Alexander The Great Essay

1020 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Legacy of Alexander the great

1.What kind of society was the kingdom of Macedonia before Alexander? Do you think the differences of Macedonian social and political organization from those found in the Greek world were a factor in the successes of Philip II, Alexander III and the Successors? Within the limited space here, this essay mainly focuses on two the main factors contribute to the successes of Philip II, Alexander III and the Successors notably, the foundations laid by Philip and the social and political differences between city-states of Greece and the kingdom of Macedonia. Before Alexander III, Macedonia was already ruled by a monarchy and the kingdom of Macedonia was already in the midst of great change. The kingdom of Macedonia stems from the ancient Brygian …show more content…

Before Alexander III, Macedonia was already in the midst of great change. Philip II who managed to unify his country and then, by 339 BCE, had gained domination over all Greece by military and diplomatic means, thus laying the foundations for its expansion under his son Alexander III the Great. When Philip II was born in 382, Macedonia was not a very strong power. After Philip II sought internal peace in his state, Macedonia had witnessed considerable changes in diplomacy, bribery, and military action to make the states of Greece affirm his superiority. In order to defeat his neighbor countries, Alexander’s father king Philip II, developed the kingdom’s economy, politics and army, cooperated with martial alliances, giving him a united Hellenic League finally. It is worthy to point out that the army of the Kingdom of Macedonia at that time was among the greatest military forces of the ancient world. Philip II of Macedonia developed this formidable army in the initial stage after he reorganized the Macedonian army. The king was expected to demonstrate his ability in these activities to show he was a Macedonian man's man capable of heading the state. The pursuit of invasion do not change over the course of Macedonian monarchy, because they would never be satisfied with any of the acquisitions had made. Furthermore, for Macedonian aristocrats like Alexander, they pursuit conquest through military action. In a word, Philip II of Macedonia has forged a powerful state which had a profound effect for the following generations. Philip II laid a solid foundation for the career of Alexander, giving him a united Hellenic

Show More
Related

  • Ap World History Chapter 7 Summary

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Alexander the Great

    1349 Words  | 3 Pages

    Duiker, William J, and Jackson J Spielvogel. "The Rise of Macedonia and the Conquests of Alexander." World History. Ed. Nance Blaine, et al. 6th ed. Boston, MA: Clark Baxter and Suzanne Jeans, 2010. 117-126. Print.

    Read More

  • Alexander The Great Persuasive Essay

    429 Words  | 1 Pages

    Alexander the Great is deserving of his name in a sense of battle. Alexander is undeserving of this title in the sense of respect and kindness for his people and other city-states. Alexander was not shy when it came down to war, he was ready to go whenever even if his military was not or did not agree with him.

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Battle of Thermopylae

    1519 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bury, J. B.; Russell Meiggs (2000). A History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great

    Read More

  • How Did Alexander The Great Spread Greek Culture

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alexander the Great was the son of Philip Macedonia. Alexander the Great was a big admirer of Greek culture during his time. During Alexander the Great time in history he spread the Greek culture through the Middle East and North Africa. Alexander the Great past away at an early age and after his death the Greeks took over the Romans.

    Read More

  • The Hellenistic Era: Thought, Culture, and Religion

    2121 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Hellenistic culture was founded from the Hellenic culture. The Hellenic culture was born with Philip of Macedon. Philip of Macedon was a king in Macedonia at the beginning of the fourth century. Philip was known for his great organizational skills and his prowess in battle as a warrior. Philip had a dream of making an empire and surpassing everyone’s expectations he succeeded. It took seven years for Philip to unite the once Greek city-states into a unit, but once he gained control of them he had a battle tested army. Philip of Macedon led his army into Asia Minor and defeated the Persian army. The defeat of the Persian army brought the collapse of the Persian Empire which was unimaginable because at the time Persia ruled the world. Unfortunately, as Philip turned to conquer the rest of the world he died. Luckily he left behind a son.

    Read More

  • Comparing Augustus And Alexander The Great

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alexander’s first battle came when he was only sixteen. Philip, his father had gone away on a campaign and left Macedonia u...

    Read More

  • Temples and Economics in the Archaic and Classical Period

    2237 Words  | 5 Pages

    Morris, Ian. Classical Greece: ancient histories and modern archaeologies. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print.

    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

  • Was Alexander The Great Selfish

    1711 Words  | 4 Pages

    The son of Philip II, Alexander the Great, will become the conqueror of the western world. Alexander received the Macedonian empire when his father passed, he was only twenty at the time. As soon as he had the power of the Macedonian army, several lightning fast campaigns led them into the west and north. Next, he compelled the city-states that rebelled against the League of Corinth. This action demonstrated how Alexander punished disloyalty [Martin 244]. Alexander was able to keep his rule on the territories he conquered by rewarded the cities who recognized his powers and punished the individuals that betrayed his trust or ambitions. The power he possessed depended on his superior force and his unwillingly desire to use it [Martin 245]. The

    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

  • Comparing The Spartan Army And The Macedonian Army

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Macedonian army, under the rule of Alexander the Great, was the most successful army around at that time. Alexander’s father, King Philip the 2nd was the first ruler of Macedonia. At first, Macedonia played no role in Greek history. It was just a tiny

    Read More

  • Alexander The Great Hero Or Villain Essay

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alexander the Great is undoubtedly one of the most famous leaders and Kings in our history. This one man miraculously led his armies into countless battles and created an empire nearly as large as the Roman Empire. Men and women all over the world have clearly heard of the amazing things that Alexander accomplished in his times; however, the question of whether his deeds were heroic or villainous still remains. To answer this question, Alexander the Great was unmistakably a villain.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Aristocracy, Oligarchy, And Democracy As Forms Of Government

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    One monarchy, which is characterized by the rule of one person, in ancient Greece was Macedonia. This region was

    Read More

  • Reasons Why Philip II Engaged In Hellenic Affairs

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    Philip would not have had to involve himself with every single city-state to engage himself in Hellenic affairs. Furthermore when discussing whether the Greeks could have prevented Philip II from either wanting to, or physically being able to, involve himself in Hellenic affairs; it is not the Greeks as a collective that would have done this. Instead I will examine the actions of Greek city- states such as Athens and Thebes to determine whether they could have prevented Philip’s

    Read More

More about Alexander The Great Essay

Open Document