Alexander the Great - Paper free essay sample

He ended up dying of an unknown disease on June 10th 323 BC (Gale). That marked the end of the powerful empire he built. After his death the empire got divided up into parts and ruled by many different leaders (Smith). Alexander’s early life was not like the ordinary child of his time. He was born into royalty and a lot was to be expected from him. Most notably Olympias could not wait to see the day her son is king of Macedonia (Borza). However, Phillip II did know the future for his son Alexander. When Alexander was a young boy he showed many extraordinary skills, one of which was taming a horse that no one could seem to control. Alexander’s amazing skills, his father’s mentorship, and being tutored by the great philosopher Aristotle, all led to his greatness. This success started at the young age of fourteen when he became a Macedonian warrior (Borza). We will write a custom essay sample on Alexander the Great Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Alexander Maria Dentici learned many valuable things from his father and eventually was rewarded by becoming a Macedonian warrior. Alexander showed impressive skills on the battlefield; this looked to be the beginning of a powerful dynasty between father and son. This success that looked to be so bright for Alexander began to come into question once Phillip II married another woman (Smith). This was no ordinary women it was Cleopatra,   a woman born from an elite Macedonian family. This meant that her son would take Alexander’s place as king if he were old enough to rule when Phillip II died. This new son made Olympias very uneasy. She knew if Phillip II did not die soon Alexander would not become king. In the summer of 336 BC Philip II was killed, and Alexander was named the new king of Macedonia (Alexander). This was the start of something great to come. Within six months of being king Alexander leads the Macedonia to regain control of Greece. Not only was controlling Greece important but Alexander showed his men he had the ability to control the army like his father had done before him. After regaining Greece nothing seemed to be enough for Alexander, he wanted to rule all of Persia (Alexander). Alexander’s ambition was second to none, and this showed in his first battle against the Persian army at Granicus. In this battle, like many others, he lead his army from the front (Smith). This gave his men great confidence in him and showed Maria Dentici how fearless he was as a leader. With a combination of these two things he lead them to victory over the Persian army at Granicus. Although Alexander’s ambition was unmatched, there were still a lot of important qualities only he possessed. His war tactics were very unique and he was very good at reacting to whatever the opposing army was trying to do. He also had his men in tight formations with long spears that killed the opposition before they could reach them (Smith). These tactics played a key part in his quest to rule all of Persia. In 333 B. C. Alexander takes his next step to rule all of Persia in the Battle of Issus (Gale). In this battle he is greatly out numbered, so it is up to him to show how great of a general he is. Alexander takes full advantage of his cavalry, he out smarts Darius and begins to take control of the battle. He directly attacks the center of the Persians were Darius is and forces him to retreat. This was an outstanding win for Alexander, he further builds the reputation as being the greatest general to this day. Following this battle, Alexander’s army captured Darius’ family. Alexander does not call for them to be killed. Instead, he treats them as if they are royalty. He already defeated the most powerful army in the world, lead by Darius. Not killing the Darius’ family shows the way he is makes a statement to the world that he will rule all of Persia (Smith). Alexander is trying to backup his statement by beating Darius one final time and Maria Dentici putting an end to the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In 331 BC Alexander put an end to the Achaemenid Persian Empire following the Battle of Gaugamela (Borza). He once again lead the Macedonians over the Persian army. Alexander had to rely on his tactics and skills of his men to overcome the Persians who were much greater in size. They managed to weaken the Persians center just as before and left king Darius no other choice but to retreat. This was the end of his empire. He was soon after found by a Macedonian severely hurt. There was no way to save him, he soon after died along with his empire (Smith). In 327 BC Alexander takes Roxana to be his first wife (Gale). This is very important not only for political reason but as well for his own relationships. Alexander was known to be intimate with his friend Hephaestion. Alexander’s sexuality is still not certain, but although he did have many wives, he always had a strong intimate relationship with Hephaestion who was his best friend 9 (Smith). After gaining full control of the Persian empire Alexander can not resist the need to control more. He begins his quest for the rest of India, this constant need for more may the downfall of his empire (Smith). The most notable battle Alexander fought when attempting to further invade India was the battle of Hydaspes. This battle was very unique by the methods King Porus used to attack (Smith). Unlike the pervious battles the Macedonians they were against elephants instead of horses. Alexander managed to overcome the challenge but it was a very costly battle to win (Gale). Soon after Alexander’s army lost the will to continue fighting and he returned to Babylon. In 323 Maria Dentici BC Alexander was in Babylon, he got very ill and died from the common cold (Borza). He was only thirty-two at the time and his empire was flourishing. I believe Alexander’s life can teach and inspire our generation oday. Alexander was young when he set out many goals for himself and each day he worked towards them knowing failing wasn’t an option. He never doubted himself even when it had seemed as if he nay never become king. Due to Phillips young death Alexander was forced to become king at a very young age but he never showed fear. I believe this is how we as a society should respond to tasks th at we may not feel ready for. He thought us that your legacy can be as great as you desire as long as you are willing to put in the work. Also, Alexander showed respect to all that he came across. Respect for others is something that our generation has slightly lost sight of and it is up to us to recognize this and reestablish it into our society. Alexander has died but has left a legacy second to none. This man dominated anything he wanted his hands on for a twelve year period, he was the finest military general to ever live. The things he did in thirty-two years could not be done by most kings in two lifetimes. Alexander started off with great expectations from his mother Olympias and did nothing but overachieve. His vision, determination, self confidence, war tactics, and leadership skills are what makes him Alexander the Great.