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Alexander III of Macedon (Ancient Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος, romanized: Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon.
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- Overview
- Persian conquest
- Alexander the Great's fall—and death
The son of a king, Alexander was a brilliant military leader who conquered most of the known world—but he wasn't much of a diplomat.
Alexander the Great slices the Gordian Knot with his sword in 333 B.C. The legend—depicted in this painting by Jean-Simon Berthelemy—has it that the knot in the city of Gordium (present-day Turkey) was only to be untied by the future conquerer of Asia.
The vast Eurasian empire that Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.) forged was not long-lasting, but his heroic deeds were legendary. Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedonia, a realm north of Greece. When Athens was left unstable by the interminable Peloponnesian War, Philip saw an opening and took it; he subdued Greece around 339 B.C.
While Philip was at war, Alexander studied math, archery, and other subjects with tutors, including the renowned philosopher Aristotle. According to Greek author Plutarch, Alexander kept a copy of Homer’s Iliad, annotated by Aristotle, “with his dagger under his pillow, declaring that he esteemed it a perfect portable treasure of all military virtue and knowledge.”
(Were Alexander the Great and Hephaestion more than friends?)
The precocious Alexander was already a seasoned commander in the Macedonian army when he became king at the age of 20 in 336 B.C., after his father’s assassination. In one of his most decisive moves, the young monarch forcefully proved his authority over rebellious Greeks by storming the defiant city of Thebes, slaughtering thousands of residents and enslaving the rest.
In 334 B.C., Alexander set out to conquer the Persian Empire, which had waned in power but remained a behemoth. Alexander’s army numbered fewer than 40,000 men, mostly Macedonian and fiercely loyal. The versatile force included cavalry and heavily armed foot soldiers, who wielded spears and formed a phalanx, advancing relentlessly behind raised shields. Alexander deployed his troops with great skill and earned their devotion by leading them in battle and suffering several wounds.
Alexander visited the fabled city of Troy as he crossed the Bosporus into Asia Minor and routed the Persian forces there. Greek cities in Asia Minor that had been under Persian control welcomed his rule. At the Gulf of Issus in 333 B.C., Alexander soundly defeated Persian emperor Darius III, who retreated so hastily, he left behind family members to be taken hostage.
Refusing to make peace unless Darius yielded to him as emperor, Alexander swept south along the sea toward Egypt. He seized strategic ports, including the defiant Phoenician port of Tyre. He met with more reverence in Egypt, where he was honored as a god-king like the pharaohs of old—veneration he considered his due.
From the Mediterranean, Alexander advanced east into Mesopotamia and engaged Darius’s replenished troops on the plain of Gaugamela in 331 B.C. Once again, Alexander demonstrated that a small army acting in concert was superior to a sprawling, disorganized one. When a gap opened in the Persian ranks, he and his elite cavalrymen dashed into the breach, splitting the opposing army in two. He had conquered the Persians at last.
By adding the vast Persian realm to his Balkan kingdom, Alexander forged a Eurasian empire of unprecedented scope. Yet that wasn’t enough. He didn’t heed the Greek lesson about the danger of hubris, striving arrogantly for more than any man could realistically achieve. He subdued Bactria (in modern-day Afghanistan) and wed Roxana, the daughter of a Bactrian chief. He then invaded India in 327 B.C. and crossed the Indus River, the farthest frontier of the old Persian Empire. But monsoons made his troops feverish and mutinous; in 325 B.C., they turned back.
(How suspicion and intrigue eroded Alexander's empire.)
Alexander’s genius was military, not political or diplomatic. He made fitful efforts to organize his huge empire in the style of the Persians; he hired Persian officials and wed Persian princesses (as did dozens of his commanders). Many Macedonians felt he placed too much trust in people they still viewed as enemies, and Greeks consented only reluctantly to his demand to be recognized as divine like some Near Eastern monarchs. “If Alexander wishes to be a god,” Spartans observed skeptically, “let him be a god.”
The mortal Alexander died suddenly (perhaps from typhoid fever) in Babylon in 323 B.C. His empire fractured after his death, but those lands were forever changed, infused with the culture and cosmopolitan spirit of a larger Greek world that Alexander brought into being.
Learn about the life and legacy of Alexander the Great, a legendary military leader who expanded his empire from Greece to Asia. Explore the sources, myths, and challenges of his history, and how his image influenced later empires.
- Who started ruling after Alexander died? If he had no obvious heir, who took over?Alexander the Great died after a bried illness at the age of 32. Legend says that when he lay on his deathbed, and was asked who would inherit his...
- "For Cassander, it was important to execute Alexander’s wife, child, and mother in order to become t...Yes, he did. I checked the English / Cassander as well as the German Wikipedia / Kassander, both last edited 2 month ago. It is / was a horribly co...
- Wait, so Alexander died as his wife was pregnant?Yes. In fact, the son was to be killed in the War of the Diadochi that followed.
- In the first map, showing the expansion of Macedon, why is Ionia (present-day Turkey) so far removed...Because it's geographical coordinates place it there. If you are wondering why a sea named Ionian is so far from Ionia it is because: the Ionians o...
- Was Alexander the great nice,or was he a terrible personAléxandros (Alexander) was a very ambitious and competitive person. He had a violent temper and could be rash and stubborn. However he could also b...
- Which specific aspects of Greek culture were absorbed by Alexander's conquered territories in Asia? ...There were many aspects, ranging from language to military. Many Greek gods became worshipped, and Greek became the leading language in many cities...
- Why did Alexander conquer all of the land?He had the army, and the supplies for the army, and the defenders were weak. He kept going, like the super-rich in the world can't say "enough", bu...
- So for the Alexander Mosaic shown above, (I've previously asked this question), when was this really...In my understanding, the Roman copy was made in 100 BCE and the original Greek copy was made in 310 BCE
- Is it true that when Alexander the Great try to conquer Sparta that Alexander made a lot of threats ...Here is someone else's insight into the matter: https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Alexander-the-Great-not-conquer-Sparta
- He is like George WashingtonYes, they both rode horses and owned slaves.
Nov 14, 2013 · Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great (l. 21 July 356 BCE – 10 or 11 June 323 BCE, r. 336-323 BCE), was the son of King Philip II of Macedon (r. 359-336 BCE) who became king upon his father's death in 336 BCE and then conquered most of the known world of his day.
- Joshua J. Mark
Apr 3, 2014 · Alexander the Great was a conqueror and king of Macedonia who unified Greece, reestablished the Corinthian League and conquered the Persian Empire. Learn about his life, campaigns, conquests, family and legacy from this comprehensive biography.
Alexander ( Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος) is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. [1] Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Aleksander, Aleksandr and Alekzandr.
Nov 9, 2009 · Learn about the life and achievements of Alexander the Great, the ancient Macedonian ruler who conquered the Persian Empire and established a vast empire. Explore his military campaigns, cultural influence, death and legacy.
