Introduction Alexander III, commonly known as Alexander the Great of Macedonia, was born to Philip II, the king of Macedonia, and Olympias of Epirus in 356 BCE. He was a warrior by 16, a commander by 18 and crowned king of Macedonia by age 20. He played a powerful role in history by conquering one of the largest empires in the ancient world, stretching from Ionian Sea to the Hindukush. He was undefeated in the war and considered as one of the most successful commander in history. Though he respected local traditions of the conquered kingdom, Alexander was ruthless to the people who revolted. Although he was a supreme warrior who never lost a battle, Alexander the Great's most significant achievement was blending the Greek, Persian, Egyptian, …show more content…
Throughout his life, he conquered many kingdoms expanding the Macedonian Empire. After he began his reign, he started to enforce his father’s plan to invade Persia, which was the largest and wealthiest empire at that time period. Though his army was majorly outnumbered, Alexander defeated Persian King Darius III using his brilliance. Darius III fled away and his own officers murdered him angered by his spinelessness and to gain the favor of Alexander (Skelton and Dell 12). Alexander then crossed the Hindukush river and conquered Bactria and Sogdiana. According to Alexander and Aristotle, greatness as an Emperor can be achieved when he conquers and reaches the end of the world, which Alexander believed is invasion of India. So, Alexander continued to march into India unaware of the area, weather conditions and the power of Indian Kingdoms (Skelton and Dell 52-53). His first invasion of ancient India was against King Porus of Punjab in the Battle of Hydaspes. Alexander’s army was weakened during this war due to the use of Elephant Cavalry by King Porus and Bucephalus died due to severe wounds. Alexander won the battle and turned back to Macedonia after realizing the unlikeliness of conquering India with soldiers, who refused to fight ("Alexander the Great" World Eras). Alexander’s military campaigns played a major role in …show more content…
Alexander valued education and spread it to regions he conquered. Though Alexander allowed people to follow their religion, culture, and traditions, Alexander made Greek the official language of his empire. Official documents and law was written in Greek. King and scholars in Egypt learned Greek, while commoners used Egyptian language on daily basis, as Greeks hardly ruled outside Alexandria. Greek became the universal language, which helped in extraordinary cultural development and exchange of ideas. Education through the Greek language extended knowledge of Greek culture, and also helped Greeks to be aware of the achievements of other civilizations (Skelton and Dell 109-111). Though medicines date back to ancient Greece, the first real hospitals came into existence in the time of Alexander. Greeks were well known for knowledge and techniques of health and healing and were also respected by Persians, their ancient enemies (Skelton and Dell 113). Alexander tolerated other religions and offered sacrifices to their Gods integrating their religion into his own. Buddhism spread through the empire, when some of Alexander’s companions became buddhists during their campaign in India. Alexander also admired and interviewed Agoras (Skelton and Dell 103). During the time of Alexander, Greeks technologies used technologies such as map making, which
Alexander adopted Persian governing practices, but he had little use for Persian culture. According to his Greek biographer Plutarch, he considered himself "a governor from God and a reconciler of the world." He hoped that Greek culture would, through his actions, permeate all of Asia, inspiring its peoples to pursue virtue, excellence, and truth. This heroic idealism blended with practicality in his plan to develop the Tigris, Euphrates, and Indus rivers as commercial waterways linking all of Asia These undertakings promised to be long and difficult, however, and Alexander was an impatient man. His soldiers' unwillingness to proceed past the Indus was a great disappointment to him, for which he compensated by throwing his own festivals and celebrations. Alexander showed early leadership qualities. When King Phillip invaded Thrace, he left Alexander in charge of Macedonia at the age of 16. During his father's absence, one of the Thracian tribes, the Maedi, rebelled. Alexander was able to mobilize an army and put down the rebellion. In 336 B.C, Alexander's father was assassinated, putting Alexander on the throne at the age of 20. Shortly after this, Alexander left Macedonia with his armies to put down rebellions in the countries of Illyria, Thrace and Greece, all of which had previously been conquered by King Phillip. Alexander then moved his armies into Asia Minor and began to conquer the peoples there. Among the countries conquered by Alexander were Syria, Phoenicia and
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.
Alexander was Great because of his leadership. When Alexander went into battle, he used lots of complicated strategies to win. Due to the teachings of Aristotle, he was a force to reckoned with. One example comes from Doc B.The battle was set in India, against a king named Porus. He had more than 30 elephants under his control. The one thing that separated them was a shallow river. The document tells us that he would “Take his cavalry to various positions along the river bank where he would create a clamor… This went on for quite a time until Porus no longer reacted” Alexander used great strategy to outsmart his enemy.
Alexander the Great was only 20 years when his father Philip of Macedon died. Even though he was a young man, he had an unusual talent for politics and military tactics. After his father’s death, Alexander moved to continue Philip’s invasion of Persia. In the ten years of his war campaigns, Alexander conquered a large portion of the then-known world. (Judge & Langdon, 2012.)
Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. Even at an early age, Alexander had the promise to become a great leader. Through all his victories and conquests, he has become a great hero and has had a large impact on history. That is why I chose he book Alexander the Great, by J.R. Hamilton for my review. Hamilton does a very good job with the story of Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great is considered to be one of the greatest leaders and military geniuses of all history. Alexander was born on July 21, 356 BC. He was the son of King Philip II of Macedon and Olympias. In his youth, Alexander was taught by Leonidas of Epirus to fight and ride. Alexanders father was concerned with training his son to become a future king. Philip hired Lysimachus of Acarnania to teach Alexander the basic skill of reading, writing and also to play the lyre. Lysimachus’s teachings inspired a love of music and writing for Alexander. Aristotle was also hired by Philip to be a private tutor for Alexander. Alexander was taught about philosophy, medicine, and scientific investigation. Aristotle tutored Alexander for three years and would remain in contact with
Alexander The Great was a king of ancient Greek kingdom Macedon. He ruled in many places, like in, Greece,Persia,and Egypt. Alexander ruled through 336-323 B.C. , only 13 years in office. He was known for being the greatest military geniuses of all time. Alexander the Great was a villain because he sold 20,000 people into slavery,he treated overthrown territories with cruelty, and Alexander took over many countries and he was still not satisfied.
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.
One of the greatest Empires that has ever existed is the empire that Alexander the Great had controlled for the majority of his life. He was able to conquer areas within Asia minor and defeat the Persian empire. The Hellenistic Empire stretched from Macedonia and Egypt till India. His legacy allowed him to be able to establish his Ephemeral empire mainly due to his charisma and his military expertise allowing him to be a pragmatic leader. However, till his death, Alexander the Great had showed great signs of weakness, which signified that his empire would collapse after his death due to his paranoia and the conflict of power he had with his underlings.
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...
However, he was no ordinary king. Alexander gained the love of his people by fighting alongside them, and even leading the charge, in the many battles that occurred as his army went from city to city conquering all of the land imaginable from Macedonia to eastern India. Because of Alexander’s bravery and charisma, his people viewed him as a god. His conquests led to the spread of Hellenistic culture
From then on, Alexander set charge to complete what his father had set out to do. This quest was to conquer the Persian Empire ruled by Darius. Alexander began his war against the Persians in 334 BC. The Persian army of possibly 200,000 faced off against Alexander's 35,000. Alexander led the charge that crashed through to the Persian rear. At the battle of Issus, Darius fled, leaving the field and victory to Alexander. Alexander established what his father could not live long enough to do (“Alexander Defeats the Persians”). These facts can show the audience how Alexander had great determination. By defeating Persia, Alexander put himself in great position to defeat much more land. Likewise, this was the start to creating the the largest empire. His defeat of the Persian empire also allowed Greek culture to
Spread of the Koine Greek language was rapid and provided a means of communication and power for indigenous peoples who learned the language. The New Testament of the Bible was also written in Koine Greek. Alexander brought Greek culture to the world in a way that was not achieved during the Hellenic era. The idea of the universal culture of the Hellenistic era similarly influenced the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire also assimilated conquered peoples into the empire, and attempted to establish Roman influence in conquered lands. Hellenic Greece was also valuable in the amount of philosophical ideas, art, and culture. However, in the Hellenistic era, the spread of Greek influence was important and led to the greatest impact on the future. Without the spread of Greek influence the ideas of Cleisthenes, Aristotle, Alexander, and of Greek scientists would have remained in Athens as well as the Grecian peninsula. Also, Alexander revived the declining progress in Athens and all of Greece due to war and internal conflict, and united Greece, for the most part, against a common foe, the Persians. The impact of the Hellenic age would not have been realized without the assistance from Alexander’s
Alexander the Great was the founder of one of the biggest empires in the world as of today. Alexander III was born to Phillip II, king of Macedon, in the year 356 BC during the third year of Phillip’s reign. His mother, Olympias, was the princess of Epirus and Phillip’s fourth wife. He gained his kingship at the age of twenty years old during 336 BC when his father was assassinated by Pausanias, one of Phillip’s own gaurds.(Renault 10) Being the eldest son, he immediately took the throne and began his reign as one of the most well known conquerers in the world. His vast empire fell after his death in 323 BC almost instantly. There are three reason as to why it fell apart so quickly: His troops hated him, after his death there was a major problem
There are many leaders in the world, but a great ruler is passionate, honorable and one who can inspire even in the most hopeless circumstances. Alexander the Great was a great ruler. Alexander the Great was a ruler that was not only inspiring, but he was fearless, smart, bold and courageous. Alexander the Great inspired his soldiers to crave more. He has inspired people since the day he started ruling. What is inspirational about Alexander the Great is that he inspired his troops to the point that they did not question him when they were outnumbered three to one in a battle, they trusted him with their lives and were willing to die for him (Alexander the Great: man behind the legend).