Alexander the Great: Life, Conquests, and Legacy

Introduction

Born in July 356 B.C. as Alexandros III Philippou Makedonon to King Philip II and the Epirote princess Olympias, Alexander the Great was a king of Macedon and the greatest military commander of the ancient world. In the relatively short period during which he led the kingdom of Macedon, he managed to conquer almost the entire civilized world before his untimely death (Alexander the Great, 2015).

Early Life and Education

When Alexander was very young, he proved himself capable of undertaking dangerous military responsibilities (Gascoigne, n.d.). When the boy was just sixteen, his father left him in charge of the kingdom while he led an expedition east against the Byzantium Kingdom (Gascoigne, n.d.). During his father's absence, Alexander managed to crush Thracian forces that were threatening the throne. As a reward, his father later allowed him to establish a new town in the territory occupied by the Thracians. The town was named Alexandropolis — the first of many places to be named after him (Gascoigne, n.d.).

In his early years, Alexander had many tutors. Leonidas of Epirote, a relative of his mother, taught him horsemanship and combat. Lysimachus of Acarnania taught him to read, write, and play musical instruments. Among those hired to instruct Alexander in various subjects was Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, who later became one of his close friends (Mark, 2013). The lessons from these different tutors enabled Alexander to develop a lifelong love of music and literature (Mark, 2013).

Aristotle's influence on the young Alexander was profound. When Alexander later conquered new territories for Macedon, he never forced Greek culture upon the conquered peoples. Instead, he introduced it as an alternative, much in the way Aristotle had taught him and his fellow students (Mark, 2013). Leonidas's rigorous training was likewise evident throughout Alexander's life in his remarkable stamina and physical resilience.

Military Campaigns

Alexander's military skill and leadership were first demonstrated at the Battle of Chaeronea (338 B.C.), where the young Alexander delivered a decisive victory for the Macedonian army against an alliance of Greek city-states. When his father was assassinated two years later, Alexander assumed the throne and embarked on the conquest of the great Persian Empire (Mark, 2013).

With a formidable army, Alexander crossed into Asia Minor, sacking several cities and liberating others from Persian rule. A year after crossing into Asia Minor, he encountered the forces of King Darius III at the Battle of Issus. Alexander defeated the mighty Persian army and proceeded to claim several Persian territories. He then marched south, conquering Aleppo, Syria, and Egypt in 331 B.C., where he founded another city. Named Alexandria, it became the largest surviving city to bear the Macedonian king's name. After Egypt, he launched campaigns against Phoenicia and the island city-state of Tyre, both of which he successfully subdued.

In 331 B.C., Alexander faced King Darius of Persia once more and again defeated him. Darius fled the battlefield, and Alexander declared himself King of Asia before launching another march toward the city of Susa. The city surrendered unconditionally (Mark, 2013).

Conclusion

Although Alexander's rule was short-lived, his influence on the Mediterranean world and on modern-day North African and Asian cultures cannot be denied (Clark, 2012). He managed to spread Hellenic culture across most of the civilized world (Clark, 2012). The new empires that emerged after the Macedonian empire incorporated Hellenic culture, traditions, and political structures with their own, enabling them to form some of the strongest and most successful civilizations of the ancient world (Clark, 2012).