Alexander the Great
356–323 BCAlexander the Great is considered one of the most successful military commanders of all time. He was the son of Philip II, a King of Macedonia who had spent twenty years bringing Thrace, Thessaly, and eventually all of Greece under Macedonian control. When Alexander came to the throne at age 20, he therefore had the most powerful army in the region at his disposal, as well as several of his father's best generals. Even considering these advantages however, the progress of his military success was astounding. Macedonia was still a poor and backward country when Alexander crossed the Hellespont in 334 B.C. with the notion of conquering all of Persia. He had only 40,000 troops and little money to begin with, but within three years he was master of a fabulously wealthy empire, whose domains spanned thousands of miles and included tens of millions of people.
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As soon as his rule was everywhere firmly established, Alexander began actively planning an invasion of Persia. With an army of just over 40,000 Macedonian and Greek troops, Alexander met the Persians in three major battles over a three year period. In each case the Macedonians were greatly outnumbered but prevailed everywhere due to superior tactics and generalship. Following each victory, Alexander spent a year consolidating his power and besieging a few fortified towns. His first victory, at Granicus, gained him all of Asia Minor. His second major battle, at Issus, opened up all of Syria, Mesopotamia, and ultimately Egypt. His final victory at Gaugamela crushed the last vestige of Persian power and opened up all of Central Asia. He continued his campaign in the eastern regions of the Persian Empire for several years after his victory at Gaugamela, but fought only local skirmishes rather than full-scale battles.
During the early years of Alexander's reign in Persia he tried to blend the Persian and Greek cultures to some extent, but his acceptance of some Persian customs caused resentment among some of his Greek generals. He preferred conquest to administration however, so in 326 embarked on another campaign which took him to the outer realm of the empire. He fought King Porus for control of northern India at the Battle of Hydaspes River, but his army refused to proceed when he tried to lead them into the Ganges Valley. They were exhausted after years of campaigning and wanted to return home. Disappointed, Alexander returned to Babylon. The final years of his life were considerably less creditable than his early years. He became paranoid and abrasive, and was responsible for the murder or assassination of several of his longtime friends and advisors. His death after an acute illness in 323 was certainly due to excessive drink and dissipation.
Since Alexander died without a clear plan of succession, his death resulted in a long series of wars between his generals for control of his kingdom. By the time of his death however, the process of "Hellenization", involving the introduction of Greek culture and learning into all the domains of the eastern Mediterranean was well along. Within 20 years of his death his empire had evolved into three long term empires, but all retained a Greco-Macedonian character in their administration.
Key events during the life of Alexander the Great:
| Birth of Alexander the Great. | |
| Philip II defeats Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea; Alexander led Macedonian cavalry. | |
| Death of Philip II, Alexander assumes throne; puts done a rebellion in Thrace. | |
| Rebellion in Thebes is put down severely. Thebes is razed. | |
| Macedonian army crosses the Hellespont; defeats Memnon of Rhodes at the Battle of Granicus. | |
| Alexander consolidates his power in all of Asia Minor. | |
| Defeats Darius in the great Battle of Issus. All of Syria falls into Macedonian hands. | |
| Egypt surrenders to Alexander without any resistance. | |
| Destroys Perisan capital of Persepolis. | |
| Builds a giant bridge in order to besiege the island city of Tyre. City falls and is severerly treated. | |
| Great Persian army is defeated at the Battle of Gaugamela. All of Persia falls into Macedonian hands. | |
| Death of Darius at the hands of a traitor. | |
| Campaigns in Media, Bactria and Afghanistan | |
| Returns to Capital at Babylon | |
| Marries Roxana, a Bactrian Princess. | |
| Defeats Porus in a great battle at the Indus River. | |
| Macedonian army refuses to continue on. Alexander returns to Babylon. | |
| Death of Alexander the Great |
Other Resources
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Image Links | ||
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 Alexander and Bucephalus in Alexander the Great |
 The Bathing in the River Cydnus in Alexander the Great |
 It is this that I cut all Gordian knots' in Thirty More Famous Stories Retold |
 Who but Dulkarnein reddened with anger? in A Child's Book of Warriors |
 Alexander the Great in Tales of the Greeks: The Children's Plutarch |
 Alexander and Bucephalus in The Story of the Greeks |
 Alexander cutting the Gordian Knot in The Story of the Greeks |
 Death of Alexander in The Story of the Greeks |
 Alexander tames Bucephalus in Famous Men of Greece |
 The family of Darius at Alexander's feet, Crane in Famous Men of Greece |
 Porus before Alexander, Chappel in Famous Men of Greece |
 The death of Alexander, Piloty in Famous Men of Greece |
 Aristotle teaching Alexander, Laplante in Famous Men of Greece |
 Alexander the Great in Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men |
 Thais Suggests the Burning of Persepolis in Greatest Nations - Greece |
 Wedding of Alexander and Statira in Greatest Nations - Greece |
 The Death of Alexander in Greatest Nations - Greece |
 Alexander the Great in Back Matter |
 Alexander discovering the body of Darius in Back Matter |
 Alexander taming Bucephalus in Our Young Folks' Plutarch |
 Alexander and Diogenes in Stories from Greek History |
 Alexander scales the walls with three men in Stories from Greek History |
He ran toward the horse and seized the bridle. in The Story of Greece |
 With an effort he looked at them as they passed. in The Story of Greece |
 The Death of Alexander the Great in Historical Tales: Greek |
 Alexander Training Bucephalus in Stories of the Ancient Greeks |
 Alexander (From a bust in Tivoli, Italy) in The Story of the Greek People |
 Alexander (From a bust found in Tivoli, Italy, in 1779.) in Old World Hero Stories |
 Alexander and Diogenes in Plutarch's Lives W. H. Weston |
 Quarrel between Alexander and Clitus in Plutarch's Lives W. H. Weston |
| Used statesmanship as well as military force to bring Greece under sway of Macedonia. | |
| Renowned scientist and philosopher. Cataloged all types of knowledge. Tutor to Alexander the Great. | |
| One of Greece's greatest orators. Spoke against Philip and the Macedonians. | |
| Porus | Proud King of India, defeated by Alexander, but then restored as Satrap of the region. |
| Memnon of Rhodes | |
| Chief general of both Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great. Eventually killed by Alexander. | |
| One of Philip's most trusted generals. Left in charge of Macedonia during Alexander's conquests. | |
| Wife of Philip of Macedon. Alexander's mother. Quarreled with Antipater over charge of Macedonia. | |
| Last king of Persia, overthrown by Alexander the Great. |