Project of History of Macedonia). “In, 340, when Philip assembled a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16 years old son with the power to rule Macedonia in his absence as regent, but as the Macedonian army advanced deep into Thrace, the Thracian tribe of Maedi bordering north-eastern Macedonia rebelled and posed a danger to the country. Alexander assembled an army, led it against the rebels, and with swift action defeated the Maedi, captured their stronghold, and renamed it after himself to Alexandropolis. Two years later in 338 BC, Philip gave his son a commanding post among the senior gener...
Alexander began his military campaign and his rule much where his father left off. Whether or not it was his aim, this created a sense of normality for the men that was part of his father’s regime. Alexander’s position as a warrior-king who stood side-by-side among his men also served to create respect among his peers. Gradually, as Alexander conquered more Persian land, he began to adopt the policies of Persian rulers. Alexander’s change in policy extended beyond just political roles, he gave consideration to the local gods in many of the lands that he conquered. Eventually, Alexander brought people in from the conquered nations to serve under him.
As Cyrus the Great did with his conquests, Alexander gave cities an ultimatum between amnesty for submission or merciless battle when met with resistance (Cole and Symes). This choice allowed some regions to be spared from being ruined or burnt down while also demonstrating the assimilation and accommodations of some cultures as Alexander allowed some officials to hold title, as previously said. He was able to sustain a healthy order among his empire by blending and adopting court customs and traditions, using regional and local systems, as well as dividing power and leadership to his loyal followers. When conquering Persia and becoming the new Emperor after defeating Darius III, he was able to arrange mass marriages between his officers and Persian noblewomen, train Persian youths to fight in hoplite formation, adopt Persian dress, and encouraged the ritual of proskynesis, which had those of a lesser social status submit to the Great King (Cole and Symes). This interchanging of Greek and Persian culture, while meeting resistance from some Greeks, revealed how Alexander was able to maintain such a large empire, while having a strong presence in all the various regions of the known world (“Alexander the Great Biography”). This was significant because it maintained his vision of spreading Hellenic culture while also being flexible
Alexander the Great was a Macedonian Kind who lived between 356 and 323 BC and conquered many settlements during his lifetime including the entire Persian empire. He was extremely successful throughout his career. This success can be put down to his great military power and his persistence and determination. He was also a very brave, confident and capable man which allowed him to lead his army. The sources created at this time give the modern audience a better understanding of what Alexander was like and how these characteristics made him successful.
Alexander the Great was born in 356 BC in Pella, Greece. He took over the throne when he was 21, in 336 BC, when his father was murdered. In his time as king, Alexander united the Greek city states and built over a dozen cities, including Alexandria. His empire stretched over 2 million square miles, and he never lost a battle in his lifetime. Alexander died of Malaria in 323 BC.
Alexander III of Macedon, more commonly known as Alexander the Great, was one of, if not the most brilliant military commander ever to walk the earth. At the young age of 20, he had secured the Macedonian throne after the death of his father Philip II, and would go on to unify all of Greece less than two years later. By the time he died in 323 B.C., he would have accomplished more in a short 32 years than what many men could do in twice that. In his ten years of campaigning, he would conquer all the way from Asia Minor south to Egypt, and east to India. One of Alexander the Great’s best and most prominent qualities was his tactical brilliance.
Alexanders vast empire did not last because although he fathered a successor, that child was not born when Alexander died. All Alexander was interested in was his rapid military conquests. His empire was a prize for the taking due to the murder of Roxanna who was a threat by the generals. The war lasted for decades and tore Alexanders empire apart.
Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedon, ‘‘whose accomplishments laid a firm foundation for Alexander’s later success”. Following his father’s death, Alexander claimed the title of king at only the age of eighteen. He then went on to build his empire and become one of the greatest conquerors the world had ever seen. Some of his most notable conquests were those of Egypt and Persia, which later became two of the three divisions of Alexander’s empire, along with Macedonia. At the age of just 33, Alexander died of unknown causes, having never lost a battle.
It was all he could do to keep going, but he did so, and the result was that the men were the better able to endure their misery when they saw that it was equally shared” (document D). This adds also to the fact that he was caring. He could have just found water and drank it for himself, but he made a bold decision to suffer like the soldiers, which was somewhat comforting to the rest of the Macedonian army. Next, Alexander III persevered and used clever ways to carry out his plan. According to the writings of an ancient Greek philosopher, he states, “When Alexander saw this he decided to move his troops in all different directions so that Porus would keep puzzled . . .
He entered India, in 327 BC. The Indian leader Porus, wouldn’t give in so easily to the Eastern “god”. In 326 BC, Alexander won against Porus of Paurava using the phalanx against Porus’s troops of elephants. The Phalanx is a square 16 by 16 square of men holding 13ft spears. One of the battles against Porus took place at the Hydaspes River, where sadly Alexander’s horse died.