Sai Yarram 9 H History 2-21-10 Alexander, the son of King Phillip II, born in 365 BC is the greatest conqueror

or of his time. He was tutored by the great Aristotle himself. He first led his troops when he was at the age of 18. Alexander conquered Egypt, Persia, part of India, and of course all of Greece. He accomplished what every ruler wished for, found new colonies, spread Hellenism, and many more. He is a military genius he executed his fathers military combination perfectly. He never used the same tactic more than once. He has proved that a skilled army can beat an army twice its size. Alexander, the man who was never defeated in battle, even he had his flaws. He tends to drink heavily, he has too many ambitions, he likes to think of himself as a god. Alexander was born in 365 BC, he was tutored by Aristotle. He was trained in various arts, especially in Warfare. He proved his intelligence to his father by taming a horse named Bucephalus. His father commented O my son, you must find a kingdom that is equal and worthy for yourself, Macedonia is too little for you. He helped his father win the Battle of Chaeronea at the age of 18. He inherited his fathers throne at 336 BC. He was not satisfied by this, he said, Would Hercules

or Achilles be satisfied if they were in my sandals. He quickly and efficiently took out Thessaly and Thrace. He absolutely demolished Thebes except for the temples for he dare not disobey the gods and soon all the other Greek city-states. He is said to have cut the Gordian knot, legend says that whoever unties it shall rule all of Asia. In 334 BC, he wanted to complete his fathers ambition by conquering Persia. He crossed Granicus River, and defeated the Persian army. At the battle of Issus, he defeated an another Persian Army led by King Darius III himself, he managed to escape the battle. In 332 he completed a seven-month siege of Tyre, considered his greatest military achievement, and then took Egypt. In Egypt he was considered as a Pharaoh and he was respected a lot. He finally conquered Persia, to force cultural blending he married Persian princess. He made his generals marry the Persian women too. He continued eastward crushing everyone in his path. He finally reached India where he had to deal with the toughest soldiers. These soldiers were mounted on the back of an elephant. Alexander conquered these warriors, he wanted to continue further but his soldiers refused, they had not seen their family for years. Alexander, though he was furious finally gave in. In spring he moved to Babylon, where he planned to conquer Northern Africa. On June 2, he was sick with malaria and after 11 days he died. He did not name any

successor for his Empire. His Empire was divided into three regions, but it soon fell apart just like Alexander died. He conquered many territories along his goal to conquer all of Asia. In 335 Alexander marched north to impose his authority over Balkan neighbors, demonstrating strategic skill, tactical resourcefulness in response to sudden challenges, and a desire to surpass all previous achievements. Thebes rebelled during his absence, but Alexander quickly destroyed that city after heavy resistance, everyone who survived were sold into slavery. All the other city-states quickly surrendered because they did not want the same fate as Thebes. Antipater remained in Greece to look after Greece, until Alexander returned from his expedition. In 334 Alexander crossed to Persia with about 40,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. The local Persians welcomed him warmly and let him take over Asia Minor. Alexander did not have a strong naval force such as the Persians and he could not rely on Athenian help. They could not help because they feared Alexander for they did not know his intelligence. Alexander then had an excellent plan to defeat the Persians navy. HE secured each independent port one at a time. His most hardest one to secure was Tyre. Tyre was on an island which made it very difficult after a six-month siege which demonstrated all Alexander's considerable determination and skill he finally secured it. Gaza held out very bravely but finally

gave in. Finally the control of Levant, secured the rest of the naval forces. Alexander made a journey to Egypt where he was recognized as a Pharaoh. In 331 Alexander turned east for the decisive confrontation with Darius at Arbela. Victory opened up the Persian heartland: the capitals and treasuries of Babylon and Susa were occupied, and before winter Alexander forced his way across the Zagros range to reach the upland capital of Persepolis according to Military History companion. IN 326 Alexander advanced to India where he hoped he will capture all its gold. King Porus tried to stop Alexander to cross further into India. Alexander forced his way through Ganges crushing Porus and his troops. His army refused to move further because of the huge casualties. Alexander was forced to abandon plans to reach the ocean via the Ganges. Reluctantly instead he turned south down the Indus and, in some of the most bloodthirsty campaigning of a gory career, overwhelmed various tribes. Among the Malli he received a serious chest wound, and the danger to his life produced an outpouring of loyalty from his troops. There was no obvious successor, though his Bactrian wife Roxanne was pregnant and soon produced a son. Within two years the empire was rent by conflicts between the powerful successor generals, whose ambitions had only been repressed by their devotion to the authority of Alexander. The Macedonian army was the key to Alexander's

success; his courage, endurance, and sharing of sufferings merited its loyalty. There were few breaks in the hard fighting, but the Macedonians enjoyed their profession and responded to their leader's talent and charisma. Alexander was a great military leader in mind. He always made plans to destroy the opponents troops which were twice as large as his own. He adopted his fathers military tactic which is known as Phalanx. A Phalanx, a box formation for infantry soldiers from 8 to 36 men deep. Alexander was the one who exploited it. The men in the front carried spears of about four to six meters (12 to 18 feet), that were usually held in an upright position. When held vertically, the wall of spears helped hide what was going on with the units behind the formation. When held horizontally, enemies could be killed at a safe range from the formation. The phalanx was revolutionary for its time and was a very potent weapon. It was only surpassed when the Romans developed the legion, another infantry formation with different weapons and armor. Alexander made his troops the best, he brought in foreign generals to train them. He drilled the soldiers with practice that is exactly why he won many battles the soldiers knew what they were doing. They feared nothing that is why Alexander was able to conquer King Porus. The troops also trusted in their leader. Alexander sat, ate, and slept with

them. His weapons included spears, bows and arrows, swords, cavalry, chariots and some light and heavy armor. Alexander put a lot of trust in his troops, he personally led them into battle. Even the greatest of all must have flaws, and so did Alexander. He tends to drink too much, which results in sudden burst of anger. He once killed a person who saved his life in this sudden burst of anger. He has ambitions, dreams, which even he cannot fulfill. He had too much ego which comes from the fact that he was raise like the son of a god. It is have said that whenever Alexander had any personal relation with women or men, he suddenly came upon mental illness, when he was asked why he answered, I reminds me that I am still a mortal In conclusion, Alexander was one of the greatest figures in history. He has achieved what no human could have ever achieved. He found new colonies which means that transportation or trade can be faster. He had conquered over 70 cities like Alexandria. He was the grates soldier and general. His most important achievement may have been that he has spread Hellenism. He had new military tactics which have been later used by men like Napoleon. He tried to unite the Persians and the Macedonians into one ruling family. He completed all of this before he died at the age of 34. This

is why Alexander is known as Alexander the Great. He was also trained by the great Aristotle himself. He proved his intelligence by taming the horse Bucephalus. He inherited his fathers throne at the precise moment. He has executed his fathers military tactics perfectly and put it into good use. HE had won support of his men by declaring himself as the son of the Greek god Zeus. He had defeated the Persians 47,000 to 200,000 men. He never lost a battle during his eleven years of fighting. The lucky thing is, his empire collapsed after his death.

Bibliography
Holt, Frank L. Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003. Questia. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. O'Brien, John Maxwell. Alexander the Great: The Invisible Enemy: A Biography. London: Routledge, 1994. Questia. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. Stoneman, Richard. Alexander the Great. New York: Routledge, 2004. Questia. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. -

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