During the fourth century, the ancient world was rocked by a dynamic political figure from the unlikely territory of Macedon. Alexander the Great was responsible for developing one of the largest empires the ancient world had ever witnessed. His military campaigns yielded major territorial gains across multiple continents, earning him incredible authority and prestige up to his untimely death. With the Macedonian throne newly vacant, a power vacuum developed as military elites sought to seize control over the empire. Known as the Successors, these individuals worked to build off of the success of Alexander and establish their own dominion over new lands. In their time as monarchs, Alexander and the Successors were responsible for the livelihood of numerous populations, including the Greek world. Alexander and the Successors maintained a strictly political relationship with the Greeks as their monarchs, taking on the responsibilities the kingship demanded.
As a political figure, the ability to win loyalty was crucial to the acquisition of royal power. For this reason, it was necessary for Alexander and the Successors to maintain amicable relations with their Greek citizens. A significant role Alexander and the Successors assumed over the Greeks was military champions. During his military quests Alexander founded numerous cities in his name, adding to his already impressive empire. Since he was incapable of overseeing his vast kingdom by himself, he installed satraps to
Alexander the Great was a military mastermind he changed and defined how wars were fought and won. He was a great war general and the King of Macedonia, who conquered an empire that stretched from Balkans to modern day Pakistan. One of his most amazing achievements was that in his 13 years of conquest Alexander the Great never lost a battle. In the moment of his father's death, Alexander, then 19, was determined to seize the throne by any means necessary. The cause of Alexander’s death still remains one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world. Alexander the Great was one of the most influential people of his time.
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
Great men have lived on the face of the earth and left marks of their prowess and legacy that men of the present and even the future find it hard to emulate; a good example of such men is Alexander the Great. This paper seeks to explain further Alexander’s military genius and its positive impact on military impact over the past centuries. The paper also gives a well thought analysis why Alexander was so much successful in his wars and conquests. His big empire spread all the way from Gibraltar to the Punjab and in his leadership made Greek the lingua franca of his new World (Cary, M, 1932).
After Alexander the Great’s father was killed, Alexander was forced to assume his role as king of Macedonia. Enemies of his empire thought this would be a perfect time to strike the Macedonian Empire but Alexander was prepared, taught by great military minds he was able to create one of the largest empires of the ancient world.
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
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
Alexander had been taught many things from a very young age such as academic subjects, politics, sports, and warfare which made him think very highly of himself. His father Philip of Macedonia made an extremely strong army and took over many Greek polises and wanted to take over the Persian Empire. This struck Alexander’s aspiration to take over the Persian Empire as well. Alexander then inherited his father’s kingdom at the age of 18 after his father
Alexander cared about his army and there needs. According to document D, “The army was crossing a desert of sand and the sun was already blazing down on them. They were in need of water. As they went on a party of light infantry which had gone looking for water. They found some and poured it into a helmet. They brought it back to Alexander, Alexander took the helmet and in full view of his troops poured it on the ground,”(Arrianus Doc D). This shows that Alexander the great was truly great because he showed concern for others. When he poured the water on the ground he showed brotherhood. Brotherhood meaning if he was not going to drink the water the army would not either. This trait is good to have so that one can be caring for others and it makes one a good leader so they will be able to succeed in life. Next, Alexander was aware of others. According to document C, “When the last organized resistance was broken, Alexander and his army went on a wild search. Alexander had ordered that all except those who took safety in the temple were to be put to death,”(Green Doc C). This shows that Alexander the great was really great because he showed concern for others by honoring those who took safety in the temple he saved their lives. When one does this they are saving many lives and am being very honorable just like Alexander was. This trait is important to have in life so they can succeed in life by honoring others and their choices. In summary, Alexander the great was truly great because he showed concern for
Alexander the so-called ‘Great’ was a legendary conqueror who in his short lifetime was able to overthrow the Persian Empire, the most powerful kingdom at that time. He was born in 356 BCE to King Philip and Queen Olympia of Macedonia. Alexander’s warring career jumpstarted at the age of 20 in the year 336 BCE, due to the assassination of his father in which he inherited his father’s kingdom. Over the span of 11 years, Alexander and his small fleet of men of about 40,000 took over and ruthlessly conquered the Persian Empire. Sadly, this conquest was short-lived by Alexander’s sudden death in the year 323 BCE, in which his unstable kingdom with a lack of a structured governmental system quickly broke apart in the period of 10 years. Therefore, because of the cruel and the disorganized nature of the way Alexander the ‘Great’ conquered and maintained the Persian Empire, he does not deserve to be referred as ‘Great’.
Throughout the history of humanity, there have been countless leaders, conquerors, kings, or people of note. They are all noteworthy because of their achievements, or maybe their lack of achievements in a time where history was being made. These men and women are remembered because they accomplished something worth remembering. One of the most polarizing characters of the ancient world is Alexander of Macedonia, better known as simply Alexander the Great. With a name like that, one knows that Alexander must have done something during his lifetime that would still be remembered centuries later. What made Alexander so extraordinary is just how driven he was, how he conquered most of the known world by the time he was thirty-two. Alexander wanted to seize the Macedonian throne, unite many people under one rule, exact revenge on Persia, and to take more land for his nation. He may not have achieved all his goals before his untimely death, but he accomplished so much that his legacy has lived on for thousands of years, and will continue to live on for thousands more.
Alexander III or Macedon was a man who was political and has military talents, he was also tutored by Aristotle when he was younger. After the king was murdered, Alexander took control of the kingdom and even though there was no evidence of involvement, many Macedonians suspected that Alexander had been a part of the plot. Alexander the Great had impacts of three major conquests, the Hellenistic world and the legacy of his empire which were all in Persia, India and Egypt.
When Alexander claimed the throne to Macedon, because of the access to such a great army, he almost instantly became drunk with power. “He claimed descent from Achilles, the hero of Troy, and from Zeus himself. He took the work of Homer with him wherever he went. He wanted to be acknowledged as Pharaoh in Egypt…” (What made Alexander so great? Christopher Hitchens) He ventured out with his army in hopes to take over land and expand his territory. He started out ruling only the land his father had left; he was not satisfied, and he started expanding quickly, and easily taking over greek city states. He eventually reached out to a third of the entire mapped and known world, he was one of the absolute greatest leaders
The greatest conquering king in the world; King of Macedonia and conqueror of Persia, Alexander the Great is considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses ever. With his amazing diplomatic skills and military genius, Alexander led Macedonia “to conquer most of the known world”. Though he only lived to a relatively young age of thirty-three, Alexander made use of his time from his first task as a leader stifling a rebellion to his last conquering the Persians and Indians. Alexander’s conquests created a whole new era of Greek inspired culture known as the Hellenistic Era. From his amazing prowess as a youth, to his conquests as an adult, and to his influence on the world after his death Alexander the Great left his mark on the world.
Hardly any other historians have earned a reputation as virtuous as Alexander the Great. In just thirteen years, Alexander was not only discerned as a military genius, but became exceedingly notorious for conquering Persia and known as the King of Macedonia. Many hold him responsible for the unification of Greece and the Hellenistic age; the blending of cultures. After Alexander had extended the control of his empire past the Asia Minor, Egypt, Central Asia and on to Persia, he was competent to effectively manage and incorporate other cultures and people under his rule by disseminating Greek culture, embracing religion with encouragement, and respecting other cultures with gratification to customs.
Alexander the Great was born in 356 B.C. in Macedonia, Greece. Alexander was born into a royal family. Alexander the Great’s father, Philip was the King of Macedonia before he was and his mother was Olympias. When Alexander turned twenty years old, his father was assassinated, and therefore he followed in his father’s footsteps gaining kingship and became the best king ever known to man. Ever since a young boy, Alexander dreamed of having revenge over Persia. His plan was to defeat the Persians and conquer all the mountains all the way up to India. Alexander has never lost a battle out of the thirteen years he reigned, compared to other Greek generals before he has lost battles but not Alexander the Great. Alexander wanted to create a big empire, he was motivated by spreading Greek law and Greek culture. Alexander was obsessed with power wanting to conquer many countries, and the desire for more power was always on his mind. His characteristics are that of a megalomaniac because Alexander didn’t stop at Persia, he wanted to conquer all the way up the eastern shore to the Mediterranean. Alexander wanted everyone to just give up their homes, no matter where he went. He would tell them first to surrender their power, and if they didn’t he would do anything just to gain power. He either went as far as selling the people into slavery or even massacring them.