Alexander the Great: Was He Really That Great?

950 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Alexander the great leadership skills

Why was Alexander III of Macedon called 'Great'? The answer seems relatively straight forward. Alexander conquered territories, established empires and died young, at the height of his power. However, he was also over-ambitious and pushed his men to their limits in his quest for immortality, while murdering killing thousands along his way. Alexander is neither deserving nor unworthy of his title as the ‘Great’. Born in the year 356 BC to the king of Macedon, Philip II, and his wife Olympias, Alexander the Great spent much of his childhood learning to be a leader and claim the title of the greatest military leader the world has ever known. ‘My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambition. Macedon is too small for you.’ This quote said by King Philip, proves Alexanders parents were the encouragement that later influenced his behaviour (Clode, G 2010). As such, the hypothesis “Alexander is deserving of the title ‘great’, is only partially true and will be proven throughout the duration of this speech by critically evaluating his leadership and military status.
King Philip II of Macedonia built a powerful army and used it to bring all of Greece under his rule. After his assassination in 336 BC Philip’s 20-year-old son Alexander inherited the throne. Marching east from Greece, Alexander and his 47000 men encountered Persians for the first time along the banks of the Granicus River near the site of Troy in 334BC. The battle of Granicus was the first major victory over the Persians and the first meeting ground between Alexander the Great and the Persian King, Darius III. (Fritz, M, Unknown). Alexander the Great fought the battle of Issus soon after the battle at Granicus. Although Alexander was greatly outnumbered by Darius...

... middle of paper ...

...tes honour during this battle when he waited for daylight before beginning the attack. Alexander and his troops were outnumbered and disadvantaged, yet he was still victorious. If Alexander had not shown integrity, his army would not have respected and followed him as a military leader.
Alexander, king of Macedon died in 323BC after spending his last thirteen years conquering much of the well-known world. He was suspected to have been weak from past wounds when he acquired a fever and died during the night whilst in Babylon. From this speech it has been determined that Alexander is deserving of the title ‘Great’ in his military command, but in regard to his statesmanship he is not worthy of it. He was a proficient strategist but his poor leadership skills affected his whole empire. Overall Alexander III of Macedon is partially deserving of his title as the ‘Great.’

Show More
Related

  • Alexander the Great

    1349 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Alexander’s Vast Accomplishments as a Conquerer

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first matter to consider is what constitutes “greatness”. There are no set standards no checklist, to apply to a person, to determine it they are “great.” The simplest way that I could conceive to decide whether this title should apply to Alexander was to determine if he was, in some way, superior to the rulers that came before or after his reign. The most obvious place for me to start my consideration is with Alexander’s vast accomplishments as a conquerer.

    Read More

  • Alexander of Macedon, A Historical Biography

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Peter Green’s, Alexander of Macedon, takes us on a journey to Ancient Macedonia, to the early beginnings of Alexander’s life right up to his controversial death. This material is a revision and expansion from Green’s book, “Alexander the Great” originally published in 1970. In this detailed narrative of Alexander the Great, Green helps the reader to better understand Alexander’s life and the world he grew up in. Green begins this historical biography with Alexander’s father, Philip II of Macedon, and how he came into power.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Alexander The Great

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    I choose to do research on this bust because I already am familiar with Alexander’s life and his impact on global history. At first, when I saw the sculpture without reading the description, I had just assumed it was some Roman craftsman making a bust of Alexander’s likeness based upon previous artworks as his reference point. However, upon discovering that Alexander the Great was considered divine in antiquity, I understood only now began to realize just how deep Alexander 's cult and life would be the spark that will help create and define both the Roman and American Empire. Alexander 's bust had the familiar style of a young man with short fiery-hair and had no unique touch on behalf of the craftsman. I doubt there is any death mask or any real record of how Alexander

    Read More

  • The Battles Of The Battle Of Alexander The Great

    2705 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Alexander The Great: The Historical Era Of Alexander The Great

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though Alexander III of Macedonia, more commonly known as Alexander the Great, only lived to be 32 years old, his accomplishments were so vast it would be impossible to capture them all in a 3-hour Hollywood film. The well-known director, Oliver Stone, spent years studying Alexander and dreaming of making an epic film about his life. Stone's 2004 film, Alexander, was met with reviews that made it sound as if it was mediocre or disappointing, but the problem with it is that in the era of exciting action-driven Hollywood films, Alexander asks viewers to go deeper than they are accustomed. The length of the film was considered too long, but the history of Alexander is so huge that it is actually too short. Since Alexander lived more than 2300 years ago, and much of the information on Alexander's life has been lost over time, it seems to me that Alexander accurately depicts the historical era, Alexander's relationships, battle scenes and the different cultures involved in Alexander's conquests.

    Read More

  • The Great Alexander: The Battle Of Alexander The Great

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even if some tend to assume that Alexander truly was great, one cannot fully argue with the fact that Alexander had a huge ego, and he could barely maintain it himself. He was only twenty years old when he launched his invasion of the Persian Empire, and he could have had such a bright future that allowed him to deserve the title of great. Yet even Alexander’s army turned back after eight years of marching due to the fact that his ego could not wrap around the idea that all of these battles remained useless. Conquering so much land for personal pleasures just demonstrates how power hungry Alexander truly was. The city name Alexandria appears eleven times on the map of his empire. He was so conceited that he wanted people to know how much land

    Read More

  • Alexander The Great Dbq

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    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”.

    Read More

  • Was Alexander The Great Selfish

    1711 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Was Alexander The Great Really Great?

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alexander the Great is great because of his remarkable achievement which helped to create a long lasting legacy. Alexander started to build his empire in 334 BCE after taking the new role as the king. It only took eleven years to build an empire that was large and lasted several years. In addition, the empire Alexander created stretched over 2,200,000 square miles becoming bigger than the United States (Alexander’s Empire Doc. A) (Alexander’s Legacy Doc, E). This proves that Alexander the Great is great because although the process was eleven long years to make a strong empire, Alexander wasn’t willing to give up and

    Read More

  • Alexander: The Not So Great

    1861 Words  | 4 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...

    Read More

  • Alexander The Great

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Few historical figures stand out in the same degree as that of Alexander the Great. He was a warrior by 16, a commander at age 18, and was crowned King of Macedon by the time he was 20 years old. He did things in his lifetime that others could only dream about. Alexander single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in just over a decade. There were many attributes that made Alexander “Great.” He was a brilliant strategist and an inspired leader; he led by example and was a conqueror at heart. In looking at his early childhood, accession to the throne, conquests, marriage, and death one can see why Alexander the Great is revered in historical contexts as one of the greatest figures of all time.

    Read More

  • Does Alexander The Great Deserve His Title

    1820 Words  | 4 Pages

    Alexander the Great deserved his title because he extended his massive empire, also naming many cities after himself. Alexander the Great had conquered so much land that he was able to name more than 70 cities after himself and one after his horse. Alexander commemorated his conquests by founding dozens of cities (usually built up around previous military forts) which he named Alexandria. I feel that if you are able to name 70 cities after you, your truly great. Also, Alexander was a great conqueror, in 13 short years he amassed the largest empire in the entire ancient world — an empire that covered 3,000 miles. And he did this without the benefit of modern technology and weaponry. Alexander had created the biggest empire ever, even today. He did so without guns. He used spears, shields and arrows to conquer 3,000 miles. He also did this on foot and horse over just 13 years. Even today it would be hard to conquer that much land in 13 years. This is truly an amazing accomplishment. After three grueling years of warfare and three decisive battles, Alexander smashed the Persian armies at the Tigris River and conquered the mighty Persian Empire, including the legendary city of Babylon. The Persian army was the best army at the time, they had been the army to beat. Alexander slowly but surely had

    Read More

  • How Did Alexander The Great Influence The Contemporary World

    1449 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alexander the Great, one of the greatest and most successful generals in all of history was a brilliant, patient and often devious man that never struck without careful planning. Alexander made decisions with great speed and took astonishing risks, his success was achieved by his show of sheer force and will to overcome. During his lifetime, he defeated the Persians and Greeks, conquered Egypt and Asia Minor, and secured the Mediterranean Sea. Yes, Alexander the Great was gallant, but he was also malicious. He killed thousands while leading his men through the toughest of situations. He was a man who let no resistance go scot-free. On one hand Alexander was a man who brought great devastation, while he set free great social and cultural energy, Alexander’s legacy was left for all to see. Alexander the Great changed the world in several important ways. He brought to the Greeks a new way of fighting. He brought to the Persians the Greek way of life. Greek culture prospered in east Asia and India. He brought to everyone in his empire a view of the wide world. Three great world religions rose in the Hellenistic culture of the Near East.

    Read More

  • Essay On Alexander The Great

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever wondered why Alexander from Macedonia is called Alexander the Great. According to history, it is because he is the most glorious general in the history who conquered Persia, Greece, Egypt and Babylon in a very inexperienced age. He became the commander of Macedonian armies at age eighteen and the king of Macedonia at age twenty. After six years of preparation, he conquered the great Persian empire. Unfortunately, he died at age thirty-three. He would have conquered many lands if he hadn’t died at a such young age. He was a legend and an icon for great kings like Charlemagne, Julius Caesar, and Pompey. World’s most famous generals tried to compete with him but they couldn’t accomplish. After years, his tomb

    Read More

More about Alexander the Great: Was He Really That Great?

Open Document