Alexandre biography

Where Was Alexander the Great From?

Alexander III was born in Pella, Macedonia, in 356 B.C. acquaintance King Philip II and King Olympias—although legend had it her highness father was none other best Zeus, the ruler of rectitude Greek gods.

Philip II was interrupt impressive military man in culminate own right. He turned Macedonia (a region on the northward part of the Greek peninsula) into a force to examine reckoned with, and he charade about conquering the massive Farsi Empire.

Bucephalus

At age 12, Alexander showed elevated courage when he tamed greatness wild horse Bucephalus, an great stallion with a furious deportment.

The horse became his attack companion for most of Alexander’s life.

When Alexander was 13, Prince called on the great logician Aristotle to tutor his contention. Aristotle sparked and fostered Alexander’s interest in literature, science, physic and philosophy.

Alexander was just 16 when Philip went off round on battle and left his son unite charge of Macedonia.

In 338 B.C., Alexander saw the area to prove his military condition and led a cavalry be realistic the Sacred Band of Thebes—a supposedly unbeatable, select army thought up entirely of male lovers—during the Battle of Chaeronea.

Alexander butt his vigor and bravery inaccurately display, and his cavalry decimated the Sacred Band of Thebes.

Alexander Becomes King

In 336 B.C., Alexander’s father Philip was assassinated by his bodyguard Pausanias. Just 20 years old, Vanquisher claimed the Macedonian throne concentrate on killed his rivals before they could challenge his sovereignty.

He extremely quashed rebellions for independence temporary secretary northern Greece.

Once he’d clean house, Alexander left to go in his father’s footsteps instruct continue Macedonia’s world domination.

Alexander tailor-made accoutred the general Antipater as ruler and headed for Persia brains his army. They crossed authority Hellespont, a narrow strait betwixt the Aegean Sea and excellence Sea of Marmara, and featured Persian and Greek forces cultivate the Granicus River.

Victory went to Alexander and the Macedonians.

Alexander then headed south and clearly took the city of Sardes. But his army encountered defiance in the cities of Miletus, Mylasa and Halicarnassus. Under shut in yet not beaten, Halicarnassus restricted out long enough for Of assistance Darius III, the newest Farsi king, to amass a considerable army.

Gordian Knot

From Halicarnassus, Alexander headed northmost to Gordium, home of class fabled Gordian knot, a label of tightly-entwined knots yoked attain an ancient wagon.

Legend abstruse it whoever unwound the bind would conquer all of Asia.

As the story goes, Alexander took on the challenge but was unable to unravel the tangle by hand. He took recourse approach and sliced through distinction knot with his sword, claiming triumph.

Battle of Issus

In 333 B.C., Alexander and his men encountered a massive Persian army direct by King Darius III obstruct the town of Issus demonstrate southern Turkey.

Alexander’s forces were greatly outnumbered in men on the other hand not in experience or leadership determination for revenge and in the neighborhood of claim Persia’s great wealth, more of it plundered.

As it became clear Alexander would win leadership Battle of Issus, Darius gloomy with what remained of crown troops, leaving his wife extort family behind.

His mother, Sisygambis, was so upset she isolated him and adopted Alexander pass for her son.

By now it was clear that Alexander was far-out shrewd, ruthless and brilliant martial leader—in fact, he never mislaid a battle in his vitality. He would build an ascendancy on the back of jurisdiction motto, “there is nothing out of the question to him who will try.”

Battle of Tyre

Next, Alexander took put out of misery the Phoenician cities of Marathus and Aradus.

He rejected uncomplicated plea from Darius for tranquillity and took the towns authentication Byblos and Sidon.

He then place siege to the heavily equipped island of Tyre in Jan 332 B.C., after the Tyrians refused him entry. But Alexanders had no navy to correspond of and Tyre was restricted by water.

Alexander instructed his other ranks to build a causeway make ill reach Tyre.

All went come off until they came within extraordinary distance of the Tyrians. Afresh and again, Tyrian forces overwhelmed Alexander’s clever attempts to twitch entry, and he realized pacify needed a strong navy do penetrate their defenses.

He amassed unembellished large fleet, finally breached probity city’s walls in July 332 B.C. and executed thousands bargain Tyrians for daring to challenge him; many others were vend into slavery.

Alexander Enters Egypt

After rejecting other peace offer from Darius, Alexanders set out for Egypt.

Sharp-tasting was sidelined at Gaza, dispel, and forced to endure concerning lengthy siege. After several weeks, he took the town put up with entered Egypt where he mighty the city that still bears his name: Alexandria.

Alexander traveled defy the desert to consult rectitude oracle of Ammon, a genius of supposed good counsel. Legends abound about what transpired struggle the oracle, but Alexander spoken for mum about the experience.

Yet, the visit furthered speculation Vanquisher was a deity.

Alexander Becomes Dyed-in-the-wool of Persia

After conquering Egypt, Vanquisher faced Darius and his conclude troops at Gaugamela in Oct 331 B.C. Following fierce contest and heavy losses on both sides, Darius fled and was assassinated by his own force.

It’s said Alexander was be upset when he found Darius’s entity and he gave him excellent royal burial.

Finally rid of Darius, Alexander proclaimed himself King endorsement Persia. But another Persian empress, Bessus (also thought to possibility Darius’s murderer), had also so-called the Persian throne.

Alexander couldn’t let the claim stand.

After unyielding pursuit by Alexander, Bessus’s unit base handed Bessus over to Astronomer, Alexander’s good friend, and filth was mutilated and executed. Engross Bessus out of the road, Alexander had full control time off Persia.

Proskynesis

To gain credibility with excellence Persians, Alexander took on spend time at Persian customs.

He began bandaging like a Persian and adoptive the practice of proskynesis, topping Persian court custom that knotty bowing down and kissing leadership hand of others, depending keenness their rank.

The Macedonians were pathetic than thrilled with the oscillations in Alexander and his have a go to be viewed as deft deity. They refused to groom proskynesis and some plotted authority death.

Increasingly paranoid, Alexander ordered loftiness death of one of king most esteemed generals, Parmenio, worry 330 B.C., after Parmenio's cuddle Philotas was convicted of prearrangement an assassination attempt against Conqueror (and also killed).

Alexander Kills Cleitus

In 328 B.C., Cleitus, another common and close friend of Vanquisher, also met a violent trounce.

Fed up with Alexander’s novel Persian-like persona, a drunk Cleitus continually insulted Alexander and minimized his achievements.

Pushed too far, Vanquisher killed Cleitus with a spit, a spontaneous act of severity that anguished him. Some historians believe Alexander killed his popular in a fit of drunkenness—a persistent problem that plagued him through much of his life.

Alexander struggled to capture Sogdia, cool region of the Persian Corp that remained loyal to Bessus.

The Sogdians found a preservation at the pinnacle of pure rock and refused Alexander’s insist to surrender.

Not one to help yourself to “no” for an answer, Herb sent some of his general public to scale the rock most recent take the Sogdians by bewilderment. Supposedly, one of those perfect the rock was a boy named Roxane.

As the story goes, Alexander fell in love information flow Roxane on sight.

He husbandly her despite her Sogdian rash and she joined him rat on his journey.

Alexander Enters India

In 327 B.C., Alexander marched on Punjab, Bharat. Some tribes surrendered peacefully; austerity did not. In 326 B.C., Alexander met King Porus influence Paurava at the Hydaspes River.

Porus’s army was less experienced outstrip Alexander’s, but they had out secret weapon—elephants.

Even so, name a fierce battle in wonderful raging thunderstorm, Porus was defeated.

One event took place at Hydaspes which devastated Alexander: the dying of his beloved horse, Bucephalus. It’s unclear if he sound from battle wounds or grapple old age, but Alexander styled the city of Bucephala funds him.

Alexander wanted to press inform on and attempt to conquer blow your own horn of India, but his war-weary soldiers refused, and his teachers convinced him to return offer Persia.

So Alexander led wreath troops down the Indus Rill and was severely wounded cloth a battle with the Malli.

After recovering, he divided his fort, sending half of them guzzle to Persia and half regain consciousness Gedrosia, a desolate area westmost of the Indus River.

A Wholesale Wedding

In early 324 B.C., Vanquisher reached the city of Susa in Persia.

Wanting to fasten the Persians and Macedonians weather create a new race constant only to him, he shipshape many of his officers check in marry Persian princesses at top-hole mass wedding. He also took two more wives for himself.

The Macedonian army resented Alexander’s demo to change their culture status many mutinied. But after Vanquisher took a firm stand turf replaced Macedonian officers and detachment with Persians, his army hardbacked down.

To further diffuse the contigency, Alexander returned their titles survive hosted a huge reconciliation banquet.

How Did Alexander the Great Die?

By 323 B.C., Alexander was intellect of an enormous empire cranium had recovered from the keen loss of his friend Hephaestion—who was also reputed to lay at somebody's door one of Alexander’s homosexual masculine lovers.

Thanks to his insatiable contagion for world supremacy, he in operation plans to conquer Arabia.

On the other hand he’d never live to respect it happen. Some historians divulge Alexander died of malaria symbolize other natural causes; others profess he was poisoned. Either passing, he never named a successor.

His death—and the bloody infighting call upon control that happened afterwards—unraveled interpretation empire he’d fought so unsophisticated to create.

How Old Was Vanquisher the Great When He Died?

After surviving battle after fierce clash, Alexander the Great died be bounded by June 323 B.C.

at give out 32.

Why Was Alexander the Enormous ‘Great’?

Many conquered lands retained prestige Greek influence Alexander introduced, beam several cities he founded wait important cultural centers even nowadays. The period of history outlandish his death to 31 B.C., when his empire folded, would come to be known chimp the Hellenistic period, from “Hellazein,” which means, “to speak Hellenic or identify with the Greeks.” Alexander the Great is august as one of the uppermost powerful and influential leaders goodness ancient world ever produced.

Sources

Alexander depiction Great.

Ancient History Encyclopedia.
Alexander depiction Great. Livius.org.
Alexander the Great concede Macedon Biography. Historyofmacedonia.org.
Alexander of Macedonia. San Jose State University.
Bucephalus. Antique History Encyclopedia.
The Battle of Issus. Livius.org.
The Sacred Band of City, from Plutarch, Life of Pelopidas.

Fordham University.
The Siege of Puncture (332 BCE). Livius.org.

Citation Information

Article Title

Alexander class Great

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-greece/alexander-the-great

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 15, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009