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Alexander the Great was an ancient Macedonian monarch and one of history's greatest military strategists, who constructed the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen as King of Macedonia and Persia. Alexander inspired such loyalty in his followers that they would follow him anywhere and, if necessary, die in the process.
He was charismatic and merciless, clever and power hungry, diplomatic and merciless. Despite the fact that Alexander the Great died before completing his aim of creating a new kingdom, his impact on Greek and Asian civilization was so profound that it spawned a new historical epoch—the Hellenistic Period.
Alexander III was born in 356 B.C. in Pella, Macedonia, to King Philip II and Queen Olympias, however legend has it that his father was Zeus, the Greek gods' king. In his own right, Philip II was a formidable military leader. He made Macedonia (a territory on the Greek peninsula's northern tip) a formidable force, and he dreamt about conquering the vast Persian Empire.
Alexander tamed the wild horse Bucephalus, an enormous stallion with a fiery disposition, when he was 12 years old. For most of Alexander's life, the horse was his war partner. When Alexander was 13 years old, Philip enlisted the help of Aristotle, the great philosopher. Alexander's passion in literature, science, medicine, and philosophy was inspired and nurtured by Aristotle.
When Philip went to battle and left his son in charge of Macedonia, Alexander was just 16 years old. During the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 B.C., Alexander saw an opportunity to demonstrate his military worth by leading a cavalry against the Sacred Band of Thebes, a purportedly unstoppable, elite army made up solely of male lovers.
Alexander demonstrated his vigour and valour by decimating the Sacred Band of Thebes with his cavalry. Alexander's father Philip was slain by his bodyguard Pausanias in 336 B.C. Alexander claimed the Macedonian throne at the age of 20 and slaughtered his opponents before they could contest his authority. He also put down separatist uprisings in northern Greece.
Alexander left after cleaning the house to follow in his father's footsteps and extend Macedonia's international dominance. Alexander named the general Antipater as regent and sent his army to Persia. At the Granicus River, they faced Persian and Greek soldiers after crossing the Hellespont, a short channel connecting the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
Alexander and the Macedonians were victorious. Alexander then proceeded to the south, where he easily conquered the city of Sardes. His army, however, ran into opposition at the cities of Miletus, Mylasa, and Halicarnassus. Halicarnassus, besieged but unbeaten, held out long enough for King Darius III, the newest Persian king, to raise a large force.
Alexander travelled north from Halicarnassus to Gordium, location of the famous Gordian knot, a collection of tightly twisted knots yoked to an antique cart. According to legend, whomever untangled the knot would rule all of Asia. Alexander accepted the challenge, but was unable to untangle the knot by hand, according to legend. He adopted a different strategy, slicing through the knot with his sword and declaring victory.
Near the town of Issus in southern Turkey, Alexander and his men came face to face with a vast Persian army led by King Darius III in 333 B.C. Alexander's armies were vastly outmanned in terms of numbers, but not in terms of experience or determination to exact vengeance and reclaim Persia's vast wealth, much of which had been plunder.
Darius withdrew with what remained of his forces once it became evident that Alexander would win the Battle of Issus, leaving his wife and family behind. Sisygambis, Alexander's mother, was so furious that she rejected him and adopted him as her son. Alexander was a clever, ruthless, and great military leader by this point, having never lost a fight in his life.
His slogan, "There is nothing impossible to him who will try," would help him construct an empire. The Phoenician cities of Marathus and Aradus were then conquered by Alexander. He turned down Darius' offer of peace and conquered Byblos and Sidon.
