Alexander the Great was able to consolidate his position as king of Macedon because of his ability to exploit his lineage and the support from family and the army. Alexander was able to support his kingdom, express his legitimacy and to continue to command the army that his father once lead. His many skills contributed to him to grow his power and achieve a successful reign, in which he took advantage of and began to strengthen his position. With the support of a growing army and a good family reputation he consolidated as the King of Macedon. Alexander the Great was able to consolidate his power because of his legitimate claim to the throne and because of his mother’s ability to discard any rivals that may have got in the way for Alexander’s …show more content…
This meant that from Alexander’s birth, he had the rightful claim to be king after his father. After King Phillip II’s assassination, Alexander’s mother, Queen Olympia, made the choice to help Alexander the Great consolidate his power. Part of this meant to murder the daughter of Philip II and Cleopatra (not the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh), this event drove Cleopatra to her suicide. The reason behind this was that Alexander and his family did not want any interference with his legitimacy. Having another family member that had a possibility of being in line for the throne meant that it was easier for Alexander to be overthrown by the public. Even before Alexander was given the position as king, he was known to be very good with people. According to the ancient source of Plutarch, when Alexander was at the age of 16, King Phillip II left Alexander in charge of the kingdom while he …show more content…
This was all leading to his position in reign of the Macedon kingdom therefore he fought beside his father’s large, well-trained army and when Alexander was given the opportunity to be king, this turned out to be in his favour. Alexander’s loyalty to king Phillip II’s army meant that trust was already earned within the army so Alexander had a large military defence to back and support him as king. When Alexander’s realisation of his father’s death set in, he was determined to conquer the throne. With this realisation, he gathered the Macedon army and gained their support, including any people who had played a major role within his father’s army. The Macedon army, who was now Alexander’s army and looked up to him as their king and ruler. As well as Alexander’s mother, Olympia, murdering the daughter of King Phillip and Cleopatra, the Macedon/Alexander’s army proceeded to eliminate any other potential threats or heirs to the throne. According to a modern source Alexander the Great did not have control of the Corinthian League when he proclaimed king. The source claims that ‘Alexander sent his army south and coerced the region of Thessaly into acknowledging him as the leader of the Corinthian League.’ This example shows that his army was loyal to Alexander and was willing to fight without rejection to Alexander’s commands. The support of
One reason that Alexander the Great was such a Great, was because he was a really good military leader. Alexander knew how to give a motivation speech to his army and could take over any city, he had good strategies and was a good political leader. Alexander the great was born on July 20, 356 B.C., to his parents King Phillip the second and Queen Olympia. “In 336 B.C., Alexander’s father Philip was assassinated. Just 20 years old, Alexander claimed the Macedonian throne and killed his rivals before they could challenge his sovereignty. He also quashed rebellions for independence in northern Greece. Once he’d cleaned house, Alexander left to follow in his father’s footsteps and continue Macedonia’s world domination” (History, n.pg.). Alexander wanted the throne right from the start, some say that Alexander hired someone to assassinate his dad and others say he did it himself. Anyways though we know that Alexander wanted the throne right away, and he was not afraid to kill and fight people for the throne by, he killed his rivals and he
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.
Alexander the Great had an amazing political and military mind. With the tutelage of his father, Philip II, and a great education, he became one of the best leaders of all time. And even as a boy, many knew Alexander’s destiny was to rule.
Alexander achieved more noteworthy deeds than most of the rulers who had lived before him, but additionally, the individuals who were to come later down to our time. Alexander the Great was conceived at Pella Macedonia in 356 B.C.E. He spent his adolescent years watching his dad changing Macedonia into an extraordinary military force. His Father was King Phillip and his mother was Olympias. His mom was the rule of neighboring Epirus. She was a profoundly otherworldly woman who taught her child about his predecessors, for example, Achilles and Hercules. From his most punctual age, he was molded for victory and eminence in being a lord. He then got to be centered on turning into an extraordinary ruler, which he soon would get to be.
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
For centuries, Alexander the Great has held an eminent place in history. Arguably one of the greatest men the world has ever known, the Macedonian King accomplished many great feats in his short, but glorious life. During his reign, Alexander played several roles in the process of conquering the Persian empire, and in the assessment of his character, aspects of Alexander's capabilities of both strengths and weaknesses must be explored in him as a person, a statesman and a leader.
Alexander inherited Macedonia at age twenty, and he set out to conquer Persia immediately which was considered the most powerful kingdom in the world. Alexander was to born to be a king. He was taught by Aristotle training and excelling in politics, sports, and warfare. He even eventually grew such a high belief of himself that he considered himself to be a god. News spread of his great power intimidating many rulers resulting in some of them surrendering. From many years of fighting he sustained many injuries weaking hi health. He became ill while feasting and later died at age thirty three. Some people believed he may have died from Malaria but no one can ever be sure. One thing that will also remain a mystery is why Alexander did not name an heir to the throne. Therefor, his officers split up the land causing the kingdom to weaken and eventually fall. Three centuries later he was praised by Julius Caesar in accomplishing so much in such little time. How Great was Alexander the
Alexander III of Macedon or Alexander the Great became king of Macedonia when he was about fourteen years old, and thus began his reign of terror and destruction. Alexander’s worthiness of his title, “Alexander the Great” has been highly debated. Historians have opposing views on whether Alexander is deserving of such a hyperbolic title. Alexander was an excellent military leader who conquered many lands and created an empire, however despite his victories his empire came crashing down only ten years after his death. This begs the question how great was Alexander the Great?
Evidence of this is that many of his enemies would surrender before the war began if they heard rumors about a possible attack on their empire (Doc C). Next, Alexander had one of the biggest empires ever as it stretched across 2,000,000 square feet of land! His empire also continued to grow as he went along his conquest, it took 11 years to reach full potential in size and strength (Doc E). The intense and well taught warriors are on last reason he had a very strong empire, Alexander recruited and highly endured his men to their full capability (Doc D). This evidence clearly states that Alexander the Great lived up to his name. These reasons also show that he was a smart leader and general, had a great and feared reputation from enemies and allies, and Alexander strived for full
One point of evidence that Alexander was great was he was a military strategist. For example, “When Alexander saw this, he moved his troops in all different directions so that porus would keep puzzled.¨(Doc. B) He used different strategy to keep his
Alexander the Great was the son of Phillip II, which was the king of Macedon and was a successful king and leader, setting up his son to be a successful leader in both the military aspect, as well in the political aspect as a king (Mark). Phillip III became known as Alexander the Great because the people that loved him and the success that he brought to his name, the people everywhere thought he was the greatest thing at the time, and since then that is the famous name that fills the history books (Mark). Alexander the Great spent his time, when not in battle, spreading the Greek background, language, and culture throughout his allies
Alexander the Great was born to King Philip II, around 356 B.C. in Macedonia. Alexander witnessed his father rule Macedonia as the king and having had one of the greatest philosophers at the time, Aristotle as his teacher it’s no surprise that Alexander from a very early age showed characteristics of a leader. When Alexander managed to tame the horse, Bucephalus his father pointed out even as a child his ambition is far too great, “My son, seek thee out a kingdom equal to thyself; Macedonia has not room for thee” (Plutarch 317). Alexander didn’t experience struggles or opposition when he rose to power, in fact he had inherited his position when his father was assassinated. However, there is no concrete evidence whether Alexander the great had anything to do with the death of his father.
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