Alexander the Great

And alas, we're here on my third post, who to talk about today? I think today will be Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia and Persia.

Alexander the Great was born according to historians in July 356 BC and died in June 323 BC. He was famous for creating one of the largest empires in the ancient world and he was also a very skilled general, never losing a battle despite the odds against him (that or he never got old enough to lose one since he died at only 32 years old).

At a young age, Alexander was tutor by the great and famous philosopher Aristotle, he was taught many subjects which in time stirred his mind for adventure and discovery. After his father King Phillip II of Macedon was assassinated in 336 BC, Alexander was crowned king, along with his fathers previous conquest of Greece and his military army reforms (which created one of the most advanced and effective military forces in the ancient world), Alexander initiated his fathers plan for the invasion and conquest of Persia.

King Darius III initially underestimated Alexander and sent his generals to deal with him, time and time again, Alexander was victorious, Alexander fought fearlessly and was noted for his daring tactics and strategies, due to the fact that every major battle the Macedonians fought, they were outnumbered and out positioned by the Persians.

Eventually Darius was defeated and betrayed by his generals and that cemented Alexanders conquest of Persia. He had completed his fathers plans, however, Alexander did not stop there, his curiosity drove him further east towards India. After years of constant battles and warring, many of his troops were tired, exhausted and fearful of facing the Indian armies (with their war elephants and everything), they threatened to rebel and revolt (and some did) unless Alexander returned home, Alexander attempted to persuade his troops to keep going however much to his disappointment, they would not budge or change their minds, Alexander eventually gave in to his troops desire and march them home.

The death of Alexander was debated among many historians, some believed he died of disease and some believed he was poisoned by his generals, that debate however remains as much a mystery a to people who lived in his time. At his death, Alexander had created one of the largest known empire in the ancient world and regrettably his empire had died with him, after his death, many of his generals argued and fought over who would succeed him and in the end his empire had been split into smaller factions. His empire had lived has long as he did.

Despite Alexanders self-centered nature and his curiosities of foreign and exotic lands, I do consider him a great leader. His ability to inspire his troops with great confidence was a rare skill, he was also a very skilled general and tactician in the field of battle, having able to devise battle plans and strategy to win battles against superior numbers (though many believed that Alexander would not have been able to get as far as his did without his father's military reforms, however that is up for debate). In the end, he was Alexander 'the Great'.

- Leo Lieu (LILED1303/ISYS100)

Painting of Alexander during his most famous battle.
The Battle of Gaugamela.

Sculpture of Alexander.