Alexander the Great: The Life, Conquests, and Legacy

It is widely-accepted that even the most powerful leaders in history have someone to admire. Accordingly, sometimes Napoleon compared himself to him on horseback at the Battle of Waterloo, and sometimes Hitler wanted to be an invincible commander like him. Yes, Alexander the Great, who is considered the greatest commander in history by most historians, left such an important mark on the world stage of history. What makes him different from others is not just that he never lost a battle. This great soldier also received training from a historical philosopher like Aristotle, developing and maturing both his spiritual and mental worlds.

In this context, the period from his childhood to the age of twenty when he became the king of his country is very important. This period, which shaped his spiritual and social world, also shaped his command adventure that would last for about thirteen years afterwards.

This commander, who conquered a large part of the ancient world from the Adriatic to the ends of India, wanted to go to the end of the world according to some. By the way, we would like to remind you that the world was considered flat during the relevant period. In the last years of his life, his tendency towards violence increased and it was accepted by his relatives that he was mentally ill. The cruelties he committed in the places he conquered during this period and the acquaintances he executed in his circle are also indicators that he was not in a healthy state of mind.

After all, the ruler who ascended to the throne at the age of twenty and was also known as Alexandros, died after an illness at the age of thirty-three and signed things that will not be forgotten even if thousands of years pass.

Early Life of Alexander the Great! Rise to Power

The subject of Alexander the Great and his origins is still a subject of debate today. In other words, while the Greeks claim that he was of Hellenic descent, the Macedonians state that he was Macedonian because he came from their own lands and countries. Let’s state that even historians still cannot agree on this issue. On the other hand, our hero, who was born in Pella, is the son of the Macedonian King Philip II. His mother was Olympias, who also had the name of a Greek goddess. In his early years, he went to a school where other nobles were also educated and took lessons from the famous scholar of the period, Aristotle.

These lessons included important lessons such as religion, philosophy, geography and logic. If we take into account that we are talking about the years before Christ, it becomes easier to understand how ahead of his time these lessons were.

There are many myths and legends about his early years. However, the famous Bucephalus horse incident is a well-known example. When he was ten years old, this horse, which was said to be a very fierce horse, was brought to his father and King Philip wanted to buy it. Young Alexander, who realized that this horse, which no one could calm down, was afraid of his own shadow, managed to use the horse’s fear and mount it. His father was very surprised by this situation and said, “Macedonia will be too small for you, you should rule over much larger countries.”

Then, he bought this horse for him. The horse’s name was Bucephalus and he would serve his new owner for many years. When our hero turned twenty, his father was assassinated and he ascended to the throne.

The Conquests of Alexander the Great

He was now twenty years old and the king of Macedonia. This commander, who had great ideals and goals, first turned his face to the east and used the information he had received from the captive Persians he had met before. At this very moment, he learned that the Greek city-states which heard about his father’s death had rebelled and he suppressed the rebellions in these cities very harshly. The new King, who was aware that his authority would not be recognized by other cities and countries if he did not suppress these rebellions harshly enough, proved his maturity with a very tactical move at this stage.

When Alexander the Great ascended to the throne and suppressed the rebellions, he marched against his eternal enemies and first defeated the Persian forces that were superior to him in the Granicus War at the western entrance of Anatolia, around today’s Canakkale. What is important here is that he applied the different way of thinking he developed during his upbringing to the battlefield and defeated his opponent with different tactics.

The Persian ruler Darius still did not take him seriously and sent him small toys made of gold to mock his age. After he conquered southern Anatolia, he advanced to today’s Ankara and made another miraculous event here.

In 333 BC, he first took a quick look at the knot known as the Gordian knot in Ankara, which was believed to be the one who untied it would rule the world, and then shattered it with a sword, fulfilling a prophecy. The Persian Empire, known as ancient Iran, was one of the most powerful states of the period and now the ruler Darius was aware of the danger.

Major Wars and Conquests of Him and Babylon!

Major Conquests of Alexander the Great

• The Battle of Granicus
• The Battle of Issus
• The Battle of Gaugamela

He marched on the fifty thousand-strong army of Alexander the Great with an army of approximately two hundred and fifty thousand people in the city known today as Hatay. In this battle known as the Battle of Issus, Darius suffered a heavy defeat, leaving his family on the battlefield and fleeing. He then conquered Egypt and founded the city of Alexandria known by his own name.

Thereupon, he defeated Darius again in the Battle of Gaugamela, the last battle that would destroy the Persian Empire and enable him to conquer its capital Babylon, and his own soldiers killed the Persian emperor where he fled.

The wealth and resources in Babylon surprised him greatly. However, his soldiers were now tired and missed their homes. Realizing this, our hero decided to return. After this, he conquered India and turned his direction to the Asian steppes. With this, the period of great expeditions and conquests ended.

The great commander, who experienced spiritual changes especially after the conquest of Egypt, began to adopt a harsh attitude towards the people of the lands he conquered and his own soldiers in the last years of his life. Some historians state that the reason for this transformation was that he saw himself as a demigod. After all these expeditions and conquests, he died at the age of 32, while visiting Babylon in 323 BC, according to some, from malaria and according to others from poisoning. According to some, when asked who he would leave the throne to before he died, he answered “to the strongest among you”.

After his death, the empire was shared among his generals. During these years, called the Diadochi Period, the empire was thoroughly fragmented and dispersed.

The Legacy of Alexander the Great!

When everyone talks about his great achievements, they do not mention his father, King Philip II, who laid the foundations of the powerful state. In fact, the father was an innovator as well as a strong and tough leader. The basis of the military successes of the Macedonian Kingdom, which grew stronger during his time, was the system called the Phalanx, the new model longer spears called Sarissa and the new generation axes that allowed the soldiers to move faster. Alexander the Great carried this legacy from his father even further and managed to conquer more than half of the ancient world.

The main reason behind his achievements was that he received a good education. His knowledge of geography and map reading, as well as other modern sciences of the period, put him ahead of others. Thanks to his knowledge of geography, he conquered many lands and drew the maps of new worlds.

At the core of his mental world was the goal of conquering the whole world and gathering all humanity under a single empire that he would lead. He convinced his generals, who had been his friends since childhood, of this goal and his soldiers ran from continent to continent in various climates with him.

Alexander the Great, who brought Hellenic culture to the places he went, is considered by some to be one of the first known imperialist leaders in history. Some historians, however, oppose this view because he did not interfere with the people of the places he conquered and appointed their own rulers. Indeed, due to his good education and strategic thinking, he drew a very different portrait from the leaders of his time. It is not easy to be a leader who will be remembered with respect even thousands of years later.