During his short life, Macedonian achieved incredible results, conquering vast territories and gaining world fame. Thanks to his military campaigns, the popularization of Greek culture in the East began, and the king himself became known in Western historiography as Alexander the Great.
There are many mysterious things in his biography that are unlikely to ever be cleared up. However, we will try to tell all the most interesting facts from his life.
Biography of Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great (Alexander III the Great) was supposedly born on July 20/23 or October 6/10, 356 BC. e. in the Macedonian capital of Pella. He came from the famous Argead family, which, according to Greek mythology, originated from Hercules himself.
Alexander's father, Philip II, was the king of Macedonia, and his mother, Olympias, was the daughter of the ruler of Epirus. The prince had a paternal half-brother - Philip 3, who suffered from dementia.
Childhood and youth
Alexander from an early age admired his father, who often won victories over his opponents and was an excellent diplomat.
It is worth noting that in childhood, the mother had a strong influence on the boy. An interesting fact is that she turned her son against his father.
History of Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great was trained in Miez by his relatives. He was taught military affairs and lifestyle by Leonid, whom the future king considered his adoptive father. To the young man he was very strict and demanding, but fair.
Alexander the Great on a fragment of an ancient Roman mosaic from Pompeii
Alexander also had a second tutor named Lismakh, who taught him philosophy, gymnastics, music and other sciences.
Having reached the age of 13, the great ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle became the new teacher of the teenager. He did his best to give his student as much knowledge as possible.
Most of all, Aristotle tried to instill in Alexander the Great a love for politics, philosophy and ethics, since these disciplines, in his opinion, were essential for the future king. They often talked on various topics, raising important issues and exchanging their own views on life.
In this period of his biography, Alexander the Great was distinguished by stubbornness and purposefulness. At the same time, he showed absolute indifference to physical benefits, for a long time not having feelings for women and limiting himself to food. In many ways, this was the merit of Leonid, who from an early age raised the boy in the spirit of the Spartans.
For the first time, Alexander the Great was on the battlefield at the age of 16. When Philip 2 went to war against Byzantium, unrest arose in his homeland, initiated by the Thracians. The young commander brilliantly suppressed the uprising with the remaining soldiers, and formed the city of Alexandropol on the site of the Thracian settlements.
Later, Alexander the Great also participated in the battles, showing the courage and talent of a wise military leader. When in 336 BC. e. his father Philip was killed, Alexander became the new king of Macedonia.
From that time began the history of the legendary ruler and commander.
Campaigns of Alexander the Great
Once in power, Alexander killed all the enemies of his father involved in his death. Then he abolished taxes and set about restoring power in Macedonia and Greece. Having united all of Hellas, the king organized a campaign against Persia, which Philip had dreamed of for so long.
Alexander: "Ask me for whatever you want." Diogenes: "Don't block the sun for me!"р
In the battle with the Persians, Alexander the Great fully revealed his talent as a commander. In the battle near the Granik River, he defeated the enemy, as a result of which he managed to capture almost all of Asia Minor.
This victory brought him worldwide fame and recognition.
Soon Alexander conquered Syria, Palestine, Caria, Phoenicia and other states. Then he went to war against Egypt, where he was greeted as a national hero. There he founded the city of Alexandria in his honor.
In general, it must be said that the biography of Alexander the Great consists almost entirely of military campaigns.
Alexander enters Babylon
Returning to Persia, he captured Susa, Persepolis and Babylon, which later became the capital of the united state. In 329 BC. e. The king of Persia, Darius, was killed by his own associates.
Alexander the Great skillfully took advantage of this situation and again showed himself as a wise tactician and strategist. He stated that it was not the invaders who were to blame for the collapse of the Persian Empire, but the murderers of Darius. Immediately after this, he announced that he was ready to avenge Darius.
Becoming the ruler of Asia, Alexander captured Sogdean and Bactria in 2 years. An interesting fact is that when conquering new cities, he often renamed them in his honor.
Conquests of Alexander the Great
In 326 BC. e. Alexander the Great organized a military campaign against India. Initially, he was able to capture some territories, but after crossing the Indus River, his soldiers refused to continue the offensive.
One of the most reliable depictions of Alexander (Louvre Museum)
The soldiers are seriously tired from the endless battles, tropical rains, snakes and unaccustomed food. In addition, they were afraid of the large Indian army and its elephants. Thus, the king had to return home.
A characteristic feature of Alexander the Great was that when he invaded this or that land, he never imposed his beliefs and customs on people.
On the contrary, the commander willingly accepted the religious views and traditions of other peoples.
In addition, an interesting fact of the biography of Alexander the Great is that he left the conquered kings in their places, thanks to which he avoided unnecessary unrest in the occupied territories.
Future Roman emperors would do the same.
Personal life
It is generally accepted that Alexander the Great had 360 concubines, of which Campaspa and Barsina are distinguished, who gave birth to his son Hercules. He was also in a relationship with the leader of the Amazons Thalestris and the Indian princess Cleophis.
In general, in the biography of Alexander the Great there were 3 wives. The first was the daughter of a local nobleman, Roxana. An interesting fact is that the king married her when the girl was barely 14 years old. In this marriage, their son Alexander was born.
After that, Alexander the Great married the daughters of King Darius - Stateira and King Artaxerxes 3 - Parysatis. It is fair to say that both marriages were entered into only for political reasons. Although this did not prevent Roxana from killing Stateira on the basis of jealousy immediately after the death of her husband.
Interestingly, Alexander the Great respected the weaker sex and even believed that women were actually equal to men. This position was very unusual for that time.
Death
In the winter of 323 B.C. e. Alexander the Great began to prepare for the conquest of the Arabian Peninsula and a campaign against Carthage. But a few days before the start of the military campaign, he became seriously ill.
Many historians believe that the commander was sick with malaria, but there are versions in favor of poisoning the king.
After 10 days of severe fever, June 10 or 13, 323 BC. Alexander the Great died at the age of 32. It is worth noting that the great commander did not leave behind any orders regarding who would take his throne. Perhaps that is why immediately after his death, the gigantic empire of Alexander the Great collapsed.
