...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 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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...The true Success of Alexander the Great When historians are asked to consider the most incredible military strategist of all time the answer will typically be Alexander the Great, not only for his immeasurable military strategy skills, which were impressive during his life time, but for his overwhelming achievements that had managed to impact history thousands of years later. Alexander the Great was so successful because from the beginning of his life all the way up until his final moments he lived solely to prove himself as the almighty conqueror of Asia. From a young age alexander became aware of many elements of the world through his education. When he got his start as a ruler many fortunate events occurred and encouraged his progression. The real genius of Alexander the Great was through his infamous military formation known simply as the phalanx. It was this impenetrable formation and Alexander’s own deceivingly simple ideologies that secured his successes. Early on in Alexander’s life many knew his ultimate goal was to conqueror all of Asia, and it became clear once his undefeated record started growing that he truly had the capacity to tackle such an aspiration. When Alexander was approximately thirteen years of age he became a student of the widely renowned philosopher, Aristotle. Alexander’s father, Phillip II, went out of his way to acquire the famous philosopher for his son’s education. Not only was Alexander becoming increasingly aware of the sciences and mathematics...
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...Alexander the great was the greatest general or leader of all time because he encouraged the romans, conquered many empires, and how he ruled his army. His empire was so strong because they conquered Egypt, his army fought for along time, and because Alexander inspired many cities or empires. Alexander the great was so successful because of what his father left for him. Alexander’s father was planning to attack Persia but he died so then Alexander proceded what his father was going to do, and he attacked Persia.After that Alexander conquered many other empires and cities. The biggest was Egypt, after that he founded the city of Alexandria bye the Nile river. Alexander the great learned from the indians about war elephants. Also I Think that he learned from his father by following his plans. But Alexander also influenced the romans. The romans learned from the greek empire, they learned technology and leadership. Also the great leader Julius Caesar learned from Alexander The great army of alexander was so tough because how they traveled, when Alexanders army retreated from battle the went back to persia in three different ways. One way was through the dry hot desert. Another was by the sea shore, and the other was a couple ships looking over the group by the shore. When Alexander died his army was still strong because of his generals. At last Alexander’s army did not want to fight any more so alexander ...
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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 the Great is a villain because he has killed many people, and taken over civilizations and cultures. Alexander the Great is a villain because he killed many people. Alexander killed people and took over many civilizations to have as much power as he possibly could. According to A hero’s hero-Alexander and Achilles, “Here was a man, who walked in flesh and blood, a man who went on to conquer the whole world before he was thirty-two” (1). A hero does not kill people for his or her own victory, but if one did kill people, that person would be a villain and that is what Alexander the Great did. The sentence talks about how Alexander walked in people's flesh and blood. That means that Alexander killed people and liked to show it off...
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...How Great Was Alexander the Great? Innovative, strategic, focused. These are a few words that describe Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great was trained in philosophy by Aristotle then became king of Macedonia at the age of twenty after his father died. After being crowned king, Alexander wanted to expand his kingdom. He and his well trained army fought their way across the world, defeating the Persians, conquering land, and founding cities. After eight years of tough terrain and long battles, Alexander’s men become weak. Even after Alexander’s beseeching implorement, the army refused to go any farther. Once Alexander had returned home, he was diagnosed with a fever, caused by the unhealed wounds surrounding his body, and died at the age...
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...Does Alexander the great live up to his name? Alexander the great was not great because he was selfish and a self centered leader. He also killed multitudes of people that he didn’t have to kill, but he did anyway and even ruined culture. Alexander killed thousands of people in battles and that's understandable they were fighting against him as he was trying to conquer places. But he also killed many innocent people and even children. In document E it states soldiers & civilians killed in major battles were 100,000 that's only 4 major battles but in total he fought 5 battles he could have killed many more civilians than only 100,000. In Document C it states that he crucified 2,000 military age men even though they did not have to join the...
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...Alexander the III of Macedonia made a huge impact on the ancient world. He took power at the remarkable age of 20 years old, he led Macedonia and the Greek city states to conquer partially the ancient world, and Persia being one of his greatest achievements. Alexander the great lead the largest empire that the ancient world has ever seen to victory through his genius military skills, and his brutal force. Even though he was merciful, Alexander appreciated and respected religion. Many people debate still, “Was Alexander the great truly great?”. Many say no because in their eyes Alexander was a merciless man who slaughtered many ruthlessly, but when you’re given so much power at such a young age, it is expected to be power hungry to expand and...
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...all.” These are the words of Alexander the Great. These words spoken so truly to reflect his passion of Greek culture, Alexander the Great expressed these words throughout his entire being. This famous man, who to some, was like a god, accomplished many impossible tasks to any ordinary person while spreading his love of Greek culture around the world. On July 20, 356 BC, a legend was born to King Philip II and Queen Olympia. Alexander the Great was recognized early that he could change the world. He studied under an astonishing, Greek philosopher, Aristotle where he learned literature, exceptional writing skills and knowledge that broaden Alexander III into horizons that not many could imagine. Alexander had an obsession for knowledge which showed throughout his battles in his later years. He had very skilled military tactics and which he combined his vast knowledge to conquer all that he put his mind to. At the age of 18, Alexander took charge of the Companion Cavalry and helped his father in defeating the Athenian and Theban armies of Chaeronea. Learning from past warriors, from their feats to their fails, he was able to figure out how to achieve his own goals on the battle field along with skilled decision making. Alexander the Great wanted to continue the expansion of Macedonia in which is father, King Philip was doing when Alexander was younger. After the death of his father, the Macedonian army supported Alexander the Great. When Alexander expanded Macedonia, he decided...
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...ALEXANDER THE GREAT: HERO, HUMANITARIAN, OR MANIAC? INTRODUCTION Alexander the Great is by all historical accounts one of the most influential figures of history. He was the son of Philip II, the King of Macedon who conquered Greece in 338 B.C. but was assassinated soon thereafter. Alexander thus became king at the age of seventeen (in 336 B.C. ), and at the age of twenty he set off to conquer the known world. In a series of lightning campaigns he conquered the Persian Empire that had until then been invincible, and in a certain sense he avenged Greece for the earlier Persian Wars. He marched through Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia, conquering all before him. In monumental battles he defeated the Persians at Granicus (334 B.C.), Issus (333 B.c.), and Gaugamela (331 B.c.). He drove his soldiers on, crossing the mountains and deserts of central Asia, until he reached the borders of India (326 B.C.). There he finally turned back, retreating to Babylon, where he established his court. At Babylon he fell sick and suddenly died, at only thirty-two years of age (323 B.c.). Alexander hardly had time to organize his new empire, and this makes it all but impossible to know how he would have been as a ruler, instead of a conqueror. After his death, Alexander's empire fell apart and was ruled by his successors, Macedonian generals who became kings of independent areas. Most of these rulers continued Alexander's policies of toleration and cultural integration. Alexander's...
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...Alexander The Great Alexander the Great is arguably the most famous King that has ever lived. Alexander’s historical perception is without a doubt not entirely accurate, but in the facts of his Kingdom, and in reading the few historically relevant sources, we can interpret something about the life of this man. Through the writings of Plutarch, Arrian, Curtius Rufus, and Pliny, I see Alexander the Great as a justly motivated, intelligent military hero. We will never truly know how Alexander would have turned out as a ruler due to his early death, but in his fifteen years as king he motivated people from different cultures and different countries to come together and execute, under his rule, the most impressive military conquests the world has ever seen. Many modern historians, including those in the ETEP module, have differing views of Alexander the Great. Some claim that he was a deranged, bloodthirsty general who only sought personal triumph, while others thought that he was a military hero who sought unity among all men. W.W. Tarn was a proponent of the latter statement, who wrote about Alexander’s lasting impact of blending culture in the East. Tarn notices that there are many conflicting sources with regards to Alexander’s triumph, and focus’s more on the positive impact that Alexander left on the Eastern world. I agree with Tarn in that Alexander’s conquers led to cultures coming together and advancing at a rate that otherwise would have been unattainable....
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...Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.E.) was a Macedonian king that went on to conquer Persia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and many more. His kingdom ranged from the Mediterranean to the border of India. He died at the age of 32 and is remembered as one of history’s most brilliant military leader and most powerful ruler. People argue that Alexander the Great was a villain whereas other people argued that he was hero. Alexander the Great was more of a villain than he was of a hero. He was a destructive ruler that wanted to unite all of mankind under one type of government. Even though he was a brilliant military leader that was able to conquer many different places and expand his empire throughout the world, he killed a lot of people to get expand his empire and also killed a lot of people to gain the power and position that he was in. Even though he was a man that was able to expand his empire and had smart tactics, many of his ways included the death of innocent people. Alexander the great was a destructive person that killed people to get the power he had and to get to his position. Even though document 3 explains how he was a great military commander, his ways were very gruesome and vicious. In Document 2, it states how Alexander was destructive and how he used purges to get his way. A purge is the removal of a person or group from a place or organization. Two examples of how Alexander the Great used purges during his reign was the murder of Attalus and the dispatching of Parmenio...
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...Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great rose to power in different ways, but they both built monstrous and strong empires, defeated great armies, and expanded trade routes. Though Genghis Khan ruled many years after Alexander the Great, many similarities can be found between the two leaders. Throughout their rises to the top, they both conquered many lands. Their empires covered territory greatly across both the North-Western and North-Eastern hemispheres. In order for them to have gained all their land, they had to outsmart the strongest forces, both Alexander and Khan were able to. During their reigns, they both extended upon the already created trade routes. Though Alexander and Khan are not commonly looked upon to be similar, there are more aspects alike with them than different....
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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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