Alexander the Great

Alexander III of Macedonia (356-323 BCE) owes his epithet ‘the Great’ to the enormous territory that he conquered; from Greece in the west to the river Indus in the east, the largest empire in antiquity. This is all the more remarkable when we recall that he subjugated this vast region within just eleven years, and that he was only twenty years of age when he came to power. The literature depicts Alexander the Great as a hero, a brilliant general whose audacity, strategic insight and military strength were unequalled.
THE MACEDONIANS
Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedonia, the region to the northeast of Greece. The Macedonians claimed descent from Heracles, the son of Zeus. They saw themselves as Greeks, but the Greeks thought them backward.
Philip, who came to the throne in 360 BCE, did much to promote Macedonia’s stature. He introduced Hellenistic customs, patronized the arts, stimulated the economy, and organised an unprecedented strong professional army. In his reign, Macedonia became the greatest power in the region. He conquered the whole of Greece.
ALEXANDER’S CHILDHOOD
Alexander was born on 21 July 356 BCE. He saw little of his father, who, as both king and general, was constantly away on some military campaign. Philip had arranged for his son to receive a Greek education: the boy’s physical training was in the hands of Leonidas, while his mind was entrusted to the celebrated philosopher Aristotle. As he grew up, his great examples were the Greek heroes Achilles and Heracles, whom he would frequently honour on his campaigns with sacrifices and games. Homer’s Iliad became a guiding motif in Alexander’s life. He also aspired to the Homeric ideal: to fight for personal success, honour and glory. In those days, the only real hero was a Homeric hero.
Even as a young boy, Alexander showed himself to be fearless. A great horse was offered for sale at the horse market. Known as Bucephalus (‘Ox-head’), this creature refused to allow anyone to mount it. It would rear up and kick out. Alexander had noticed that the horse was afraid of its own shadow. He turned it towards the sun and calmed it. After a while he successfully mounted it and rode it. Philip was moved by the sight, and bought the horse for Alexander. Bucephalus served Alexander faithfully in the years that followed, until he was killed on the battlefield in 326 BCE.
At eighteen years of age, Alexander was allowed to prove his worth in combat: he was placed in command of the army he’d left flank at the decisive battle against Athens, at which he showed himself to be a highly capable leader in spite of his youth. Macedonia carried the day, and Philip became king of all Greece. The autonomy of the Greek city-states was no more.
KING ALEXANDER
Not long afterwards, Philip was assassinated. It was rumoured that Olympias and Alexander were behind this assassination, but we cannot know whether there was any truth in such stories. In any case, Alexander was ready to ascend to the throne. There was an elder half-brother, from one of Philip’s previous wives, but he was not eligible because he was seen as ill. Alexander ensured that all the others who had any claim to the throne – Philip’s cousins – together with their families, were killed, leaving no opposition to his rule. This exemplifies Alexander’s ruthlessness, which spared nothing and no one, as he would demonstrate many more times after that. In 336 BCE, at 20 years of age, Alexander was King of Macedonia and hegemon (leader) of the Corinthian League of Greek city-states. He surrounded himself with his father’s most loyal generals and with his boyhood friends, all of whom he would appoint to high-ranking positions in his army. One of them was Hephaestion, Alexander’s best friend.
When Philip died, the Greek city-states and the other territories he had subjugated saw an opportunity to regain their autonomy and rebelled. Alexander, who had inherited his father’s strategic insight as well as the strongest army in the region, restored his power with considerable violence, and sometimes with diplomacy.
With every rebellion – and there were plenty – Alexander’s battle-readiness and strategic understanding proved so superior that all resistance was quickly crushed. He had gone through his trial by fire as king and as general, and had emerged triumphant. In 335 BCE the rebellion in Thebes briefly appeared to be succeeding, but that too was put down. By way of punishment and to set a deterrent example to other cities, Thebes was razed to the ground. The strategy worked: Greece remained calm until Alexander’s death in 323 BCE.
THE MACEDONIANS
Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedonia, the region to the northeast of Greece. The Macedonians claimed descent from Heracles, the son of Zeus. They saw themselves as Greeks, but the Greeks thought them backward.
Philip, who came to the throne in 360 BCE, did much to promote Macedonia’s stature. He introduced Hellenistic customs, patronized the arts, stimulated the economy, and organised an unprecedented strong professional army. In his reign, Macedonia became the greatest power in the region. He conquered the whole of Greece.
ALEXANDER’S CHILDHOOD
Alexander was born on 21 July 356 BCE. He saw little of his father, who, as both king and general, was constantly away on some military campaign. Philip had arranged for his son to receive a Greek education: the boy’s physical training was in the hands of Leonidas, while his mind was entrusted to the celebrated philosopher Aristotle. As he grew up, his great examples were the Greek heroes Achilles and Heracles, whom he would frequently honour on his campaigns with sacrifices and games. Homer’s Iliad became a guiding motif in Alexander’s life. He also aspired to the Homeric ideal: to fight for personal success, honour and glory. In those days, the only real hero was a Homeric hero.
Even as a young boy, Alexander showed himself to be fearless. A great horse was offered for sale at the horse market. Known as Bucephalus (‘Ox-head’), this creature refused to allow anyone to mount it. It would rear up and kick out. Alexander had noticed that the horse was afraid of its own shadow. He turned it towards the sun and calmed it. After a while he successfully mounted it and rode it. Philip was moved by the sight, and bought the horse for Alexander. Bucephalus served Alexander faithfully in the years that followed, until he was killed on the battlefield in 326 BCE.
At eighteen years of age, Alexander was allowed to prove his worth in combat: he was placed in command of the army he’d left flank at the decisive battle against Athens, at which he showed himself to be a highly capable leader in spite of his youth. Macedonia carried the day, and Philip became king of all Greece. The autonomy of the Greek city-states was no more.
KING ALEXANDER
Not long afterwards, Philip was assassinated. It was rumoured that Olympias and Alexander were behind this assassination, but we cannot know whether there was any truth in such stories. In any case, Alexander was ready to ascend to the throne. There was an elder half-brother, from one of Philip’s previous wives, but he was not eligible because he was seen as ill. Alexander ensured that all the others who had any claim to the throne – Philip’s cousins – together with their families, were killed, leaving no opposition to his rule. This exemplifies Alexander’s ruthlessness, which spared nothing and no one, as he would demonstrate many more times after that. In 336 BCE, at 20 years of age, Alexander was King of Macedonia and hegemon (leader) of the Corinthian League of Greek city-states. He surrounded himself with his father’s most loyal generals and with his boyhood friends, all of whom he would appoint to high-ranking positions in his army. One of them was Hephaestion, Alexander’s best friend.
When Philip died, the Greek city-states and the other territories he had subjugated saw an opportunity to regain their autonomy and rebelled. Alexander, who had inherited his father’s strategic insight as well as the strongest army in the region, restored his power with considerable violence, and sometimes with diplomacy.
With every rebellion – and there were plenty – Alexander’s battle-readiness and strategic understanding proved so superior that all resistance was quickly crushed. He had gone through his trial by fire as king and as general, and had emerged triumphant. In 335 BCE the rebellion in Thebes briefly appeared to be succeeding, but that too was put down. By way of punishment and to set a deterrent example to other cities, Thebes was razed to the ground. The strategy worked: Greece remained calm until Alexander’s death in 323 BCE.