Alexander the Great and his Great Empire

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Recommended: Analysis of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great is remembered as a conquering man who built one of the largest empires. Some describe him as a man with a vision of world harmony. Others see him as a blood thirsty man with a mental illness. One thing that cannot be argued is that he and his empire are fascinating studies. From his rise to power to his mysterious death is interesting, but even after he died the story is fascinating. Due to his death, his empire was divided and a long power-struggle began starting with his generals. Each account has its own story of war and betrayal. These days must have been hard for those in power; they never knew who they could trust. Only the ones who were skilled in the strategy of war and ruthless enough to maintain their power would be the ones to make a name. The first to do this was Alexander the Great. He was born 356 BC in Pella. His father was Philip II and his mother was Olympias. She was a very spiritual woman who taught Alexander that he was a descendant of Achilles and Hercules.

Philip II was assassinated in 336 BC and Alexander took the throne at the age of 20. Alexander went on to spread his empire. In 334 BC he crossed the Hellespont with 42,000 soldiers and took the Persian Empire and soon after a part that was then India but today Pakistan. He 326 BC Alexander became ill. He apparently came down with a fever that progressed worse and worse until killing him. There is suspicion of poison but it is not confirmed. He died at the age of 32.

Alexander did not have an heir to rule his vast empire. His generals disputed over who this should be. Alexander had an unborn child by Roxana and a half brother by the name of Arrihaeus. Perdiccas, the cavalry commander wanted to wait until Alexander’s son (Alexander ...

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...The Seleucids continued to about 63 B.C. when Pompey saw the Seleucids as troublesome, and did away with the Seleucid princes and incorporated Syria into a Roman province. Rome eventually took over all of these mentioned. The rise and fall of these empires show man’s thirst for power. In these days trust was probably something rare, it was everyman for himself fighting to be at the top.

Works Cited

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucus_I_Nicator#Second_War_of_the_Diadochi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucid_era

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucus_I_Nicator#Seleucia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucus_I_Nicator#Death_and_legacy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucus_I_Nicator#Death_and_legacy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_III_the_Great#Bactrian_campaign_and_Indian_expedition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IV_Epiphanes

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