One of the most successful and triumphant generals in history was Alexander the Great. Alexander was born to King Philip and Olympias in 356 BC. King Philip was assassinated in 336 BC, which climbed Alexander to the Macedonian throne. Alexander found himself surrounded by many enemies. He was a witty thinker who was quick to make decisions and took big risks. During his lifetime at the throne, he conquered the Persians, Egypt, and into the Asia minor. Alexander’s success came from his ruthless determination to expand, his self-centered desires, and killing anything in his way. Alexander’s desire to expand his empire led to him doing anything to get what he wants. His desire to expand and create the largest empire ever seen in history led him to do reckless actions. Alexander let nothing stand in his way, if there was anything in his way, he would destroy, conquer, or murder. The amount of land he conquered from, Egypt, Greece, and Persia proved that he was a ruthless conqueror. According to Jackson Spielvogel, a historian, “When Alexander made clear his determination to march east to conquer more of India, his soldiers, weary of campaigning year after year, mutinied and refused to go further.” (Spielvogel) He had no self-control, he began to keep conquering. Even after he had possession of an enormous empire, Alexander wanted to continue …show more content…
Alexander made selfish decisions that only benefited him. He didn’t listen to his men in battle, he and believed that he knew best so he never listened to anyone else's orders. The soldiers wanted to go back home after battle and marry Macedonians but Alexander forced them to stay and marry Persian women. According to Plutarch, a Greek historian, “After the battle of Issus, he sent troops to Damascus, and captured all the treasure, the baggage, and the women and children of the Persian army. He thought highly of himself and praised himself”. (Steward
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 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 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 The Great was a very influential person in history. The reason that he is so recognized is because of how much he achieved at a young age. When he was a child, his father, Philip II of Macedon employed Aristotle, the famous philosopher to teach Alexander strategy, math and art as well as chess. By the time he was 20 he was extremely educated and really good at chess. When his Father was assassinated in 336 B.C.E, Alexander took his place in the army and started his conquest of much of the early world. Alexander was great because of his leadership, Integrity and courage.
Alexander then returned as king and won Porus’ trust. In 325 B.B., Alexander wanted to keep moving so he decided to head north by the Persian Gulf. But many of Alexander’s army members were unable to keep some had illness, some were too tired, some were injured, and some had already died by this point in time. Many soldiers told him that great leaders have to quit some times, so Alexander did what they said. He knew it was the end, so he wanted a very large quantity of Macedonians to marry Persian princesses. Alexander did end up making the Macedonians very mad because recruited a lot of Persian soldiers, so he could dismiss the Macedonian soldiers and some of them were still willing to fight. They later convicted Alexander for adopting Persian customs and manners. “Alexander appeased the Macedonian soldiers by killing 13 Persian military leaders. The Thanksgiving Feast at Susa, which had been geared towards solidifying the bond between Persians and Macedonians, shaped up to be quite the opposite.”
Alexander the great is known as one of the most ruthless and greatest leaders the world has ever seen. In less than ten years, Alexander conquered cities from Greece all the way to modern day India. Not only did he defeat and conquer cities throughout the known world, but Alexander would also leave his mark spreading and influencing Greek society wherever he went. His leadership and conquests united the East and the West as a whole like no one up to that point had done before. His impact on culture and society when meshing his Greek background with his conquered cities became something truly unique. In 323 B.C. when Alexander passed away, he not only left behind a vast thriving empire, but also a legacy that would be remembered throughout history.
Alexander the Great was able to accomplish more in the thirty-two years of his lifetime than anyone in the world. With the win of every battle and siege that Alexander the Great took part in, he expanded his empire stretching from Macedonia all the way to western Asia by the Hyphasis River and down into Egypt. Of the around twenty battles and sieges that Alexander the Great won, four stand out as the most important to his expansion of his empire based on the tactics, strategies, achievements, outcomes, and gains of each battle: the Battle of Granicus, the Battle of Issus, the Siege of Tyre, and the Battle of Gaugamela.
Alexander believed he was a divine mediator for the world. In other words, he believed he was chosen by god to solely lead the world. Thus, Arrian wanted to emphasize Alexander's arrogance because he believed that he was god-like and should rule over everyone. Furthermore, after Alexander’s death, he still had extravagant plans for his empire. Alexanders wanted ridiculous projects to be completed. He wanted to build one thousand war ships to fight the Carthaginians and other African nations, and create cities and populate them with his people in Europe and Asia to expand his empire. In Diodorus’ Alexander’s Last Plans, He explains Alexander’s final wishes from a realistic standpoint. Diodorus writes, “When theses plans had been read, the Macedonians, although they applauded the name of Alexander, nevertheless saw that the projects were extravagant and decided to carry out none of those that had been mentioned.” Diodorus emphasized that Alexander believed his people should continue to follow him and his beliefs long after his death. The projects in Alexander's will spoke about were time consuming, and extravagant. Furthermore, many people did not share Alexanders beliefs of world
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
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
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...
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.
In the year 324 BC, Alexander, on the way to Babylon, came to his traditional summer retreat of Ecbatana. There, he held a massive festival in honor of Dionysus in which it is believed up to 3,000 Greek performers were brought to provide entertainment. Night after night, lavish drinking parties ensued in which Alexander and Hephaestion, (his supposed alter ego) undoubtedly participated in. It was during this time of extravagant celebration that Hephaestion became ill and contracted a high fever. Hephaestion's physician Glaucias put him on a strict diet and monitored his health. At first, this appeared to be working until on the seventh day of Hephaestion's illness, Glaucias went to the theater and Hephaestion decided to ignore the physician's advice. Hephaestion proceeded to eat a whole chicken and drank a half-gallon of chilled wine at breakfast. He died shortly thereafter. When Alexander was told of Hephaestion's illness, he rushed to be with him but Hephaestion had already passed away.
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
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