Paste your essay in here… Alexander the Great is one of the most influential individuals in world history, not only helping to unite and shape Europe, leading into the Hellenistic age and ultimately the Roman Empire, but also facilitating trade and relations among nations that had never been in contact with one another before, fostering the sharing of ideas, technologies, religions, languages, and cultures. Without his many conquests, the western world as we know it today would have developed at a much later time, stalling the inevitable globalization we have been exposed to today. His life may have been short, but he had a profound impact on human civilization and society as we know it, and through his many achievements, he is rightfully considered one of the greatest and most influential individuals in human history.
Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III, was born in Pella, Macedonia, in 356 B.C.E. to King Philip II and Queen Olympia, although many believed his father was actually Zeus, due to his military prowess and skill. Philip II was considered an impressive military man on his own. Macedonia was considered an advantageous military capital, and Phillip often fantasized about the nation eventually being able to conquer Persia. At age 12, Alexander was already beginning to show his strength and skill when he tamed the wild horse Bucephalus, an enormous horse with a furious temper. After taming the horse, it became his battle companion for most of his life. When he was 13, his father, the king, called on the philosopher Aristotle to tutor him and teach him the ways of the world. Aristotle helped to foster Alexander’s interest in literature, science, medicine and philosophy. When Alexander was 16, Philip went to battle the Byzantiums and left him to rule Macedonia, ultimately teaching him how to rule and take care of his people. In 338 B.C.E., Alexander soon saw an opportunity to prove his military worth and led an army against the Sacred Band of Thebes, a supposedly unbeatable army, during the Battle of Chaeronea. Alexander was able to showcase his courage and vigor, and his army destroyed the Band of Thebes. In 336 B.C.E. Alexander’s father Philip was assassinated. Just 20 years old, Alexander claimed the Macedonian throne and killed any possible rivals before they could challenge his rule. He also ended any possible rebellions against him in northern Greece. Once he had settled affairs at home, Alexander left Macedonia in an effort to conquer the world, starting with Persia, where he appointed general Antipater to help lead his army. They crossed the Hellespont, a narrow strait between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara, where they encountered Persian and Greek forces at the Granicus river, a battle in which Alexander one entirely. Alexander headed south soon after and easily took the city of Sardes. His army soon encountered some difficulty in the cities of Miletus, Mylasa and Halicarnassus. Even though Halicarnassus was under siege by the Macedonians, it was still not beaten. The city held out long enough for King Darius III, the newest Persian king, to gather a substantial army. In 333 B.C.E., Alexander and his men encountered the massive Persian army led by King Darius III. Alexander’s forces were greatly outnumbered, but their skill and strength was more than enough the defeat the Persian forces. As it became clear Alexander would win the battle, Darius fled with what little was left of his troops, leaving his family behind. Darius’ mother, Sisygambis, was so upset she disowned him and adopted Alexander as her own son. Alexander proved himself to be a ruthless, strong, and capable leader with his defeat of the Persians, and he never lost a battle after. He conquered such places as the Phoenician cities of Marathus and Aradus, the towns of Byblos and Sidon, the island of Tyre, and soon after would set is sites on Egypt. In his attempt to take Egypt he was sidelined at Gaza and forced to endure a lengthy siege, and after several weeks, he took the town and plundered Egypt where he built the city of Alexandria, named after him, which was considered the center of his empire and of Hellenistic thought, facilitating the trade of ideas, knowledge, culture and religion, and housing such important establishments as the library, theatre, university, etc. Alexander was often considered a deity for his involvement in legends and supernatural elements. He once traveled to the desert to consult the oracle of Ammon, a god of supposed good counsel. There were legends about what transpired at the oracle, but Alexander never spoke about the experience. After conquering Egypt, Alexander once again faced Darius and his massive troops at Gaugamela in 331 B.C.E. There was intense fighting and significant losses on both sides, but as it was evident Alexander would win again, Darius fled and was ultimately assassinated by his own men. It is believed that Alexander was saddened when he discovered Darius’s body and gave him a royal burial. Since Darius was finally dead, Alexander proclaimed himself King of Persia. But another Persian leader, Bessus, who was believed to be Darius’ murderer, had also claimed the Persian throne. After relentless pursuit by Alexander, Bessus’s troops gave Bessus over to Ptolemy, Alexander’s good friend, and he was mutilated and executed. Now that Bessus was finally out of the picture and there were no other challengers, Alexander had full control of Persia. To gain favor with the Persians, Alexander embraced many Persian customs. He dressed like a Persian and adopted the Persian court custom that involved bowing down and kissing the hand of others, depending on their rank. The Macedonians were not supportive of the changes in Alexander and his attempt to be viewed as a deity. They refused to practice many of the Persian customs and some plotted his death. Alexander became increasingly paranoid and ordered the death of one of his most favored generals, Parmerio, in 330 B.C.E., due to the fact his son, Philotas, had been plotting against him, and was also killed. In 328 B.C.E., Cleitus, another general of Alexander, also met a violent end. A drunk Cleitus, who was tired of Alexander’s new Persian lifestyle, continued to harass and mock Alexander in front of many of the other nobles of the court. Alexander killed Cleitus with a spear, a spontaneous act of violence that anguished him. Some believe Alexander killed his general due to a possible alcohol problem he had for most of his life. Alexander encountered his first wife, Roxane, in an attempt to capture Sogdia, a region of the Persian empire that was still loyal to Bessus. During his siege, he scaled a rock to take the Sogdians by surprise and one of those on the rock was Roxane, who he supposedly fell in love with on site. They were married and with their unity he was able to take the region of Sogdia. Soon after in 327 B.C.E., Alexander began his march on India. Some tribes surrendered peacefully while others did not. In 326 B.C.E., Alexander met King Porus of Paurava at the Hydaspes River. Porus’ army was soon defeated by Alexander. He wanted to continue and attempt to take all of India, but his war-weary soldiers refused, and he was soon convinced to return to Persia. In early 324 B.C.E., Alexander reached the city of Susa in Persia. Wanting to end the strife that had been caused by his two nations and uniting the Persians and Macedonians to create a new population loyal to him, he ordered many of his officers to marry Persian princesses at a mass wedding. There he also took two more wives for himself.
The Macedonian army resented Alexander’s attempt to change their culture and many tried to fight against him. Alexander retaliated by replacing Macedonian officers and troops with Persians, so their armies backed down. To further dissolve the situation, Alexander returned their titles and hosted a huge banquet as a peace offering. By 323 B.C.E., Alexander was head of an enormous empire, one he had conquered and acquired all on his own and in such a short span of time. He had such an insatiable urge for world domination, he started plans to conquer Arabia, but his plans would never reach fruition since he passed in 323 B.C.E. at the age of 32. Some historians say Alexander died of malaria, while others believe he was poisoned. In his death he never named a successor, which lead to many bloody battles and fights over who would get control of his empire. These fights divided and dissolved his empire and it wouldn’t be what it once was again till Rome began its conquest of the world themselves. Many of these lands did retain the influence Alexander had left behind with his Hellenistic thoughts and ideas. Some cities he founded remain important centers of culture and human society today.
Alexander the Great not only brought about the Hellenistic age, but greatly paved the way for the Roman Empire to take over in Europe. Alexander’s conquests and expansion of influential thought and ideas facilitated the trade networks, cities, cultures, and empires that changed human history and nature as we know it. Without his expansions, many of the cultures we know of today would have remained isolated instead of developing into more complex and intellectual nations. Alexander the Great is rightfully considered one of the most influential and forward thinking individuals in human history, without his conquests the world as we know it today may not exist, along with many of the cultures and ideas that were cultivated during his time.