There he develops a fascination with the exploits of mythical Greek heroes such as Achilles. His father is the king of Macedon, Philip II, and his mother is the politically ambitious Olympias of Epirus.ģ43 BC | Alexander begins his education with AristotleĪlexander travels to the Temple of the Nymphs in Mieza to be educated by the celebrated Greek philosopher Aristotle. He is born in the Macedonian capital of Pella. Possibly his closest and warmest personal relationship was with a man – his near-contemporary Hephaestion, a noble Macedonian who, like him, was taught by Aristotle.Īlexander the Great: his life in 17 moments Understand why Alexander the Great casts such as shadow in history with writer Spencer Day's highlights of his life.Ģ0/21 July 356 BC | Alexander the Great is born He married three times and sired at least two sons, one legitimate (born to his first wife, Roxana, after his death). Was Alexander the Great gay?Īs he had sex with both males and females, he was what we’d call bisexual. In addition, he was too impetuous, too prone to believe alleged conspiracies against his life and too trusting in subordinates who let him down. One symptom is that, at his death in 323 BC, he had three wives but no male heir yet born. One criticism is that he didn’t invest enough time and energy in the peaceful administration of his diverse empire. And, of course, they had elephants! What was Alexander the Great’s greatest failing as a leader? While Darius III of Persia commanded a motley crew of multi-ethnic forces, at Hydaspes Raja Porus led largely Indian ethnic forces fighting on their own terrain for their own terrain. He won the four key battles of his great campaign: at Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela and, for me the most impressive, Hydaspes. Up there in Division 1, with Napoleon and Genghis Khan. Where does Alexander the Great stand in the pantheon of great commanders? Plus he had a priceless ability to identify the key moment in a battle and act decisively to ensure he won that moment. He combined immense personal charisma and bravery (he often led his troops from the front). What made Alexander the Great such a brilliant military leader? Paul Cartledege, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture Emeritus at the University of Cambridge, gives us his take on Alexander the Great. He died of a fever in Babylon in June 323 BC.Alexander the Great: the big questions answered The fact that his army only refused to follow him once in 13 years of a reign during which there was constant fighting, indicates the loyalty he inspired. This was united by a common Greek language and culture, while the king himself adopted foreign customs in order to rule his millions of ethnically diverse subjects.Īlexander was acknowledged as a military genius who always led by example, although his belief in his own indestructibility meant he was often reckless with his own life and those of his soldiers. The entire area from Greece in the west, north to the Danube, south into Egypt and as far to the east as the Indian Punjab, was linked together in a vast international network of trade and commerce. Over the next eight years, in his capacity as king, commander, politician, scholar and explorer, Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles, founding over 70 cities and creating an empire that stretched across three continents and covered around two million square miles. The young king of Macedonia, leader of the Greeks, overlord of Asia Minor and pharaoh of Egypt became 'great king' of Persia at the age of 25. His greatest victory was at the Battle of Gaugamela, in what is now northern Iraq, in 331 BC. He then set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire.Īgainst overwhelming odds, he led his army to victories across the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt without suffering a single defeat. He quickly dealt with his enemies at home and reasserted Macedonian power within Greece. Philip was assassinated in 336 BC and Alexander inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom. Alexander was educated by the philosopher Aristotle. His parents were Philip II of Macedon and his wife Olympias. © Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in little more than a decade.Īlexander was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BC. Alexander the Great in battle on his horse, Bucephalas
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