Alexander The Great Research Paper

In the Ancient World, Alexander III is viewed as a great leader.As a boy, Alexander’s dad, King Philip III, was the king of Macedonia from 323 BC till 317 BC. While King Philip III was ruling Macedonia, Alexander was taught by philosophers ,such as Aristotle, and trained to become a vigorous leader. Later on, King Philip III died of unknown causes and Alexander III took over at the age of 20, inheriting his father’s kingdom Alexander became a renowned,strong leader. Alexander was a great general who feared nothing. He rode into battles in front of his soldiers and marched into unknown lands. He had great intelligence and battle strategies thinking of the enemies' next

Alexander the Great is without doubt one of the greatest military leaders of history. Not only did Alexander of Macedon conquer enormous areas of the known world but also he demonstrated dynamic leadership and masterful strategy on a large scale and tactics on the battlefield. During his life, he ruled the largest empire the world had ever seen, which stretched from ancient Greece to India. The son of King Phillip II of Macedon, Alexander was educated by the philosopher Aristotle and first led Macedonian troops at age 18. Many times Alexander was worshipped as a god in some of the countries he ruled. He had a huge impact on world history spreading the seeds of western culture and philosophy across the world and has legends and stories

Alexander went to Corinth for the assembly of the Greek league and was named the supreme commander of all Greece. At that time the Thebans’ revolted; he destroyed everything in their city except the temples. This served as a reminder to the other communities and tribes in Macedonia respected and honored Alexander. He proceeded to conquer the Asia Minor, and used his knowledge to plan and organize the army. During the Persian expedition Alexander had in his army more than 100 000 but only a few fought. Alexander honored veterans; he left them in charge of cities. He was a military genius and could change his army within seconds and used to make decisions as fast as possible. He could even change his plan of action if the enemy changed plans. To him it was not about numbers but leadership and plan in battle. The first commander to have backup reserves was Alexander; this affected the way wars were staged and fought in the coming years. Alexander defeated the Persians; he was an unwavering fighter and fought with his soldiers. He conquered the Phoenician coast, Syria and Egypt (Louis, W. R, 1984).

The phalanx drove individuals to endeavour to break through the line, retreat or to flank the syntagma. To protect his flank, Alexander utilized his most powerful force to protect them, his heavy cavalry. Armed with sword and javelins, these units whilst defending

Throughout his life, he conquered many places, including the empire of Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, etc. He went on and on conquering many lands along with his troops. In fact, he travelled with builders, engineers, poets, scientists, etc. These specialized workers were one of the reasons he was successful in battles. Alexander brought them along for entertainment, and they also supported the army with carriages, supplies, built camps, and support for wounded soldiers. When attacking, his army led battles from the front which define their courage, and he ensured that his men were well-fed and rewarded them so that they were motivated. Alexander may be cruel at times. For instance, he killed lots and lots of men who were traitors in his army. Along with that, he treated his adversaries with respect while conquered people were freed when he’s generous, but killed when he’s disrespected. Alexander the Great defeated the powerful empire of Persia and extended his empire from Greece to India, making it the largest empire of the ancient

After crossing the Hellespont with an army of 35,000 men, he met his first Persian battle on the banks of the Granicus River. His cavalry charged across the Granicus and overwhelmed the Persians. From there, Alexander went on to conquer all of Asia Minor with little resistance (“Alexander the Great.'; 2). After recovering from a serious illness in 333 B.C., Alexander marched to Syria, where the king of Persia, Darius III, had fortified a riverbank near Issus with 600,000 men (Durant 544). Again Alexander attacked with his cavalry and defeated the Persians. Darius III managed to escape but left behind his family and a large amount of money.

In order to actually understand how Alexander the Great came to power, we must first explore into his background. He was born around 356 B.C.E in July within the capital city of Macedonia. When he was just a small child, he spent his time observing his father, Phillip the II, who during that time was the current leader of Macedonia. His father was a force to be reckoned with, and scholars like to link this to Alexander’s future success within the empire. Along with watching his father, little Alexander at the age of 13, eventually gained a very smart and intelligent tutor by the name of Aristotle. Of which, was a very successful philosopher that taught him literature and rhetoric. It would later serve a purpose in increasing Alexander’s interest in many subjects such as science, medicine and philosophy. This process of his training would continue on until he reached the age of 16. Later

Later on in his life, Alexander continued to show his ability to accomplish many difficult tasks. "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" (“Alexander the Great” ushistory.org). This was a great victory that proved Alexander had what it took to be a great leader. Defeating the Persians was something many leaders could never do, but Alexander

His Coup D’œil in battle gained him great victories on the Granicus and at Issus. He was then able to aptly transition these victories into his campaign objectives which supported his clear goal of conquering all of Persia with as little bloodshed as possible. He won decisive victories at key points to ensure that he would be able to operate his sieges against the Persian cities that were hesitant to surrender to him. Simply put, Alexander, one of history’s greatest military geniuses, utilized all the aspects of his Kingdom to wage a highly effective war against the Persian King Darius that eventually resulted in the creation of one of the largest empire’s in

A final reason Alexander is great is his military. Alexander moved his troops in different directions. The enemy wouldn’t expect it. Alexander moved his troops to the river bank, and he took most of his cavalry. “ He would create a clamour, raise the war cry and produce all other such noises as would come from men preparing to cross the river” (Doc B).

At an early age Alexander’s father Philip hired a tutor. Alexander’s tutor was Aristotle, Philip II hired him to ensure Alexander had the best education. Aristotle worked with Alexander to help improve his intelligence. Alexander was able to conquer more land than his father. He was a very ambitious man he wanted to conquer the world. After his father was murdered he became ruler of the Macedonia empire (57). Under Alexander’s rule the Macedonia empire had control over Persia, Greece, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan and some of India (64).

Alexander’s Father was king Phillip II who ruled Macedonia and after being a prisoner in Thebes developed an understanding and admiration for Greek military and tactics. Once he was able to return to Macedonia he quickly developed a standing army from the strongest men his country had to offer. It was with this powerful army that he was able to conquer Greece and take control of the entire Greek peninsula.

During the course of his life and reign, Alexander had 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 defeating the Persians at the Battle

In the second part, "Alexander the Great and Heroic Leadership", he details the life and conquests of Alexander the Great. He was a son of Philip II of Macedon whom Philip II had a great influence on Alexander and his methods as a soldier and commander. Throughout Alexander 's childhood, he was well educated in many areas suitable to a young royal. Alexander 's education included learning to sing and play the lyre, hunt and ride and how to debate, and to appreciate epic poetry, mostly as it related to Homer. On the eve of his march into Asia he was certainly one of the best-informed men in the Greek world. Alexander would become known worldwide for being the leader who did what no other could do before or since conquer states and entities on several continents and create a kingdom greater than any other. He was conquest of the Persian Empire and he marched with his men toward India. He

During Philip's expedition against Byzantium in 340 BC, Alexander, then sixteen years old, was left in charge of Macedonia. He took the throne like he was already king. He subdued the rebellious Maedi, a Thracian tribe. He took their capital city and drove out its inhabitants. He created a colony of several nations in their region. He called the new city Alexandropolis.