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Alexander the Great became Macedonia’s king when he was only 20.It was an easy task for Alexander to create such a large empire as his father used to take him on military campaigns. Thus, it can be said that he was being prepared as a ruler during his childhood and adolescence. His father has also put Alexander in command when they went to conquer Chaeronea. Alexander wasted no time to assert his power after his father was assassinated. He was successful in making the frontiers of Macedonia secure as his armies quashed an upheaval in Greece. Afterwards, he made the dream of his father come true by invading the Persian Empire. Although Persia was a strong state at the time when Alexander attacked it with his men, he did not hesitate to take a chance to invade the Persian land (Duiker & Spielvogel 95). He beat the forces of Darius III, the then Persian king, at the Battle of Issus and went on to conquer Egypt, Palestine and Syria (Duiker & Spielvogel 96).
He also fought valiantly with Persians in 331 B.C. at Guagamela. After winning at the mentioned place, Alexander went on to conquer Babylon, Persepolis and Susa. Alexander soon got the title and position of the Great King of the Persias with the assassination of Darius. In later years, Alexander was successful in entering India and conquered most of it after winning the Battle of the Hydaspes River. However, his men rebelled when he announced to go further and conquer the other Indian parts. As a result, he had to return to Babylon. Alexander diet at the age of 32 in 323 B.C.E. (Duiker & Spielvogel 96).
After having a close observation of Alexander’s life, it can be easily concluded that he is one of the most mystifying figures in world history. Even the historians who have referred to similar sources regarding Alexander present entirely different accounts concerning his personality. According to some historians, Alexander was an unrealistic and impractical thinker. On the other hand, some consider him as a cruel, merciless and unfeeling Machiavellian. Alexander claimed himself to be the descendant of the Greek hero, Heracles. However, it doesn’t matter what he thought of himself. His opinions, motives and principles cannot undermine the fact that Alexander steered in the Hellenistic era i.e. he introduced “an age that saw the extension of the Greek language and ideas to the non-Greek world of the Middle East” (Duiker & Spielvogel 96). The Persian monarchy got destructed at the hands of Alexander this conquest proved fruitful for the Greek engineers, scholars, traders, bureaucrats and combatants. The followers of Alexander the Great were able to play a part in a modern and original political union that was founded on monarchial grounds. Alexander the Great also became an inspiration for the Romans who followed his ideals of empire and turned out as Alexander’s political heirs. In addition to the mentioned heritage, Alexander also left behind a legacy of culture. His combats and conquests consequently resulted in the spread of Greek fine art, language, and literature and construction style all over the Middle East. The Greek culture diffused in the Middle East by the urban centers that were established by Alexander and his heirs. To cut a long story short, “Alexander’s empire did not survive him, but the amalgamation of peoples and cultures that he forged laid the basis for Hellenistic successor states in Egypt, Southwest Asia, and the Mediterranean” (Andrea & Overfield 127).
Works Cited
Andrea, A. J, & Overfield, J. H. The Human Record: Sources of Global History: Sources of Global History: To 1500. Boston : Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Duiker, W. J, & Spielvogel, J. J. Essential World History. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
