Alexander The Great's Influence On Greece

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Why was Alexander the Great called great? Maybe it was because he was supposedly the son of Zeus, or maybe because he conquered the biggest empire of his time. Possibly it was that he solved the impossible knot, but most likely it is a mix of things. All we know is that Alexander was one of Greece’s best kings and he greatly influenced Greek culture and history. He was definitely great. Alexander the Great was influential to Greece because he was a great leader, he reinvented and perfected their war strategies and his tactics are still used today, and he doubled the Greek Empire. Alexander the Great’s father, King Philip II, was an inspiration to him and paved the way to his many successes. Alexander the Great was born in Macedonia in 356 …show more content…

He told Alexander that Macedonia would not be a big enough kingdom for him to rule and that he should seek new lands when the time came. (Waterfield and Waterfield, 4) In fact, he was only sixteen when his father first allowed Alexander to lead his army which led to his first early victory and taste of success as a leader. (Waterfield and Waterfield, 13). During Philip’s rule, the Persian Empire under King Darius had attempted to conquer the Greek city-states but had failed. King Philip and eventually Alexander, instead were the ones who succeeded in taking over Greece and expanding the empire extensively. (ConnectED, 1) To start, Persia was fifty times larger than Greece and Macedonia combined, and they were rich with people, war resources, and precious metals. In comparison, the Macedonian king looked like a beggar with far fewer warships, people, and cash. (Martin and Blackwell, 1-2). Under the rule of King Philip II, however, Macedonia became one of the greatest empires in the ancient world. (ConnectED, 2), but to remain a successful ruler, the Kings of Macedonia had to constantly win, and conquer, and …show more content…

One example of his boldness as a leader was shown in the story of the impossible knot. There was a very difficult knot to untie, and there was a prophecy that whomever solved the knot would be the next ruler of Asia. As typical of his bold leadership style, Alexander sliced through the knot with his sword and solved it his own way (History Channel, 1). Early in life, Alexander and other sons of the wealthy learned to fight to maintain their status and protect their land. They learned to fight with words and weapons, and to believe that they were superior to others (Blackwell, Clark Pg 10). In Macedonia, there was a lot of pressure on the son of a King. He had to constantly be winning and could never settle for second best (Blackwell, Clark Pg 16). Alexander’s early education probably was one of the main keys to his great courage. When he was a young boy, he read the Greek epics, and his favorite stories were about his role model, the warrior and hero, Achilles (ConectEd Pg 4). When Alexander was 16, his father went to battle and left the young man in charge of the kingdom. While his father was gone, a nearby tribe tried to revolt against Macedonia, but Alexander quickly beat them down and achieved his first victory as well as and easily winning the respect of his soldiers with his toughness and skill (History

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