What made Alexander
Has anyone before or after Alexander the Great ever achieved so much in such a small lifetime? I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone that even comes close. Alexander the Great was a Macedonian general and the son of the brilliant, but sadly largely forgotten, Philip II of Macedon.
After the assassination of Philip, the newly formed Macedonian Empire became the young Alexander’s responsibility. Wanting to continue in his father’s footsteps, Alexander set about defeating the Persian Empire and conquering its lands. First, however, he needed the help and support of the Greek city states (except Sparta), many of whom had already allied with Macedon, or had been conquered. Once he got this backing, he set off on his military exploits that would make him a legend of history and would gain him renown as a military genius.
Sparta was never conquered by Macedon, because the latter respected Spartan prowess too much to ever risk an attack. In fact, at one point, Philip sent a letter to Sparta stating that if he ever entered Laconia (the region in which the city of Sparta was located) he would level Sparta to the ground. The Spartans replied with a simple, yet very effective, “if”.
Alexander went on to be successful against the Persians in several large battles, such as the ones at Granicus, Issus and Gaugamela. Alexander’s defeat of the Persian Empire would be absolute and culminated in the latter of the battles and the death of Darius III.
Even after his defeat of the Persians, Alexander’s thirst for expansion and conquest was not quenched. He took his army and continued on past the boundaries of the Persian Empire and wanted to reach “the ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea.”He managed to invade as far as India, but was forced to turn back because his army was on the verge of mutiny after a long and exhausting campaign.
Alexander managed, in his short lifetime, to conquer the lands of modern day Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Afghanistan and Pakistan. I believe that he would have added India to that impressive list as well if he had had the chance. He was also undefeated in battle. These are unbelievable achievements and simply reinforce why Alexander is thought of as “the Great.”
So there you have it. Proof that not everyone who is born with a silver spoon in their mouth lounges around on luxury bedding all day!
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