World Civilizations-Alexander the Great

World Civilizations-Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great and the Legacy of His Empire

Alexander the Great was the son of Philip, the king of Macedon, and his wife, Queen Olympias (Stoneman, 2004). He was born in the year 356 (B.C.E.) and died in the month of June 323 (B.C.E.) (Stoneman, 2004). After the death of his father, King Philip, who was assassinated, Alexander III quickly succeeded his father at the age of 20 in 336 (B.C.E) (Stoneman, 2004). Alexander the Great started learning leadership skills at a young age as his father invited Aristotle, who was a famous philosopher, to tutor Alexander in fields such as science, medicine, literature, and philosophy when he was at the age of 13; therefore, he gained a lot of knowledge (Merlan, 1954). At the age of 16, Alexander had to face leadership skills as his father left him in charge of Macedonia when he left for a battle (Stoneman, 2004). When he was 18 years old, Alexander proved his military skills by leading a cavalry in a war against the Greek States that helped King Phillip win the conflict (Stoneman, 2004).

Alexander the Great became king, ensured the loyalty of the army, and also killed anyone who questioned his claim to rule (Judge & Langdon, 2012). He immediately wanted to accomplish his father’s goals, which he had not accomplished after his death. Notably, He inherited his ambitious attitude from his father, King Phillip (Bosworth, 1993). Therefore, Alexander moved to the Greek States, asserted his ruling over them, and prepared his invasion of Persia (Judge & Langdon, 2012). Alexander the Great left for Persia and left one of his generals, Antipater, in charge of Greece. Notably, in the year 333 (B.C.E), he faced the king of Persia, Darius II, who had a much bigger and more powerful army than his, but this did not stop him (Judge & Langdon, 2012). In addition, Alexander fought against Persia with an army of Macedonians and Greeks and got his first major victory (Judge & Langdon, 2012).

Alexander the Great’s Conquest Impact on Persia, India, and Egypt, as well as the Cultural Implications of His Conquest

After his victory, Alexander the Great adopted many Persian practices by dressing like a Persian and acknowledging the Persian court custom that involved etiquette by bowing or kissing others depending on their rank. In addition, he acted as a demi-god as people believed he was Zeus’s son, his mother, Queen Olympius so as to gain credibility with the Persians. On the other hand, the Macedonians were not pleased by his new practices and refused to do as he did. What is worth noting is that after Alexander III defeated the King of Persia, Darius II, he moved to Egypt in 332 (B.C.E) (“Sir Thomas Browne”, 2022). He did not stay long, and by 331, he was returning to Persia to complete his conquest (“Sir Thomas Browne”, 2022). The Egyptians accepted Alexander the Great because they were happy to see the end of the Persian rule, and they took him as their liberator. Furthermore, the Egyptians also accepted him because they had little choice since they no longer had an army that could resist him. Further, he respected the Egyptian culture and religion, but he installed the Greek government to control his administration.

Alexander also created a city in Egypt that would become in 50 years, the greatest port in the world, and to date, it is still the greatest in the Eastern Mediterranean. Most importantly, the port opened up North Africa to intercontinental trade. Also, Alexander the Great also changed the course of history by constituting the most durable Macedonian Kingdom that was destined to run for three centuries and be succeeded by European domination for six centuries more (“Sir Thomas Browne”, 2022). After he conquered Egypt, he left in 331 (B.C.E) and made his way to Achaemenid Assyria, which is now Northern Iraq, and defeated King Darius II again at the battle of Gaugamela, and yet he was not done (“Sir Thomas Browne”, 2022).

In 326 (B.C.E.), he made his way to India, inspired by India’s wealth and prosperity and the soldiers who fought under Xerxes in Greece. However, his attack on India was not as successful as other territories as his soldiers were fatigued and had heavy casualties. Alexander had to cross the river Indus which was between India and Ariana, since he was told that the real power of India was beyond this river (Narain, 1965).

He then tried to gather many cities to sustain his reign, and most cities surrendered without a fight, and those who fought back were massacred without mercy (Dayal, 2020). Alexander and his soldiers rested in Taxiles after they received support from Ahmbi, preparing to face their enemy, King Porus. Porus, however, did not stay still, and he assembled his army after learning Alexander the Great was planning to attack. He then guarded the Hydapses River with elephants making it impossible to cross (Narain, 1965). King Porus also mirrored him and confused him, and Alexander decided to split his troops into several units, which helped him discover other possible fords (Narain, 1965). In the end, Porus defeated Alexander the Great, and the two became great allies. As a result, Alexander was so impressed by King Porus that he left him his Kingdom and many territories (Narain, 1965).

Moreover, this invasion led to Alexander’s impact on India by destroying the power of the small north-western states, which helped Chandragupta Maurya to expand his territories in this region. Furthermore, another impact was the establishment of Greek settlements in the north-western regions that still lived with the Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka. This invasion also opened up land routes between the Indian sub-continent and the Greek world in the West, as well as lines of communication.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Alexander III owned the title “great” since he accomplished and carried heavy duties for such a long time and was successful in establishing one of the most powerful and large empires. Alexander the Great created many useful opportunities worldwide, such as the port, and caused impacts from all directions, such as political, cultural, commercial, and traditional, where he embraced the Persian culture instead of changing it. His historical journey teaches lessons on how to deal with difficult circumstances. Besides, the leaders of today look up to him and make good leaders out of themselves by referring to how he led as young as 16 years old. Alexander the Great was brave, full of charisma, assertive in his decisions, and able to identify the key moments in a battle. Notably, these are some of the few features good leaders learn from him.

References

Bosworth, A. B. (1993). Conquest and empire: the reign of Alexander the Great. Cambridge University Press.

Dayal, S. (2020). Unit-14 Alexander’s Invasion of the Northwest. Indira Gandhi National Open   University, New Delhi.

Judge, E., & Langdon, J. (2012). World history. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions.

Merlan, P. (1954). Isocrates, Aristotle and Alexander the Great. Historia: Zeitschrift Für Alte Geschichte, 3(1), 60–81.

Narain, A. (1965). Alexander and India. Greece And Rome, 12(2), 155-165. doi: 10.1017/s0017383500015321

Sir Thomas Browne. (2022). Retrieved 27 May 2022, from http://penelope.uchicago.edu/

Stoneman, R. (2004). Alexander the Great. doi: 10.4324/9780203307588

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Describe the conquest of Alexander the Great and analyze the legacy of his empire.

Chapter 7 of Connections: A World History third edition Volume 1.
Be sure to mention his impact on Persia, India, and Egypt, as well as the cultural implications of his conquest.
Double-space 4 pages