Alexander The Great: The Rise Of Indian Empires And Religion

Alexander the Great is the most famous conqueror in the history of the world. His legacy and conquest has shaped the world we know today. Many leaders after him have looked to him as an example of what a good leader should be. “Alexander the Great’s tomb was one of the biggest tourist attractions of the ancient world. Roman emperors, including Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Caligula traveled to Alexandria to pay their respects.” It all started at the age of 18 when Alexander took charge of the Companion Cavalry and helped his father in defeating the Athenian and Theban armies. Starting from such a young age Alexander has been already shaping the empire he would create. At the age of twenty he became king, then by the age of twenty-six he conquered the Persian Empire and at age thirty explored the Indian frontier. He was an unstoppable force conquering the world. Alexander the Great is the greatest conqueror of the known world, because of the personal teachings of Aristotle of Stagira, his innovated military genius and multicultural integration methods.

Ashoka consolidated and increased his power by converting to peace by making a set of laws. “His family created an empire by conquering other kingdoms in brutal wars. When Ashoka became the king he continued to fight wars and expand the empire. In his eighth year as the king, he went to war against the rulers of a section of India called Kalinga. Ashoka’s armies won the Kalinga War in which, according to historical sources, 100,000 people were killed and 150,000 people were forced to leave their homes. As he stated in one of his edicts, Ashoka “felt profound sorrow and regret” for the “slaughter, death, and deportation” his war caused.” Ashoka caused a war and then he felt sorry so he decides to convert to Buddhism for peace. “ From that point

changed over his convictions to the Buddhist religion and supported peace. This influences the empire

Prior to the ruling of Emperor Ashoka, kings, emperors, and rulers were rarely thought to be representations of God. Ashoka was the ruler of the Mauryan Empire which stood in India from 273 BCE to 232 BCE. The Mauryan Empire included most of India's grounds as well as what is now known today as Bangladesh and Pakistan. Once conquering Kalinga, Asoka sought to find a Guru, seeking enlightenment. After sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, Asoka became a more fulfilling leader. Throughout Asoka's life, he had proven himself to be an enlightened ruler by seeking Buddha, creating the Asokan edicts, and acting out on his best interests for his people.

Just as Buddhism unified Japan during arduous times, it also helped unify India under Ashoka’s command. Ashoka fought great battles and imposed his rule on people southward along the eastern coast of India. The sufferings created by the war disturbed Ashoka and he found relief in the religion known as Buddhism. He adopted Buddhism to bring equality to all and found great comfort knowing the religion was so accepting.

Buddhism is a major global religion with a complex history and system of beliefs. The founder of Buddhism is said to be Siddhartha Gautama, the son of an Indian warrior-king. Gautama led an extravagant life through early adulthood, reveling in the privileges of his social class. Gautama became bored with the indulgences of royal life so he wandered into the world searching for understanding. After encountering an old man, ill man, a corpse, and an ascetic, he was convinced that suffering lay at the end of all existence. He then became a monk, depriving himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a tree, where he finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation. Gautama became known as the Buddha, meaning the “Enlightened One.” He spent the remainder of his life

Alexander the Great had impacts of three major conquests which are Persia, Egypt and India. In 34 B.C. Alexander crossed the Hellespont into Asia and it took 100 triremes to transport Alexander army but the Persians ignored the movement. The satraps of the Persian Empire fought Alexander at the Granicus River. A couple more years went by and Alexander won a decisive victory at Gaugamela. The Persian fled and Alexander told everyone that Darius named him his successor and asked to avenger him while he was dying. One easy conquests was Egypt and it fell to Alexander without any trouble at all. The Egyptians hailed him as their new king

Alexander The Great was more than just a Macedonia king. He left a tremendous impact on history that still upholds to this day. Alexander was highly successful through conquering many places outside of Greece such as the Asia-Minor, Persia, and Egypt, spreading Greek culture by influencing trade, and his remembrance of a legacy that is still being taught in classrooms.

Asoka was the greatest empire king, he created hospital for animals and humans. Asoka was a strong army leader but he hated bloodshed . Asoka made a vow to dedicate life in peace by teaching Buddha. He focus on welfare of others and building new roads and easier to sent many Buddhist teachers throughout India and rest of Asia. With a good road system and a strong ruler the empire prospered to practice their religion and had laborers build thousands of stupas. India Stupas are buddhist shrines and allowed his hindu subjects to practice their religion. India became the center of a huge trade network that stretched to the Mediterranean Sea.

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

How did the invasions, and attempted conquest of Alexander, aid Chandragupta Maurya to build his empire in northern India? How did his grandson Ashoka manage to govern his large and diverse empire?

Hindu Indian influences were vast and heavy on Siddhartha Gautama and early Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama grew up in a culture with heavy Brahmin influences. Along with the cultural caste system associated with Hindu and Indian culture. This caste system weighed heavily on Siddhartha Gautama and led him on his quest to find a path to enlightenment that is the same goal in Hinduism but would not be limited by one’s caste. On his path to enlightenment he sought out the various yogas Hindus prescribe to. With this he developed Buddhism using the core fundamentals found in the Indian religion,

One of the biggest events that changed the world was the expansion and the conquest of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great’s expansion made its way to the edges of western Asia

remarkable emperor in all of India. He focused more on religion after the war against Kalinga. When he was on the throne, he converted to Buddhism. He had a theory he could reign in peace. Since then, he created the spread of Buddhism. On one mission, Ashoka’s son, Mahinda went to Sri Lanka and southeast Asia. These lands and modern day countries practice Buddhism, such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. This would not have happened if Ahsoka did not force a policy. According to World History

Buddhism originated from India, and was founded by Prince Siddharta Gautama, who later came to be known as Buddha, or the enlightened one. Born of a princely caste, he later renounced his comfortable life in search for nirvana. In order to do that, he joined a band of ascetic, who was a group of Hindu priests.