the exploits of Alexander the Great involved a whirlwind of such proportions that even today one can speak unequivocally of a before and after his passage through the world. Around the second half of the fourth century BC, a small territory in northern Greecedespised by the Athenians and branded a barbarian, began its dazzling expansion under the aegis of a military man of genius: Philip IIking of Macedon.
Alexander the Great | Biography
Alexander III of Macedon (Pela, July 20 or 21, 356 BC – Babylon, June 10 or 13, 323 BC), better known as Alexander the Great, he was the king of Macedonia from 336 a. C. until his death. Son and successor of Olympias of Epirus and Philip II of Macedonia, his father wanted to prepare him to reign, giving him military experience and intellectual training entrusting him to the formation of Aristotle.
Alexander the Great devoted the first years of his reign to impose their authority on the peoples subjected to Macedoniathat they had took advantage of Philip’s death to rebel. And right away—334 B.C. C.—he launched his army against the mighty and vast persian empirethus continuing the enterprise that his father had begun shortly before his death: a war of revenge for the Greeks—under Macedonian leadership—against the Persians.
Alexander the Great | born to conquer
Predestined by gods and oracles to rule two empires at the same timegrandson and son of kings at a time when the aristocracy was made up of warriors and conquerors, he was prepared for it since he saw the light.
At the moment of birth, his father, Philip IIwas far from Pela, in the Chalcidic peninsula celebrating with his soldiers the surrender of the Greek colony of Potidaea. Upon receiving the news, he immediately sent a letter to Athens addressed to Aristotlein which he shared the fact and thanked the gods that his son had been born in his time (that of the philosopher), and transmitted the hope that one day he would become his disciple.
Alexander was growing while the Macedonians increased their dominions and Philip his glory. wounded his father in Perinthus, was called to replace him. It was the first time he had taken part in a combat, and his conduct was so brilliant that he was sent to Macedonia as regent. In 338 he marched with his father south to subdue the tribes of Anfisa, north of Delphi.
Isocrates had preached the need to abandon the bloody fights on the peninsula and that a panhellenic league. But decades later, the Athenian Demosthenes showed his concern for the conquests of Philip, who had seized the north coast of the Aegean.
Demosthenes, declared enemy of Philiptook advantage of the distance to induce the athenians to arm themselves against the Macedonians. When the king found out, he left with his son for Chaeronea and fought with the Athenians. The glorious Theban phalanxes, undefeated since its formation by the great Epaminondas, they were completely devastated. Every last Theban soldier died at the battle of Chaeronea, where the young Alexander led the Macedonian cavalry.
After the campaigns against Thracians, Illyrians and Athenians, Alexander, Antipater and Alcimachus were appointed delegates from Athens to manage the peace treaty. It was then that he first saw Greece in all its splendor.
Alexander the Great | The Assassination of Philip
Philip, had gathered under his authority all Greeceexcept Sparta. In 337, at the age of forty-five, he had had a passion since his passage through the Adriatic mountains, and he did not hesitate to return to Illyria in search of Atala, the princess with whom he had fallen in love. After twenty years of marriage, she did not hesitate to repudiate Olympia Y celebrate a new wedding with Atala.
Alexander, who loved his mother, could not bear that offense that the king inferred his lawful wife. Indignant, wounded in his love for himself, the prince ran to her mother’s side and begged her to run away with him. With a few faithful people, mother and son left Pela to take refuge in the palace of their uncle Alejandror, King of Molossia in succession from his maternal grandfather.
Philipshowing signs of repentance he promised to pay the queen the honors that were her duebut it was too late Olympias had already conspired with Pausanias for the perpetration of his revenge against Philip, taking advantage of the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra with Alexander of Molossia, During the wedding procession Philip II was assassinated by Pausanias.
Alexander the Great | king of macedon
In only twelve years achieved so muchwhich ever since he is known as Alexander the Great. The father of the illustrious conqueror, who had led Alexander on military campaigns, prepared him in many ways to assume the kingship and, indeed, in the important battle of chaeronea gave him command of the cavalry after his father’s assassination, Alexander acted quickly to assert his authority, secure Macedonia’s borders and break up a rebellion in Greece. Then he turned his attention to his father’s dream: the invasion of the Persian Empire.
Alexander the Great | Alexander’s conquests
He worked in the preparation of the war against the Persian Empire, a war started by his father, for whom it had been his lifelong dream, and which was interrupted after his death. It is possible that between the final months of 335 and the spring of 334 he made several trips to Epirus and Athens. In Epirus reigned his sister Cleopatra, the queen of Molossia, who had his advice.
The conquests of Alexander the Great | Asia Minor
Battle of Granicus and Siege of Miletus
Pretending to follow his father’s plans to free the 10,000 Greeks under Persian rule, Alexander crossed the Hellespont, heading for Asia Minor. He honored the tomb of his hero Achilles at Troy, where he made a stand.
Alexander was pushing his luck a lot attack the Persian Empirewhich, although weakened in some respects, was still a strong state. Alexander’s fleet was inferior to the Persian navywhich recruited its ships from the Phoenicians and other coastal peoples of western Asia, also it could not be said that its finances were in the best moment.
Alexander’s Army he would have to live outside the rural environment and win quick victories in order to get the necessary resources to continue the battle. the spring of the year 334 BC of C, Alexander entered Asia Minor with an army of about 37,000 men. The army was accompanied by architects, engineers, historians and scientistsa clear indication of Alexander’s great vision, as well as the optimistic expectations he encouraged at the beginning of his campaign.
The first war that was fought in Asian territory was the battle of Granicus, 334 BC, which receives its name from the Granicus stream, where the war took place. the satraps, Name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Mede and Persian empires, they faced him with an army of 40,000 men, made up mostly of Greek mercenaries. Alexander was close to death in this combat, since a Persian tried to assassinate him from behind. Cleitusone of Philip’s trusted men, saved his life by striking him with a saber that amputated the aggressor’s hand.
the persian army despite being a large army commanded by Memnon of Rhodes, offered weak resistance and was defeated. The Greek cities of the coast surrendered either out of fear or because they wanted to be liberated.
Having also conquered Halicarnassus, he headed for Phrygia, but first, passing through Ephesus, he was able to meet the famous Apelles, who would become his particular and exclusive painter. Apelles lived at court until Alexander’s death.
In a culture where the oracle had exceptional power regarding the decisions to be made, at the end of 334 BC, Alexander decided to spend the winter in Gordona city that was the court of the legendary King Midas and an important trading post between Ionia and Persia and the ancient capital of Phrygia.
The Gordians presented the invader with an apparently insoluble dilemma. An intricate knot tied the yoke to the chariot of Gordius, King of Phrygia, and it has long been claimed that whoever could undo it would rule the world. All had failed so far, but the intrepid Alexander could not resist the temptation to unravel the riddle.
With an accurate and violent blow executed with the edge of his sword, he cut the rope, and then he commented sarcastically: “It was that simple.” Alexander thus affirmed his claims to universal dominion.
In the spring of the year 333 BC, the entire western half of Asia Minor had fallen into the hands of Alexander, and the Ionian Greek cities of southwestern Asia Minor had been liberated from the Persian oppressor. Not all of these states wanted to be liberated and, rather, they regarded Alexander simply as their new master.
The conquests of Alexander the Great | The Levant Mediterranean
Battle of Isos, Siege of Tire (332 BC), and Siege of Gaza
Alexander crossed the Taurus, crossed Cilicia and, in the autumn of 333 BC, the in the plain of Issos the great battle against Darius III, king of Persia. The numerical superiority of the Persians forced Alexander to harangue his troops, fearful of the bulky superiority of the enemy. Alexander was sure of his victory since he relied more on intelligence in the attack than brute and uncontrolled force.
As the battle raged on with the future still uncertain As for winners and losers, King Darío III fled, abandoning his men to their fate, which caused a real catastrophe. The cities were looted, while the king’s family was imprisoned, including his wife and daughters, who were treated as hostages.
Darius was forced to submit to Alexander the Great very favorable terms of peace. I granted him the western part of his empire and one of his daughters, the most beautiful, as his wife. It is told as an anecdote that the noble Parmenion found it a satisfactory offer, and advised his chief: “If I were Alexander, I would accept.” To which he replied: “And so would I if I were Parmenion.”
Alexander had ambitions to dominate all of Persia and could not settle for that honorable treaty. For this he had to take control of the eastern Mediterranean. Destroyed the city of Tire after seven months of siege, took jerusalem Y entered Egypt meeting no resistance, preceded by his fame as the conqueror of the Persians, he was welcomed as a liberator.
Returning through the western end of the delta, he founded in an admirable natural setting, the city of alexandria, which became the most prestigious in Hellenistic times. The city that was to be the capital of Hellenism and the meeting point between East and West. Since they could not delimit the urban perimeter with lime, Alejandro decided to use flour, but the birds came to eat it, destroying the established limits. This event was interpreted as an omen that the influence of Alexandria would spread throughout the Earth.
The conquests of Alexander the Great | Egypt
Alexander introduced himself as…