Alexander And His Armies example essay topic

Alexander the Great By Tina Leacock Long before the birth of Christ, the land directly above what we know as Greece today, was called Macedonia. Macedonia still exists, but it is now Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and modern Greece. Macedonia was considered to be part of ancient Greece, but the people of these two countries could not be more different. No people in history ever gave so much to the human race as the ancient Greeks.

They produced architectural monuments, four of the greatest dramatic actors who ever lived, one of the most brilliant statesmen and two of the greatest historians. Scientists, philosophers and artists all thrived in this country. The political system we call democracy had its roots in this culture. The Macedonians in comparison with their Greek neighbors were crude and fierce in their outlook. They were a rough people. They never produced any artists, philosophers, or great actors.

But they produced Alexander The Great – a man with a legacy so remarkable that it has challenged the minds of men ever since. As king, he settled problems by immediate action, making quick decisions and taking great risks. His armies overcame these risks by sheer force and by the ingenious tactics instilled in them by Alexander. He and his armies conquered the Persian Empire, which stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to India and formed much of what was then considered the civilized world.

Through his conquests, Alexander helped spread Greek ideas, customs and laws throughout Asia and Egypt and adopted a uniform currency system to promote trade and commerce. He thus spread the rich Hellenistic culture enjoyed by the Greeks throughout the world. Alexander had a dream of the brotherhood of mankind where every person shared a common language, currency and loyalty, but he was unable to see his dream through due to an illness that claimed his life at the young age of 33. Alexander was born in 356 BC, in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia.

He was the son of Philip II, king of Macedonia, and of Olympias, a princess of Epirus. At the age of 13, Aristotle was hired to be Alexander's private tutor. Leonidas trained Alexander's body, Lysimachus taught him letters, and Aristotle formed his mind. He inspired interests of politics, other races of people and countries, plants and animals, and a great love for literature in Alexander. Perhaps it was the philosopher who instilled into the mind of the youth that ardor for unity, which gave some grandeur to Alexander's victories. Physically, Alexander was an ideal child.

He was good in every sport. He was a swift runner, a dashing horseman, a brilliant fencer, a practiced Bowman, and a fearless hunter. When Alexander succeeded in taming a giant horse which nobody else could tame, Philip said to him My son, Macedonia is too small for you; seek out a larger empire, worthier of you. The horse, Bucephalus, became one of the most famous horses in history and for most of the sixteen years of his life was the only horse that Alexander ever rode in battle.

When Bucephalus died, Alexander gave him a funeral worthy of a king and named a city after him. Alexander was very superstitious. He put a lot of confidence in soothsayers and astrologers. He would sometimes change big plans because of them. He never learned to recognize his own faults or limitations, but allowed his judgement to be soaked and drowned in praise. When Alexander was seventeen, his father left him temporarily in charge of Macedonia while he attended state matters in Greece.

While his father was away, a tribe in a northern province, apparently hoping to take advantage of Alexander's youth and inexperience started a revolt. Alexander gathered his army, marched against the rebels, beat them in battle and captured their chief city. He renamed their city after himself Alexandropolis. At the age of 20, Alexander's father was murdered by one of his bodyguards, and Alexander succeeded the throne as king of Macedonia. After Alexander's father died, some Greek cities under Macedonian rule revolted. Alexander quickly ended all opposition in Macedonia and marched south into Greece.

All Greek states except for Sparta renewed their allegiance and they all apologized. This pleased Alexander so he abolished all dictatorships in Greece, and decreed that each city should live in freedom according to its own laws. He was proclaimed captain general of the Greeks and he was promised that they would contribute men and supplies for his Asiatic campaign. He suppressed all who went against him very swiftly. In the mean time a rumor arose in Athens that Alexander was killed in suppressing the Illyrians. Thebes revolted and killed the Macedonian officials left there by Alexander.

When Alexander heard about this he was furious. He attacked the city of Thebes, storming its walls and destroying every building, except the temples and the house of the poet Pindar. His army sold the 30,000 inhabitants of Thebes into slavery or killed them. Alexander's actions against Thebes discouraged rebellion by the other Greek cities. He never had any difficulties in keeping the Greeks in line after this campaign. In 334 BC, Alexander returned to Macedonia, and prepared for the invasion of Asia.

When he returned he found that his state treasury was almost empty. He borrowed 800 talents and set out to conquer Persia. No expedition like it had ever been undertaken and few rival it since. Alexander's army was small by that day's standard, but it was very efficient. Alexander was also something of a military genius and he systematically set about to overtake parts of Persia in a series of smaller and victorious battles.

He had his first battle in Asia at the river of Granicus. He attacked an army of forty thousand men. According to legend he lost only 110 men in the fight. During this battle Cleitus saved Alexander's life by severing the arm of the Persian who was about to strike Alexander from behind.

After this first victory all the states of Asia Minor submitted to him. When passing through Phrygia he is said to have cut with his sword the Gordian Knot. Gordius tied this knot, and it was tied so well that nobody could undo it. It was told that the person who can untie this knot would become the ruler of all Asia. When Alexander couldn t untie it, he just cut it through.

He met the maid force of King Darius at Issus. Darius was the King of all Persia. Darius was reported to have an army of 600,000 men. Alexander won this famous battle by using his Calvary for attack and his infantry for defense. This was one of his many brilliant strategies. Darius fled leaving behind his money and his family.

After peaceably taking Damascus and Sidon Alexander laid siege to Tyre. This ancient city resisted for so long that when at last he captured it, Alexander lost his head and allowed his men to massacre eight thousand Tyrians, and to sell thirty thousand as slaves. Jerusalem surrendered quietly, and was well treated. Gaza fought until every man in the city was dead and every woman raped. Next his mission of conquest took him to Egypt. When Alexander showed respect for the county's gods, Alexander was welcomed as a divinely send liberator from Persian rule.

He did the same in S iwa and was crowned Pharaoh. While in Egypt, he founded Alexandria, which would become a world center of commerce and is still one of the chief world ports today. When Alexandria was completed it was one of the most impressive cities in the world. The streets were lettered or numbered and it was the first city in history to have lights at night. In 331 BC Alexander marched back to Asia to attack Persia. Darius and a large army at Guagamela greeted him.

Alexander was dismayed by the size of Darius army, but it was no match for the fortification of Alexander's phalanxes and swiftness of his cavalry. Darius was forced to retreat and his own men would eventually kill him. Alexander moved to the city of Babylon, which quickly surrendered, and he easily captured the Persian cities of Susa and Persepolis. All citizens of Persepolis were killed or sold into slavery and the city was burnt to the ground. With Darius dead, Alexander became the new king of Asia and became King of Persia, along with being King of Macedonia, Greece, Egypt and Asia. He was twenty-six.

Without Persian opposition, Alexander conquers with relative ease the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, Aracosia, Afghanistan, Bactria, Sogdiana, and finally all the lands west of the Jaxartes River. In Afghanistan, Alexander established a city to serve as a center for governmental administration. Alexander set out to conquer farther east, but his troops, tired and homesick, refused to follow him any farther eastward. They had been away from home and fighting for over eight years. After overtaking more than 5000 towns and villages in India, Alexander's army wanted to go home.

They started the long trek back to Macedonia. During this time, the army never lost a battle and they never broke ranks. The more time he spent in Asia the more good he saw in the Persians. Finally he decided to unite the Greek and the Persian kingdoms. He encouraged his men to marry Persian women and he himself took two Persian wives. One of which was the oldest daughter of Darius.

Alexander, influenced by Persian ways began to change. His soldiers saw in this change the conquest of Alexander by the Orient. For mostly diplomatic reasons Alexander proclaimed himself as the son of Zeus-Ammon, and therefore a god. He did this to help him to unify hostile worlds.

Perhaps, indeed, he thought to overcome the disruptive diversity of faiths in his empire by providing, in his own person, the beginning of a sacred myth and a common unifying faith. After attempts on the new gods life, Alexander became ever more suspicious, severe, and lonely. His new lifestyle caused him to start a lot of drinking. On one night, when he was very drunk, he was insulted by an also drunk Cleitus, the man who saved his life. Alexander killed Cleitus and couldn t forgive himself for it. In the end the discontent in the army caused an open mutiny.

His troops wished to go home. Alexander killed the leaders of the sedition and gave his men a speech in which he reminded them what they did for each other. His men were persuaded and wished to stay again. In the spring of 323 BC Alexander's dearest friend, Hephaestion, fell sick and died. Alexander couldn t eat for many days and started drinking even more. One night in Babylon, he drank heavily and caught a fever.

In eleven days, on June 10, he died. He was thirty-three years old. Alexander and his armies conquered the Persian Empire, which stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to India and formed much of what was then considered the civilized world. He established cities like Alexandria everywhere he went to help maintain rule and reduce corruption, as well as to promote learning and to encourage commerce and trade throughout the world.

He established Greek as the uniform language and brought different cultures together through marriages of his own and others just like his. He brought the world together to promote his idea of the brotherhood of mankind and had plans to reorganize his government and explore the seas around his empire. Alexander the Great accomplished all of this in just 33 years. After his death, the cities of his empire were split between his leading generals who mostly fought amongst themselves for control of the empire. Alexander the great was one of the greatest generals of all time, he was noted for his brilliance as a tactician and troop leader and for the rapidity with which he could conquer great expanses of territory. He started out as a brave and generous man but towards the end of his life, Alexander became more unjust and cruel.

This, like many other things in history, shows that Absolute power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Alexander the Great lived a life, which in human terms has never been matched. His contributions to history, despite his faults, will never dim. The stories of his exploits will live forever.