Alexander the Great
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Alexander the Great was a very successful leader. His empire was the largest of his time. He conquered everything he could, from Egypt to Persia, and in only thirteen years he managed to conquer most of the known world. One of Alexander's dreams was to bring the whole world under one government, using one currency and speaking one language. Although he did not come close to establishing one currency or language, Alexander did do well on putting most everyone under one government: his.
Alexander was born in the middle of July in 350 b.c., in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. His father, Philip II was the king of Macedonia during Alexander's early life. His mother, named Olympias, was the princess of Epirus. During his childhood in Macedonia Aristotle tutored him in rhetoric, literature, science, medicine, and philosophy.
In 336 b.c. Philip II was assassinated and Alexander became king. By 335 he had already begun to carry out campaigns against the Persians that his father had planned out. In the spring of 334 he began his own war against Persia, having successfully completed his father's set goals. The first major battle of this war was at Granicus, near Troy. Alexander and his Greek and Macedonian army left Granicus with a quick and decisive victory, causing Asia Minor to submit to his rule. Alexander's empire was beginning to take shape.
There were many battles, and Alexander began to accumulate territory. He won at the Battle of Issus against Darius, the Persian leader, in 333 b.c. He then staged a seven month siege at Tyre in 332, which he also won. Alexander went on to Gaza, then Egypt, itself, securing his control of the entire eastern Mediterranean coastline.
Alexander's achievements were not all battles, however. Later in 332 b.c. he founded the city of Alexandria at the mouth of the Nile River. This famous city was to become the literary, scientific, and commercial center of the Greek world. Throughout his conquests in Carthage, Babylon, and finally Persia, itself, Alexander founded various other cities, also named for him. Also during this time in his life Alexander married a Persian noblewoman named Roxane, who bore his heir after he died.
Alexander spent most of 324 b.c. organizing his domains and surveying in preparation for further conquests. He got to Babylon in the spring of 323 b.c. He died there of a fever in June of the same year. Alexander left his empire, in his own words, "to the strongest." He divided his territories among his trusted generals, leaving control of his vast domain to the man who could take it and control it well enough to keep it.
Alexander, himself, was a strong and ambitious man. Though young, he controlled a vast empire by virtue of his military genius. Evidence shows that Alexander the Great was also very egotistic. At one point he made a pilgrimage to the temple of Amon-Ra to secure himself as the son of a god and Egypt's rightful pharaoh. He was apparently successful, and the experience may have confirmed his beliefs in his own divine origins.
All of these qualities played a part in Alexander's surprising ability to manage such a huge empire. But most of all, maybe, was his extraordinary military genius. He combined old techniques with his own bold new ones to create a system that won every battle. He would send his cavalry (men on horses) in the traditional wedge shaped formation to break up enemy foot soldiers' formations. Then he would use his own foot soldiers to finish off the fighting. One of Alexander's favorite moves in a battle was to use his phalanx in an oblique, or staggered, formation. This would enable him to attack the weaker right wing of an enemy phalanx first, and then continue forward with the rest of his own phalanx. Other than the superior strategies they used, Alexander's armies where very much like most other armies. Each soldier was expected to carry his own weapons and supplies, and pack animals and wagons were only used to carry heavier and bulkier equipment such as tents, waterskins, and siege equipment. The men used the same types of armor and weapons as in other armies, as well. It was Alexander's strong leadership that allowed them to win so thoroughly so often.
In thirteen years Alexander the Great brought the known world under the rule of a single government. Such as achievement has not been seen since. If he had not died in 323, Alexander might have gone on conquering, eventually establishing an empire so well rooted that we would still be speaking Greek today. Was it Alexander's death that caused the downfall of his hard-won empire, or are all such empires destined to fall?
Alexander was born in the middle of July in 350 b.c., in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. His father, Philip II was the king of Macedonia during Alexander's early life. His mother, named Olympias, was the princess of Epirus. During his childhood in Macedonia Aristotle tutored him in rhetoric, literature, science, medicine, and philosophy.
In 336 b.c. Philip II was assassinated and Alexander became king. By 335 he had already begun to carry out campaigns against the Persians that his father had planned out. In the spring of 334 he began his own war against Persia, having successfully completed his father's set goals. The first major battle of this war was at Granicus, near Troy. Alexander and his Greek and Macedonian army left Granicus with a quick and decisive victory, causing Asia Minor to submit to his rule. Alexander's empire was beginning to take shape.
There were many battles, and Alexander began to accumulate territory. He won at the Battle of Issus against Darius, the Persian leader, in 333 b.c. He then staged a seven month siege at Tyre in 332, which he also won. Alexander went on to Gaza, then Egypt, itself, securing his control of the entire eastern Mediterranean coastline.
Alexander's achievements were not all battles, however. Later in 332 b.c. he founded the city of Alexandria at the mouth of the Nile River. This famous city was to become the literary, scientific, and commercial center of the Greek world. Throughout his conquests in Carthage, Babylon, and finally Persia, itself, Alexander founded various other cities, also named for him. Also during this time in his life Alexander married a Persian noblewoman named Roxane, who bore his heir after he died.
Alexander spent most of 324 b.c. organizing his domains and surveying in preparation for further conquests. He got to Babylon in the spring of 323 b.c. He died there of a fever in June of the same year. Alexander left his empire, in his own words, "to the strongest." He divided his territories among his trusted generals, leaving control of his vast domain to the man who could take it and control it well enough to keep it.
Alexander, himself, was a strong and ambitious man. Though young, he controlled a vast empire by virtue of his military genius. Evidence shows that Alexander the Great was also very egotistic. At one point he made a pilgrimage to the temple of Amon-Ra to secure himself as the son of a god and Egypt's rightful pharaoh. He was apparently successful, and the experience may have confirmed his beliefs in his own divine origins.
All of these qualities played a part in Alexander's surprising ability to manage such a huge empire. But most of all, maybe, was his extraordinary military genius. He combined old techniques with his own bold new ones to create a system that won every battle. He would send his cavalry (men on horses) in the traditional wedge shaped formation to break up enemy foot soldiers' formations. Then he would use his own foot soldiers to finish off the fighting. One of Alexander's favorite moves in a battle was to use his phalanx in an oblique, or staggered, formation. This would enable him to attack the weaker right wing of an enemy phalanx first, and then continue forward with the rest of his own phalanx. Other than the superior strategies they used, Alexander's armies where very much like most other armies. Each soldier was expected to carry his own weapons and supplies, and pack animals and wagons were only used to carry heavier and bulkier equipment such as tents, waterskins, and siege equipment. The men used the same types of armor and weapons as in other armies, as well. It was Alexander's strong leadership that allowed them to win so thoroughly so often.
In thirteen years Alexander the Great brought the known world under the rule of a single government. Such as achievement has not been seen since. If he had not died in 323, Alexander might have gone on conquering, eventually establishing an empire so well rooted that we would still be speaking Greek today. Was it Alexander's death that caused the downfall of his hard-won empire, or are all such empires destined to fall?
