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Brief biography alexander the great
The life and times of Alexander the great
The life and times of Alexander the great
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Alexander the Great was a Macedonian Kind who lived between 356 and 323 BC and conquered many settlements during his lifetime including the entire Persian empire. He was extremely successful throughout his career. This success can be put down to his great military power and his persistence and determination. He was also a very brave, confident and capable man which allowed him to lead his army. The sources created at this time give the modern audience a better understanding of what Alexander was like and how these characteristics made him successful. Alexander was successful because he held great military power. His success was mainly due to him being able to hold his army and command them in what they needed to do in order to claim victory
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.
Darius had an advantage over Alexander the Great, he had more troops, better resources, and he chose the battle field. Although Darius had the advantage he was not as smart as Alexander. Alexander had good communication with his troops; he planned according, in addition he was well organized before the battled. He did not stray away from his plan he stuck to it. Alexander troops were heavily armed they moved in formation, and they were shield with their long spears they stayed close together and moved in formation. In addition he did not have all his troops engaged in the battle at once he planned an awesome attack strategy that won him and his troops the war.
He is one of the greatest military tacticians, a charismatic leader who is no stranger to the art of manipulation, and an unstoppable force which conquered the majority of the known world. All this describes the man among men, Alexander the Great. He started as the simple King of Macedonia, but soon began conquering areas of renown such as, the lands of Asia Minor, Greece, and becomes the pharaoh Egypt as well as the King of Persia in a short time span. It is also said there were plans to circumnavigate Africa planned, but it was not carried out due to his early death at a young age. (Taking Sides 37) He was highly revered, even to the point that he was even worshiped as divinity by notable leaders such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Julius Caesar.
Alexander didn’t show any of these characteristics, therefore he doesn’t deserve the title of “great”. The first reason why Alexander lll wasn’t great is because he didn’t show concern for others. In document B it states “Porus’ elephants were now boxed in, and the damage inflicted by them fell on friend no less than foe, with men trampled under as the beast twisted and turned. In document E it states “Years that it took Alexander to build his empire-11 Years that Alexander’s empire held together after his death-10” Alexander the “great” doesn’t show any intelligence because he forgot to make a will with an heir for his empire leaving it confused and aggressive because no one knew who was going to rule.
Alexander the Great was indeed destined for military greatness. During his time, Alexander conquered nearly the entire known world. Taking who he conquered under his rule, he built perhaps one of the largest empires of its era. He commanded the Greek military from 336-323 BCE. At a young age he was tutored by Aristotle where he developed a love for Greek culture. Under Aristotle he studied literature and rhetoric. He was known throughout the world for his ruthless victories on the battlefield. Through his genius use of propaganda Alexander was able to excel his popularity and reputation amongst the masses. He promoted and preached Hellenistic
Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia and the Greek army after his father Philip II died. His accomplishments at such a young age sets him apart from every other king
Alexander the Great is known by many. To some he may be known as a great conqueror, and to others as an evil man. Alexander was the son of Philip II, king of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of Epirus. He was born in 356 B.C. in Pella, the capital of Macedonia. Most people think that Alexander the Great was a powerful and excellent military leader. Much of his life consisted of conquering and extending the size of his kingdom. Alexander the Great’s life was short, but very successful and eventful.
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
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.
Lastly, Alexander was an incredibly poor sport when it came to his victories over other cities and/or countries. There are multitudes of people who think of Alexander the great as an outstanding leader and respectful
You mentioned some great key qualities that are related to Alexander the Great. He definitely made an impact on civilization throughout his lifetime. One of the more interesting points, in my view, that people may not associate with him is the spreading of various cultures. Though he did conquer a vast amount of land, he also spread various attributes to the Greek culture throughout the areas he conquered. Some historians believe that spreading Greek culture was the purpose of his reign (Duiker and Spielvogel). You also brought up some intriguing points about what the great means and how Alexander the Great might not have actually been great. A reason that he might not be considered great is the methods he used to conquer land;
Alexander was deemed to be one of the greatest leaders ever born, in his prime he never lost a battle and conquered most of Europe and parts of Asia. In these great victories one can see that Alexander had grand motivation to fuel this conquest of Europe, stemming from the will to achieve greater than his father King Phillip the 2nd, the hero Achilles from the Iliad, and his will to become more than just a human. As well as how it connects to the article written about Alexander.
...than Julius Caesar. The two leaders were very good and powerful leaders of their time and place; it is just Alexander the Great’s rule that stands out the most as being more successful.
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).