Alexander the great is a famous Greek warrior who ruled the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II on the throne in 336 BC and spent most of his reign conducting military campaigns in Egypt and Western Asia. The following article will give you some information about Alexander and his life. It also covers Aristotle’s influence on Alexander.
Alexander the Great’s life
Alexander the Great’s life is a story of conflict and sacrifice. The Greek king was ruthless to his enemies, but devoted to his trusted soldiers. He gave generous gifts to his closest allies and returned their favors generously. When he was in trouble, he acted quickly to punish the guilty. For example, when he crushed a rebellion in the city of Thebes, he killed all the men in the city and sent the women into slavery. He was not the kind of man to be hurt, and he had friends who pleaded with him to be careful.
Alexander the Great was born in Pella, Greece. When his father left to join a campaign against Byzantium, he gathered soldiers under his command and crushed the Maedian revolt. He then recolonized the city with Greeks and christened it Alexandropolis. The city later became Alexandria, named after Alexander the Great.
Aristotle’s influence on Alexander’s life
Alexander the great had a lot of influence on Aristotle. As a philosopher, Aristotle was a famous Greek scholar who was associated with Alexander the Great. However, after Alexander died, Aristotle was accused of impiety. This influenced his career, and eventually led to his exile from Athens. Ultimately, he died of natural causes in 322 BCE.
When Alexander the great was thirteen years old, his father, Philip, chose Aristotle as his tutor. Aristotle had a family connection to the Macedonian king, and his father had served as a physician for his predecessor. This alliance helped Philip’s plans to invade Persia.
Alexander also incorporated some of Aristotle’s teachings in his political philosophy, promoting the mixing of religions, universality in social manners, and political education. Moreover, he was concerned about the rivalry of kings.
Alexander’s assassination by Bessus
Bessus, an Achaemenid satrap of Bactria and Sogdiana, was one of Alexander’s most ruthless enemies. In 330, he murdered the Achaemenid king Darius and assumed his throne. The two were then battling for dominance in the eastern part of the empire. Alexander, however, caught up with them and killed them for regicide.
Alexander was advancing north when Bessus attempted to block his path. Bessus had burned all available ships to keep Alexander from reaching his objective. However, Alexander’s men regrouped and built rafts in southeast Turkmenistan. During the journey, they crossed the pebble desert and Hindu Kush. The Macedonians then had to detour a bit and send Ptolemy to collect Bessus.
The satraps who accompanied Alexander fought with the Macedonians and nearly killed him. However, Alexander was able to defeat them and re-enter the country. He stayed in Bactra for two winters and campaigned in Central Asia for the remainder of the year.
Alexander’s pursuit of Darius
The pursuit of Darius by Alexander the Great resulted in a huge amount of territory being conquered. By the time Alexander the Great’s army reached Persepolis, Darius had lost all hope of victory. After this defeat, the Achaemenid empire had been overthrown. Darius’ political enemies plotted to capture him and hand him over to Alexander. The Persian nobles had no choice but to make peace with Alexander. After being defeated at Gaugamela, Darius’ troops panicked and fled to Ecbatana to gather his fourth army. As a result, Alexander the Great’s army took Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis.
Alexander’s army of forty thousand men charged Darius’ left, while Darius’ army was being outflanked on the right. Using his phalanx, Alexander attacked Darius’ flanks, allowing his cavalry to advance into the Persian center.
Alexander’s battle with Porus
The Greeks have described Alexander’s battle with Porus as the most difficult of his career. Alexander, however, was not always as charitable as he had been with his stubborn opponents. The Greek accounts indicate that after Hydaspes, he acted more charitablely toward his opponents, giving them the victory and returning their kingdom.
Despite this, Alexander nevertheless rode forward and met Porus. Observing his handsome figure and large stature, Alexander was surprised by Porus’ spirit. He had been fighting against another king in valiant fashion. This is why Alexander devised his strategy – a nocturnal attack on Porus’s army.
The first step was to draw up an army. This was easier to do when the ground is sand-covered, and this made the ground flat and hard. It also enabled Alexander’s army to take advantage of the terrain by deploying his elephants. The elephants were placed in a line at least a plethrum apart from the infantry phalanx. This was a crucial move for Alexander, as it saved Priam’s life.
Alexander’s conquest of Bactria
Alexander the great conquered Bactria in 329 BCE, a territory that today comprises modern Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. At the time, Bactria was a Persian province located in what is now Afghanistan. Despite Alexander’s conquest of this area, the Bactrians resisted the Greeks and resisted their overlordship. However, once Alexander crossed the Hindu Kush, he brought his army to Drapsaca, sometimes identified with the Banu of modern Bactria. Once in Bactria, he made a marriage to Roxanne, a Bactrian princess, and the conquest was complete.
Alexander then marched south from Issus, hoping to isolate the Persian fleet and thereby destroy it as a powerful fighting force. He then sent Parmenio to secure Damascus and Darius’ war chest, but this was not enough. The Persians then sent boulders and projectiles down on Alexander’s army from the southern slopes, making the Macedonian army incur heavy casualties. Darius had hoped to stop the Macedonian invasion, but Alexander was determined to push ahead regardless.
After Alexander conquered Bactria, the Greeks began a new civilization in the east. This new civilization was known as Hellenistic. By the mid-15th century, elements of this civilization were still recognizable in Byzantine traditions. Alexander became a legendary classical hero, in the tradition of Achilles, and appears prominently in myths and history of both Greek and non-Greek cultures. His achievements have become the benchmark against which military leaders are judged. As such, military academies teach students the tactics Alexander used to conquer the world.
Alexander’s wars in Syria
The Syrian Wars are a series of six wars fought between the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt between the third and second centuries BC. These wars were very costly for both parties and led to their eventual destruction by Rome. These wars are mentioned briefly in the biblical Books of Maccabees.
In 261 BC, Antiochus II, the successor of Antiochus the Great, began a new war against the Ptolemaic empire in Syria. He forged an alliance with Antigonus II Gonatas, who was interested in pushing Ptolemy II out of the Aegean. He also launched an attack on the Ptolemaic outposts in Asia.
The Third Syrian War, also known as the Laodicean War, began because of a succession crisis in the Hellenistic states. Antiochus II had left two ambitious mothers competing to put their sons on the throne. Laodice claimed that her son had been named heir by Antiochus on his deathbed, but Berenice Syra claimed that her son was legitimate. The two ambitious mothers asked Ptolemy III for assistance, but when he arrived in Antioch, Berenice was assassinated.
Alexander’s expeditions in Bactria
In the summer of 327, Alexander left Bactria with a strengthened army and reorganized command. He had approximately one hundred and twenty thousand men, including auxiliary forces and women and children. The Greek general crossed the Hindu Kush with half of his army, then led the remaining part through the mountains of the north.
After conquering the Persian Empire, Alexander crossed eastern Iran, Bactria, and Afghanistan. He then attacked the fortress of Aornos in Pakistan, which had been thought to be unconquerable for centuries. The legendary Heracles had failed to conquer the fortress, but Alexander was able to take it by storm. Alexander also fought against the mountain tribe of the Ouxians. During the battles in Massaga, Alexander suffered a severe injury to his ankle.
After a year of campaigning in Bactria, Alexander began his campaign in the north. He recruited Greek mercenaries from Media to help him, as well as Thessalians who had volunteered to fight for him. He also appointed the Persian Proexes as viceroy of the Mount Caucasus and left Neiloxenus, son of Satyrus, as superintendent of the mountain.
