...Alexander the Great’s life Achievements Alex the Great as most of the civilized world knows him, was king of the Macedonians and one of the greatest generals in history. Aristotle’s most well known student; Alexander was embedded with lasting interests in philosophy, politics and warfare. During his years as king, he solved problems by instantaneous actions, making quick decisions and taking great risks. His armies overcame all these risks by pure force and by the ingenious tactics used by Alexander. He and his armies conquered the Persian Empire, which extended from the Mediterranean Sea to India and formed much of what was then considered the civilized world. Through his conquests, Alexander helped spread Greek ideas, customs and laws throughout Asia and Egypt and adopted a consistent currency system to promote trade and commerce. Furthermore he spread the rich Hellenistic culture enjoyed by the Greeks throughout the world. Alexander had a dream of the brotherhood of mankind everywhere a group of people shared a common language, currency and loyalty; however he was unable to see his dream come true due to an illness that claimed his life at the young age of 33. Alexander was born in 356 B.C. He was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. He was the son of Philip II, king of Macedonia, and of Olympias, a princess of Epirus. At the age of 13, Aristotle was hired to be Alexander’s private tutor. Aristotle inspired interests of politics, other races of...
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...HIS- Early Western Civilization 1 December 2009 A Look into the Life of Alexander the Great Today Alexander the Great is known as one of the greatest conquerors and warriors in history. He created the largest land empire in Western history second to Rome. Unlike modern generals, Alexander actually fought in battles. He usually led the troops himself, making him a hero to his men. He never lost a battle, though wounded a few times, and always successfully fought the battle. Alexander was born in Pella, Macedon on July 20, 356 BC. He was the son of Philip II, the King of Macedon and Philip's fourth wife Queen Olympias (Burgan, 16). After his birth his nurse, Lanike, raised Alexander. When Alexander was thirteen years old, his father decided that he needed a higher education and he began to search for a tutor. He chooses Aristotle to be his tutor, and agreed to rebuild his hometown of Stagira, which Philip has razed years earlier. From the age of 14 to 18, he studied military affairs and improved his horse riding skills. He also worked on his strength by wrestling and gymnastics (Wikipedia, 2). At the age of sixteen, his time with Aristotle came to an end. Philip had to go wage war against Byzantium and left Alexander as regent in charge of the kingdom. Under this role, Alexander was to serve as the head of the government while his father fought wars with the Greeks (Burgan, 25-26). During this time, a riot broke out in Macedonian. He assigned...
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...Alexander the Great Alexander the Great, son of King Philip II and Queen Olympia and born in Macedonia on July 20th, 356, developed into a strong and influential explorer and conqueror who was respected by many. Much of his early education and success can be attributed to being tutored by Aristotle, the famous philosopher. Alexander rarely saw his father, who was often engaged with military-related activities. He was raised by his mother and although he enjoyed being with her, Alexander grew to resent his father for being absent in his early life. His mother even attempted to turn Alexander against his father due to his absence and lack of morality. However, even though Alexander resented his father, he still had true admiration for him and followed his...
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...I'm this biography, Mollie Keller tells the life of Alexander Hamilton, an advisor, war hero, and founding father. Keller writes about the struggles he faced and how he overcame them, and went on to be one of the most influential figures in American history. Alexander Hamilton dreamed of glory, in spite of the obstacles in his life as an uneducated orphan in the West Indies. He finally got the chance to prove himself in America, rallying and later fighting for the nation’s independence. He fought alongside and advised George Washington, whom he had a close relationship with. His career as a soldier, and lieutenant colonel, proved him an able commander and a determined man. He led his troops in to many battles, furthering the win of the colonists against the British; he fought in some of the most important fights of the Revolution. After the war was won, Hamilton went home to his family, and studied to become a lawyer. His studies would help when, later, he would propose his ideas to Congress for a strong, central government. His proposals were met with large opposition due to that they were seen as too similar to the government the colonies just escaped, and they were too ahead of his time. They would gradually grow to be accepted by most, due to his hard work in explaining his plans for...
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...Alexander Hamilton Most people know him as the man on the ten dollar bill but who is he and what did he do to help shape the great United states we know today. Alexander was a great person in the history books but not well known. In the musical Alexander Hamilton it showed who hamilton was as a man, Military soldier, And a politician. The musical showed both his personal and professional life in a new way than what the history books told, The musical gives a whole new perspective of hamilton's life that is very interesting to see who he was not only in his professional life but in his personal life too and it is also interesting to see them collide together and to affect each other as hamilton is starting a new nation. Alexander was a good...
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...Alexander the Great Alexander the great, the famous king of the Macedonian empire is a hugely celebrated figure in world history. Many historians proclaim Alexander as great and that say he achieved so much in his short life. He ran an empire, successfully took control of the Persian Empire and was also a great scholar. Surely this should be enough to put him in the historian hall of fame or is it? Is Alexander over celebrated or Does he really deserve to be known as Alexander the great? I believe he does, I think Alexander’s military achievements, and his leadership and his decision making all give him the right to be called Alexander the great. He has the characteristic and life story that belongs in legends. To me looking back on Alexander‘s life it was inevitable he was going to be a great military leader. Alexander was blessed by his heritage; he was born of a father who was a militant powerhouse of Macedonia and apparently his mother was from the family of Hercules or so he said. He would have grown up watching and learning a lot from his father Phillip the emperor of Macedonia as he ruled Macedonia and swept through Greece. He was regarded pretty highly in his father’s army and often led sieges to foreign lands on behalf of the Macedonian empire. Alexander’s father had great trust in his ability and left him in control of the kingdom at the age of 16. This is where Alexander would get his first taste of control and victory but it would definitely not be his last. The...
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...Alexander the Great was a conqueror and King of Macedonia prior to the Hellenistic Period. He succeeded to the throne after Phillip II of Macedon’s death brought his reign to an end. However, the continuance of the promised legacy his father left behind did not satisfy this power crazed King for fame and glory. Alexander the Great’s resentment towards his father led him to continue conquering because he wanted to overshadow his father. Under his headship, his unification of Greek city-states led to one of the largest empires known today. Alexander was born in the summer of 356 B.C. to Phillip II King of Macedon and Olympias of Epirus. Born into a royal household with a great military leader as the head of it, Alexander spent most of his early childhood watching a distant father transform Macedonia. Alexander was always left behind for his father’s military conquests and expansion. “Whenever he heard of Philip's having taken some city or won some famous victory, he used to look unhappy at the news, and would say to his friends, "Boys, my father will forestall us in everything; he will leave no great exploits for you and me to achieve." Indeed, he cared nothing for pleasure or wealth, but only for honour and glory; and he imagined that the more territory he inherited from his father, the less would be left for him to conquer.” Alexander realized that his father’s absence meant that he was out conquering ("Plutrach Lives: The Life of Alexander" p. 304). This led to tension between...
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...Alexander, son of King Philip II of Macedon, is known as Alexander the Great. However, was he truly great? One may look at his many accomplishments to decide if he deserves the title. Sometimes character is the test of determining if a man is great. Alexander meets both standards with his philosophic background, conquering abilities, victories in battle, and outstanding accomplishments; therefore, he truly meets his title as Alexander the Great Alexander was born in 356 B.C. to King Philip II f Macedon, and Olympias, princess of Epirus. King Philip was one of Alexander’s main influences. Philip was a man of action: he built cities, navies, roads, armies, conquered Athens, and created the League of Corinth, which he treated fairly. At age 13, Alexander’s father hired Aristotle to tutor his son. Aristotle’steachings encompassed all aspects of Greek life: art, poetry, science, and philosophy. Aristotle would become Alexander’s second greatest influence in life, one that would inspire him to live a good, moral life. Another tutor of Alexander’s, before Aristotle, was the Acarnian Lysimachus. He created a game with Alexander in which he would pretend to be the great hero Achilles. Alexander believed Achilles was the true example of a great aristocratic warrior, and he modeled himself after him. Later in life, Alexander would carry with him a copy of Homer’s Iliad and traded his armor for, what he believed to be, Achilles’ armor. When King Philip was assassinated, Alexander was...
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...Name: Tutor: Course: Institution: Date: ALEXANDER THE GREAT As an accomplished and renowned historian, Norman Cantors writes exemplary of biographies of historic mythic figures from the past. Throughout his writing work Cantors provides history books, which are light and summary in nature. He provides historical information to people who are not professional historian in a simple and engaging writing style. His work in non-fictional in nature and it provide the correct information on what was happening a long time ago. In his book, “Alexander the Great: Journey to the End of the Earth”, Norman Cantor describes the life of Alexander the Great in all aspects including military conquests and personal life. In most historical books, Alexander the Great character is describing as that of courage, superstition, intoxication, bisexuality cruelty, and heroism. He roamed all over Asia and Europe as a supernatural figure. In presenting and describing the military and personal life of this legendary man, Cantor draws his information from the contemporary writings on the Alexander. He uses the cultural and psychological studies to portray that Alexander was not an ordinary person in the ancient world. The author portrays Alexander the Great as person liked to conquer new empires. In writing this biography, Alexander clearly explains the relationship that existed between Alexander the great and his father, Philip II of Macedon, his bisexuality, and his oedipal involvement with his own...
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...While the relationship Alexander had with Calum was not always consistent due to their different childhoods, Grandfather was a constant figure in Alexander’s life. Grandfather was always trying to make the world “right” and in doing so acted as a teacher to Alexander about the history of the MacDonald family. Grandfather never stopped informing Alexander of their ancestors’ life stories and even on Alexander’s graduation had to use to library to find out the truth about “Wolfe and the Highlanders at Quebec, on the Plains of Abraham” (108) and how Wolfe was “[j]ust using them for his own goals” (108). Grandfather thought that every piece of history was important to know and had to research all accounts of an event to find out what really happened. After gathering those acts, Grandfather would then be quick to share...
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...Alexander III of Macedon, more commonly known as Alexander the Great, is reasonably the greatest military mind in the ancient world. Alexander seized territories that stretched through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and from Greece to Egypt. Whether through force or cultural exchange, Alexander the Great spent his thirteen-year reign uniting the East and West. Pierre Briant is a French author and renowned historian. Briant is an expert on Alexander the Great and the author of Alexander the Great and His Empire: A Short Introduction. This is possibly the worlds most accessible book on Alexander the Great. The book explores Alexanders conquests, defense, and the problems of succession fallowing his death. Although the book has only five chapters it is compact structure has refreshing insights of the conquerers and the conquered. The first chapter focuses on the major stages of conquest in Alexanders life....
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...Alexander the Civilizer or Alexander the Tyrant? THESIS: Alexander the Great was only 20 years old when he became king in 336, BC and, thanks to his father Philip II and to his education under Aristotle, he was a very competent and able commander. He learned early how to ride a horse, use weapons and command troops. He conquered the Greeks and then led them into battle against the Persians. He liberated Egypt. He then defeated Persia and marched his troops across Iran and Afghanistan, and could go no further because he got sick and died. According to most accounts, he was intelligent, handsome, and a successful military leader, one who cared about his men and paid attention to even the lowest soldier. He respected his enemies by giving them glorious funerals (Darius of Persia) and/or awarding them large expanses of territory after defeating them (King Porus of Paurava). He is credited with playing a huge part in the spread of Greek culture into all the regions he conquered, leading to a flourishing of trade, cultural diversity, art and architecture, education, philosophy, math and science up until the rise of the Roman Empire. By some accounts his quests reached as far north as the Arctic Ocean and as far east as China and he died at the age of 33. Despite all of his accomplishments, both contemporary historians and historians through the ages have seen Alexander in a different light. In this light, Alexander's military prowess were only possible due to the actions...
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...Alexander the Great is one of the most extraordinary and inscrutable warriors of all time. By the age of 30 he was ruler of one of the largest empires ever known. From Greece to ancient India, Alexander single-handedly joined East and West together and forever changed the ancient world. Alexander the warrior is only one part of his legacy. He was a celebrated leader with a unique early life that drove his passion, admirable traits that set him apart from other rulers, and an unquestionable mark on history that continues to be praised today. Education and good mentoring are both vital for the pedigree of a good leader. Alexander had both. Being the son of a king, from an early age Alexander was given access to and was educated by the well-known Greek philosopher, Aristotle. It was his proximity to this great thinker during Alexander’s developmental years that inspired a deep love for rhetoric and literature, which led to interests in science, medicine, and philosophy. Education set Alexander apart from his peers; it also established him as one with the ability to transfer something of worth to another, namely Hellenism. Adding to education, Aristotle introduced Alexander to the legend of the Greek god, Achilles, through Homer’s, The Iliad. To Alexander, Achilles became a sort of distant mentor and idol to emulate. Alexander studied how Achilles fought, lived, loved, and died; desiring the same for his own life Alexander would vicariously model it as such. A good...
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...Alexander the great can be described in so many different ways. Some see him as an icon because he shaped history in such a short period of time. Not all see him from that viewpoint some may see him in a not so legendary or a highly praised role. Either way alexander the great has shaped history and will be remembered for times to come for what he has accomplished and how he lived his life. He was a great conqueror and his impression was pretty great on every one and all peoples or nations. They say his greatest work was not how he won the empires through fighting, but how he developed the Greek civilization into a worldwide civilization. This is how his influence has affected history from then onto our time. They say that in many respects...
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...Alexander Hamilton was a man who was quite an influence in our country. Even at his young age, he wowed the other famous men in his time with his amazing literary skills, eventually gaining himself a spot in the Continental Congress. Still today Hamilton is still a well known figure in and throughout American history. He did not sign the Declaration of Independence but is considered a founding father due to his helping in the framing of that document. Despite his many accomplishments Hamilton had a hard early life. Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, either 1775 or 1777, the exact year was never known. He was born out of wedlock and after being abused by his real father, Alexander's mother left to St. Kitts. Rachel (Alexander’s mother) soon met and moved in with James Hamilton and had another son named James who was Alexander’s older brother. She then moved back with Alexander to live with James Sr. He left them again and they lived in poverty forcing Alexander at the young age of 11 to find a job. After working as hard as she could, Rachel died at the age of 38. Leaving Alexander and his brother orphans, as their step father had abandoned them. “Our great error is that we suppose mankind to be more honest than they are.” - Alexander Hamilton - 1787 Later in his life Alexander was able to work as an...
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