Alexander: The Not So Great

1861 Words4 Pages

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... ... middle of paper ... ...o hundred thousand murders during Alexander’s reign of terror into account. Alexander the Great was not so great! Works Cited About.com. "Alexander the Great Battle of Chaeronea." 2013. Battle of Chaeronea. Document. 2 November 2013. History, BBC. Alexander the Great (356-323 BC). 2013. Document. 2 November 2013. Jarus, Owen. "Alexander the Great: Facts, Biography, and Accomplishments." 27 September 2013. livescience. Document. 27 October 2013. Macedonia.org, History of. Alexander the Great Alexander of Macedon biography: King of Macedonia and Conqueror of Persian Empire. 2001-2013. Document. 11 October 2013. Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization Eighth Edition. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012, 2009, 2006. Print. White, Matthew. Selected Death Tolls for Wars, Massacres, and Atrocites Before the 20th Century. 1999-2010. Document. 30 October 2013.

More about Alexander: The Not So Great

Open Document