The Battles Of The Battle Of Alexander The Great

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Alexander the Great was able to accomplish more in the thirty-two years of his lifetime than anyone in the world. With the win of every battle and siege that Alexander the Great took part in, he expanded his empire stretching from Macedonia all the way to western Asia by the Hyphasis River and down into Egypt. Of the around twenty battles and sieges that Alexander the Great won, four stand out as the most important to his expansion of his empire based on the tactics, strategies, achievements, outcomes, and gains of each battle: the Battle of Granicus, the Battle of Issus, the Siege of Tyre, and the Battle of Gaugamela. The first battle that would start the expansion of Alexander’s empire and continue his father’s, King Philip II, empire was the Battle of Granicus which took place in May 334 B.C. along the Granicus River. This battle would bring to light many intriguing qualities of Alexander that would later help him win the battles he fought and expand his empire. The Persians tactics in this battle, along with their advantages, all point towards them being the victors. First, the Persians chose the Granicus River as the spot for the battle to work in their favor for they know that Alexander’s army would have a difficult time trying to cross the river on horseback and on foot because of the power and size of the river. On top of that, the Macedonians would have a loss of energy after crossing the river and would not have the ability to fight as best as they could of if they were not forced to cross a deep river with a strong current. Not only was the place of the battle advantageous for the Persians, but their formation was laid out in such a way that it would make it harder for the Macedonians to defeat them. King Darius ... ... middle of paper ... ...tle against Darius, had finally defeated him and got rid of the Persian threat. With the assassination of Darius by his own commanders, Alexander was able to continue to move through Asia all the way to Hyphasis River. Had Alexander not won this battle, the Persian confidence would have greatly increased and Alexander’s chances of winning would greatly decrease. These four battles and sieges, out of the twenty battles and sieges that Alexander took part in, were the most important to the expansion of his empire. Without these victories, Alexander would not have been able to expand his empire as much and his existing empire would constantly be threatened by the Persians and their allies. These four battles and sieges further proved the intelligence, cleverness, bravery, astuteness, and graciousness of Alexander, and thus earning him the name Alexander the Great.

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