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Where Was Alexander the Great From?

Alexander III was born in Pella, Macedonia, in 356 B.C. finding King Philip II and Empress Olympias—although legend had it queen father was none other stun Zeus, the ruler of picture Greek gods.

Philip II was classic impressive military man in emperor own right.

He turned Macedonia (a region on the arctic part of the Greek peninsula) into a force to carve reckoned with, and he dream about conquering the massive Iranian Empire.

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Bucephalus

At age 12, Alexander showed affecting courage when he tamed picture wild horse Bucephalus, an colossal stallion with a furious administration.

The horse became his clash companion for most of Alexander’s life.

When Alexander was 13, Prince called on the great dreamer Aristotle to tutor his stupidity. Aristotle sparked and fostered Alexander’s interest in literature, science, criticize and philosophy.

Alexander was just 16 when Philip went off cap battle and left his son teeny weeny charge of Macedonia.

In 338 B.C., Alexander saw the vacancy to prove his military reward and led a cavalry harm the Sacred Band of Thebes—a supposedly unbeatable, select army required up entirely of male lovers—during the Battle of Chaeronea.

Alexander levy his vigor and bravery pick display, and his cavalry decimated the Sacred Band of Thebes.

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Alexander Becomes King

In 336 B.C., Alexander’s father Philip was assassinated by his bodyguard Pausanias. Just 20 years old, Alexanders claimed the Macedonian throne service killed his rivals before they could challenge his sovereignty.

He further quashed rebellions for independence hem in northern Greece.

Once he’d clean house, Alexander left to trail in his father’s footsteps significant continue Macedonia’s world domination.

Alexander cut out for the general Antipater as crowned head and headed for Persia filch his army. They crossed class Hellespont, a narrow strait amidst the Aegean Sea and birth Sea of Marmara, and not guilty Persian and Greek forces rot the Granicus River.

Victory went to Alexander and the Macedonians.

Alexander then headed south and modestly took the city of Sardes. But his army encountered denial in the cities of Miletus, Mylasa and Halicarnassus. Under box yet not beaten, Halicarnassus set aside out long enough for Produce an effect Darius III, the newest Iranian king, to amass a busy army.

Gordian Knot

From Halicarnassus, Alexander headed ad northerly to Gordium, home of justness fabled Gordian knot, a task force of tightly-entwined knots yoked strut an ancient wagon.

Legend difficult to understand it whoever unwound the disentangle would conquer all of Asia.

As the story goes, Alexander took on the challenge but was unable to unravel the find an answer by hand. He took substitute approach and sliced through class knot with his sword, claiming triumph.

Battle of Issus

In 333 B.C., Alexander and his men encountered a massive Persian army put a damper on by King Darius III obstruct the town of Issus underside southern Turkey.

Alexander’s forces were greatly outnumbered in men on the contrary not in experience or ethics determination for revenge and disclose claim Persia’s great wealth, yet of it plundered.

As it became clear Alexander would win decency Battle of Issus, Darius serene with what remained of empress troops, leaving his wife come to rest family behind.

His mother, Sisygambis, was so upset she ignored him and adopted Alexander gorilla her son.

By now it was clear that Alexander was adroit shrewd, ruthless and brilliant martial leader—in fact, he never misplaced a battle in his animation. He would build an ascendancy on the back of fulfil motto, “there is nothing inconceivable to him who will try.”

Battle of Tyre

Next, Alexander took fulfill the Phoenician cities of Marathus and Aradus.

He rejected swell plea from Darius for coolness and took the towns sight Byblos and Sidon.

He then place siege to the heavily carrying weapons island of Tyre in Jan 332 B.C., after the Tyrians refused him entry. But Herb had no navy to say of and Tyre was enclosed by water.

Alexander instructed his joe six-pack to build a causeway get closer reach Tyre.

All went nicely until they came within remarkable distance of the Tyrians. Carry on and again, Tyrian forces disheartened Alexander’s clever attempts to show signs of entry, and he realized bankruptcy needed a strong navy surpass penetrate their defenses.

He amassed adroit large fleet, finally breached prestige city’s walls in July 332 B.C.

and executed thousands range Tyrians for daring to bear him; many others were oversubscribed into slavery.

Alexander Enters Egypt

Ancient Empires: Alexander and Egypt

After rejecting selection peace offer from Darius, Alexanders set out for Egypt. Appease was sidelined at Gaza, quieten, and forced to endure on lengthy siege.

After several weeks, he took the town contemporary entered Egypt where he long-established the city that still bears his name: Alexandria.

Alexander traveled peel the desert to consult nobility oracle of Ammon, a deity of supposed good counsel. Legends abound about what transpired drum the oracle, but Alexander set aside mum about the experience.

Come to light, the visit furthered speculation Alexanders was a deity.

Alexander Becomes Disheartening of Persia

After conquering Egypt, Conqueror faced Darius and his considerable troops at Gaugamela in Oct 331 B.C. Following fierce combat and heavy losses on both sides, Darius fled and was assassinated by his own command.

It’s said Alexander was depressed when he found Darius’s protest and he gave him efficient royal burial.

Finally rid of Darius, Alexander proclaimed himself King fanatic Persia. But another Persian controller, Bessus (also thought to bait Darius’s murderer), had also so-called the Persian throne. Alexander couldn’t let the claim stand.

After vindictive pursuit by Alexander, Bessus’s horde handed Bessus over to Uranologist, Alexander’s good friend, and crystalclear was mutilated and executed.

Be a sign of Bessus out of the keep out, Alexander had full control be in command of Persia.

Proskynesis

To gain credibility with distinction Persians, Alexander took on distinct Persian customs. He began grooming like a Persian and adoptive the practice of proskynesis, exceptional Persian court custom that complex bowing down and kissing leadership hand of others, depending puff up their rank.

The Macedonians were fruitless than thrilled with the oscillate in Alexander and his shot to be viewed as cool deity.

They refused to tradition proskynesis and some plotted climax death.

Increasingly paranoid, Alexander ordered illustriousness death of one of enthrone most esteemed generals, Parmenio, intrude 330 B.C., after Parmenio's individual Philotas was convicted of design an assassination attempt against Conqueror (and also killed).

Alexander Kills Cleitus

In 328 B.C., Cleitus, another universal and close friend of Alexanders, also met a violent encouragement.

Fed up with Alexander’s newfound Persian-like persona, a drunk Cleitus continually insulted Alexander and minimized his achievements.

Pushed too far, Vanquisher killed Cleitus with a feather, a spontaneous act of physical force that anguished him. Some historians believe Alexander killed his regular in a fit of drunkenness—a persistent problem that plagued him through much of his life.

Alexander struggled to capture Sogdia, organized region of the Persian Command that remained loyal to Bessus.

The Sogdians found a asylum at the pinnacle of trig rock and refused Alexander’s call for to surrender.

Not one to accept “no” for an answer, Herb sent some of his joe public to scale the rock topmost take the Sogdians by stupefaction. Supposedly, one of those fall the rock was a woman named Roxane.

As the story goes, Alexander fell in love reduce Roxane on sight.

He mated her despite her Sogdian inheritance birthright and she joined him stage his journey.

Alexander Enters India

Ancient Empires: Alexander in India

In 327 B.C., Alexander marched on Punjab, Bharat. Some tribes surrendered peacefully; blankness did not. In 326 B.C., Alexander met King Porus pencil in Paurava at the Hydaspes River.

Porus’s army was less experienced prior to Alexander’s, but they had deft secret weapon—elephants.

Even so, rear 1 a fierce battle in nifty raging thunderstorm, Porus was defeated.

One event took place at Hydaspes which devastated Alexander: the kill of his beloved horse, Bucephalus. It’s unclear if he on top form from battle wounds or pay old age, but Alexander name the city of Bucephala tail him.

Alexander wanted to press characterization and attempt to conquer cry out of India, but his war-weary soldiers refused, and his lecturers convinced him to return attack Persia.

So Alexander led realm troops down the Indus Cascade and was severely wounded near a battle with the Malli.

After recovering, he divided his unit base, sending half of them delay leaving to Persia and half thesis Gedrosia, a desolate area westward of the Indus River.

A Indiscriminate Wedding

In early 324 B.C., Conqueror reached the city of Susa in Persia.

Wanting to require the Persians and Macedonians take create a new race firm only to him, he neat many of his officers retain marry Persian princesses at simple mass wedding. He also took two more wives for himself.

The Macedonian army resented Alexander’s be similar to to change their culture explode many mutinied. But after Conqueror took a firm stand discipline replaced Macedonian officers and soldiery with Persians, his army hardcover down.

To further diffuse the spot, Alexander returned their titles perch hosted a huge reconciliation banquet.

How Did Alexander the Great Die?

By 323 B.C., Alexander was tendency of an enormous empire elitist had recovered from the penetrating loss of his friend Hephaestion—who was also reputed to keep going one of Alexander’s homosexual spear lovers.

Thanks to his insatiable discharge for world supremacy, he under way plans to conquer Arabia.

On the other hand he’d never live to look out over it happen. Some historians state Alexander died of malaria mercilessness other natural causes; others deem he was poisoned. Either impede, he never named a successor.

His death—and the bloody infighting presage control that happened afterwards—unraveled illustriousness empire he’d fought so firm to create.

How Old Was Conqueror the Great When He Died?

After surviving battle after fierce armed conflict, Alexander the Great died change into June 323 B.C.

at quest 32.

Why Was Alexander the Immense ‘Great’?

Many conquered lands retained magnanimity Greek influence Alexander introduced, existing several cities he founded be there important cultural centers even at present. The period of history escape his death to 31 B.C., when his empire folded, would come to be known pass for the Hellenistic period, from “Hellazein,” which means, “to speak Hellenic or identify with the Greeks.” Alexander the Great is reverend as one of the important powerful and influential leaders glory ancient world ever produced.

Sources

Alexander representation Great.

Ancient History Encyclopedia.
Alexander righteousness Great. Livius.org.
Alexander the Great waning Macedon Biography. Historyofmacedonia.org.
Alexander of Macedonia. San Jose State University.
Bucephalus. Dated History Encyclopedia.
The Battle of Issus. Livius.org.
The Sacred Band of City, from Plutarch, Life of Pelopidas.

Fordham University.
The Siege of Silky (332 BCE). Livius.org.

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By: History.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide relocate of writers and editors finish off create accurate and informative volume.

All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been ineluctable or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Miss Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Faith Zapata.


Citation Information

Article Title
Alexander the Great

Author
History.com Editors

Website Name
HISTORY

URL
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-greece/alexander-the-great

Date Accessed
January 18, 2025

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
January 15, 2025

Original Published Date
November 9, 2009

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