There have been many leaders who have contributed to our history, but one man who portrayed outstanding leadership qualities was Alexander of Macedonia, more commonly referred to as Alexander the Great. Alexander gained control of the Macedonian empire and led his men to victory by conquering the Persian Empire. Not only did his conquest enhance his overall image as a great military leader, but the characteristics he developed throughout his lifetime also played a role in his tremendous success. Although Alexander encountered many obstacles throughout his conquests, he was able to maintain focus in his men as well as himself, which is why he was capable of accomplishing all that he did. Therefore, throughout Alexander’s conquest much of his success can be credited to his great leadership skills, which include his courage, confidence, respect for his men, and strategic military skills, which are all contributing factors to him becoming one of the greatest leaders in history.
Alexander’s success arose during his childhood and carried over into his reign as king of Macedonia. Alexander was born on July 20 356 BCE in Pella, the capital of Macedonia, to his parents Philip II, king of Macedonia, and his wife, Olympias. Alexander grew up in royalty, which gave him interest in becoming king and ruling his own empire. Alexander’s father, Philip II, assigned Aristotle as Alexander’s tutor. Aristotle played a significant role in transforming Alexander into the successful leader he became. Plutarch states, “It would appear that Alexander received from him not only his doctrines of Morals and Politics, but also something of those more abstruse and profound theories which these philosophers, by the very names they gave t...
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...r, but he didn’t let either of those concerns hinder what he desired to achieve. All in all, during Alexander’s short-lived life he was able to accomplish what most leaders can’t accomplish in an entire lifetime, due to his leadership qualities that allowed him to be known as one of the greatest leaders of all time.
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Arrian. The Campaigns of Alexander. Trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt. London: Penguin Books, 1958. Print.
Cartledge, Paul. Alexander The Great. New York: The Overlook Press, 2004. Print.
Hammond, N.G.L. The Genius of Alexander the Great. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1997. Print.
Emmons, Jim Tschen. "Alexander the Great." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Plutarch. The Life of Alexander the Great. Trans. John Dryden. New York: The Modern Library, 2004. Print.
Alexander the Great has been considered for centuries as a military genius and influenced conquerors such as Hannibal the Carthaginian, the Romans Pompey, Caesar and Napoleon. Although, he inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army, Alexander was capable to display his leadership and military capabilities. In 338 B.C., his father, King Phillip II, gave Alexander a commanding post among the senior generals as the Ma...
Alexander inherited an impressive military from his father and a stable kingdom; he also followed his father’s plans to invade Asia. Does this detract from his own accomplishments with the Macedonian army? I would argue that it does not. It does not matter how large his or how well trained his standing army had been, there can be no success without some form of military leadership.
Life of Alexander the Great of Macedonia is one of the most remarkable Ancient Greece stories that prevail even in this present era. The ancient Greek sources clearly identify the life of Alexander as the one which broaden our understanding about the heroes of the Ancient times. Plutarch parallel lives are one of the sources that equip classical study and any other studies with necessary details of how Alexander manifested his life as an Ancient Greek hero. However the invention of motion pictures (cinema) had created another dimension in analysing Life of Alexander. Firstly Robert Rossen released a life of Alexander a nearly half century ago, which did not make much effort addition to what literature has far reached, and it was argued that his film consist some inaccuracies. Oliver Stone, a screenwriter also wrote a Life of Alexander (2004-2005) and it reached its hype as a cinematic presentation and it also depicts nearly accurate historical information about the life of Alexander the great. Oliver Stone’s Life of Alexander remains the controversial presentation when studying the Life of Alexander. This short essay will critically investigate how Stone went about constructing his ‘biopic’ of Alexander, including a consideration of which episodes were included as well as those which were excluded.
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.)
Have you heard of a man named Alexander the Great, the famous historical figure? There are many amazing stories about him explaining the courageous things he had accomplished. However, if you learn more about him and his accomplishments you will soon realized the real person Alexander was. Alexander the Great, ruler of his empire was in fact not great as his title states. The definition of great is a person who shows concern for others, has leadership and shows intelligence. Alexander didn’t show any of these characteristics therefore he doesn’t deserve the title of “great”.
Plutarch’s Life of Alexander speaks of Alexander’s father telling him “my son, seek thee out a kingdom equal to thyself; Macedonia has not room for thee” (Plutarch, 6.1). Aristotle tutored Alexander where he encouraged his ambition, and taught him that bravery in a man was an admirable quality. Alexander’s birth was associated with great signs; Plutarch writes “Alexander was born the sixth of Hecatombeon … the same day that the temple of Diana was burnt while its mistress was absent, assisting at the birth of Alexander” (Plutarch, Lives).
In the countries who believed Alexander was the son of the devil or the devil himself, will say he is not ‘great’ but a demon who did evil. The countries who were on his side would say he was the greatest conqueror to live. He began as a Macedonian cavalry commander at eighteen, king of Macedonia at twenty, conqueror of Persia at twenty-six and explorer of India at thirty [Foner and Garraty]. The amount of large scale accomplishments he managed to finish in a span of six years is astonishing. Alexander’s tomb was the largest tourist attraction in the ancient world. The tomb was even visited by Julius Caesar, Pompey, Caligula, and Augustus. Alexander the Great’s accomplishments set a bar in which provided a standard that all other leaders would match their careers too. Many leaders after Alexander could not reach the standard left by him [Foner and
Alexander the Not so Great:history through Persian eyes by Prof Ali Ansari Paragraph 1 Page
Although several people may disagree, these achievements and intelligence lead to great success. For example, against Porus and his army, Alexander puzzled the elephants causing them to stampede and kill Porus’s army. Also, in eleven years Alexander conquered 2,200,000 square miles of land at the age of twenty. Nobody can do this any day and Alexander showed his ability to persevere through tough times. Ultimately, when thinking of great names in history, remember Alexander the Great and all his great accomplishments because nobody has been able to conquer so much land in such a short amount of time with little rest and so much confidence in any
Jarus, Owen. "Alexander the Great: Facts, Biography, and Accomplishments." 27 September 2013. livescience. Document. 27 October 2013.
Alexander was born in Pella, the capital of Macedon, on July 20, 356 B.C. He was the son of King Philip II and his fourth wife Olympias, an Epirote princess. Alexander was bred to be a warrior; his father was a great commander and king, and his mom’s second cousin, Pyrrhus of Epirus, was a celebrated general. So there were noteworthy examples of military genius on both sides of his family. As a child, Alexander’s mother would tell him stories of how he was a descendant to Achilles and Hercules. Achilles was his favorite hero growing up, as he read of his adventures in Homer’s Iliad. From an early age Alexander was practically raised by everyone but his parents. He was originally educated by a strict teacher named Leonidas. Alexander’s father wanted Alexander to become a great man, so he acquired the famous philosopher Aristotle to become his tutor. Aristotle trained him in rhetoric and literature, and stimulated his interest in medicine, science, and philosophy. Aristotle is credited for Alexander’s fasci...
Mosse, W.E. "Alexander II (Emperor of Russia)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.I
"Alexander the Great – the Greatest Leader of All Time?" Military History Monthly. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013.
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).
In conclusion, I believe Alexander is one of the best political leader and the best general in the history. He managed to conquer and govern a huge territory with his wisdom. He didn’t win wars with soldiers, he won with strategy. Without a question, he was the most successful leader in the history. He knew how t rule and how to make people obedient and it is the main reason that he was very influential. These qualities made him live forever in stories, epics, and