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’s first major victory was at the Granicus River. In May of 334 BC, Alexander’s army met the Persians in battle and defeated them. Following this victory, Alexander continued his march into Persia, and many towns simply surrendered, including Sardis. After a siege at Halicarnassus which Alexander eventually won, he moved on to meet the Persians again at Issus in November of 333 BC, under the command of Darius III of Persia. The Persian army had an advantage in numbers over Alexander’s, more than 2 to 1; but Alexander, using his ability to anticipate his enemies’ plans and counter them, again soundly defeated the Persians. In the midst of the battle, Darius fled. The …show more content…
Then, Alexander turned his eye toward India. The first major battle was the siege of the Sogdian Rock. This was won with the use of volunteers who climbed the cliffs under the fortress. Upon hearing this news, the defenders quickly surrendered. In the winter of 327-326 BC, Alexander led campaigns against several clans from the Indian hills, again defeating them. He then fought Porus in the battle of Hydaspes. Alexander was so impressed by Porus’ bravery in battle that he was named as satrap of his own kingdom. At this point, Alexander’s army, exhausted by the years of fighting and afraid of the facing other powerful Indian armies, refused to march any further east. Alexander instead turned south, conquering the Malli clans. Following this, Alexander marched back through
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’s first battle came when he was only sixteen. Philip, his father had gone away on a campaign and left Macedonia u...
There is no one description of Alexander the Great, he has become for modern and ancient writers an astonishing man from Macedon, who was a controversial, yet admirable ruler of the largest empire of the known ancient world. The fascination and relevance of Alexander in the contemporary world have proven to be a reflection of his extraordinary successes, which has led to a strong debate on whether Alexander’s epithet as “The Great” is at all an indication of his achievements.
Alexander 's response to Darius was because he wished to punish the Persians for invading Greece and Macedonia, when these people had done nothing to cause you to carry out war against us . Furthermore, you assisted Perinthus who rebelled against my father . In addition to this “Ochus sent an army into Thrace” which was part of our lands and had my father killed, then boasted about his death . Furthermore, you wrongfully stole the throne away from Arses by having him executed, which was committed against your own country man . In effect, you tried to turn the Greeks against me with “unfriendly letters about me” and attempted to bribe the Greeks with money . You sent spies who tried to undermine my friendships in the hope that it would destroy the peace in Greece . The reasons he gave Darius are very clear. However, these are much like his father own responses to the Greeks why he wanted to invade. Showing clearly that Alexander and his father discussed invading Persia together prior to his death, leaving the idea in his son
Ptolemy briefly mentions how Alexander destroys Thebes and burns Persepolis, then gives an overview of Alexander's journey through west-Persia, including his declaration as the son of Zeus by the Oracle of Amun at Siwa Oasis. He also points out his great battle against the Persian Emperor Darius III in the Battle of Gaugamela and his eight-year campaign across Asia. The movie focuses a lot on Alexander's private relationships with his childhood friend Hephaestion and later his wife Roxana. Hephaestion compares Alexander to Achilles, to which Alexander replies that, if he is Achilles, Hephaestion must be his Patroclus, who is Achilles' best friend and his lover. Th...
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”.
This battle in turn made Darius III furious and he decides to go out and find Alexander himself. This battle is important because it shows even more that Alexander is the greatest military leader in history because of the great leadership he showed in this battle. Before the battle took place Alexander was making a plan that would give him the best advantage in the battle. According to Rufus, “Alexander moved his forces to Issus. For there the forces of both kings would be equal in number, since the narrow space could not contain a multitude of men; his men ought to avoid a plain and the open fields, where they might be caught and crushed in a pincer maneuver” (107). Alexander’s smart thinking gave him the advantage in this battle. He made it so both sides were evenly matched because without the narrow space of Issus the Greek army would be outnumbered and defeated. His great leadership was proved in this moment because he was able to come up with a plan to give his army the best chance of winning. During the battle Alexander showed his great leadership by fighting alongside his army instead of being in the back watching. It is said that “Alexander performed the duties not more of a commander than of a soldier, seeking the rich renown of slaying the king” (Rufus 129). Alexander did not just want his men to win the battle for him, he wanted to go
He defeated the Persians at the battle of Gaugamela then he became King of Babylon, King of Asia. Alexander then conquered Eastern Iran where he created Macedonian colonies. He then traveled and defeated King Porus’ armies in Northern India. Alex and his armies also defeated the larger force of King Darius iii of Persia at the battle of IIsos. He then went to travel more across the country and conquered the Phoenician city of Sidon and Aleppo. When he conquered Syria he found the city Alexandria. When Alex and his armies went to conquer Egypt, Egypt fell without
In order for Alexander to secure the throne, he slayed everyone who could have a conceivable right to the kingship. Although Alexander did not immediately gain power of the Corinthian League, he quickly led his armies to Greece to stop the independence movement from the Greek states. They rapidly accepted Alexander as their leader, giving him infinite military powers to attack Persia, a prodigious kingdom east of Greece. Two years later, after winning battles at Granicus and Issus, conquering Tyre, and then wintering in Egypt, Alexander’s army finally met the Persian’s army for the first time (Kurke 71). Alexander's assets were inferior to those of Darius III, the king of Persia at the time, but managed to defeat the Persians and keep moving deeper into the kingdom. This was the ignition to the Battle at Gaugamela, perhaps the most important battle of Alexander’s young life as a king. Writer of Wisdom of Alexander the Great, Lance Kurke noted, “How, you might ask, can destroying an army build alliances? The Greek and Persian cultures could not be merged while a Persian army could be fielded. Sometimes you have to destroy to build” (71). That was the mentality of Alexander the Great, he used his power to his full
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...
Alexander III of Macedon, more commonly known as Alexander the Great, is one of the most legendary figures in our history and in the history of the world. His conquests and endeavors echoed far and wide, bringing about new eras and ideas to the world. Alexander earned his place in the world’s history and is worthy of the title ‘The Great’ because of his military prowess, his idealism and his legacy. During the course of his life and reign, Alexander fought and won many battles and wars, defeating many kings and warlords throughout the ancient world. Perhaps his most recognized conquest was of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia and its ‘King of Kings’ Darius III during the Battle of Issus 1.
After Philip’s death, however, the kingdom was in revolt. Barbarians to both the North and the West began to rebel against Macedonian rule. Quelling this rebellion was a feat that took Alexander a mere two years. Once he had stabilized his kingdom, Alexander set out to invade the Persian empire. The Battle of Granicus River commenced transpired, and Alexander emerged with a narrow victory. One year later, the Battle of Issos occurred and once again, Alexander was able to win against the Persian army under King Darius.
Alexander III of Macedon, son of Philip II of Macedon, inherited the throne when only 20 years old after his father fell victim to an assassination. Soon after Alexander took the throne a rebellious spirit dwelled upon the city of Thebes. He quickly gathers the support of the accomplished Macedonian army and rides towards Thebes to punish them for their insubordination. Upon arriving, he gave out orders for the city to be razed and to demean any will of resisting, of which the news spread to other cities to disregard any deliberation of rebellion or they too will have a similar outcome. With his kingdom firmly in place, the aspiring Alexander set his sights on being his father 's champion of Hellenism against the Persian king Darius III. His father 's unfinished campaign
Alexander was to go down in history as the "Father of the Hellenic World, "the unopposed leader of the "Greek World, and last but not least "The Great, a title given for his numerous victories. For thirteen years Alexander remained unbeaten in his campaigns in Persia, Egypt, and India. His battles against enemy forces were all foresight and his brilliant tactics were executed to achieve victory after victory. Alexander, driven by brilliance and his view of a Hellenistic world, seized every opportunity to go one step beyond his father. Those steps brought him a great empire that he governed fair and honorable. He treated his captures with both dignity and respect, which enabled him to maintain order for so long. He brought with him the Greek culture that he so strongly believed in, and spread that culture all over Asia in the cities that bear his name; Alexandria. Nevertheless, the ingeniousness tactics and strategies that he created brought about hesitations among his troops. He conquered much of what was then the civilized world, driven by his divine ambition of the world conquest and the creation of a universal world monarchy. Alexander inherited from his father King Philip the best military formation of the time. The mobile elite were Alexander 's Companion Cavalry consisting of primarily the Macedonian aristocracy. The backbone of the army was the