Alexander: The Great

Greatness is something that requires work and commitment.   Alexander of Macedonia showed to be qualified and smart, which he made use of for the aggressive expansion of his empire.  He was a relentless general who always went the extra mile.  His knowledge allowed him to accomplish many things and do more than others expected.  Greatness is a fitting title for Alexander, because he was an admirable leader and an expert in military strategies.  He shaped the Macedonian empire into one of the most powerful empires in history.  Although he was best known for military, he affected the cultures of many cities as well.  Alexander was capable of these many accomplishments, because of his acquired background.

“...Alexander the Great (who had been tutored by the great philosopher and scientist Aristotle) proved to be a military genius, defeating the Persians and conquering a vast empire which reached to India,”(History Study Center).  This quote gives a glimpse of Alexander’s educational background and qualifications.  It also lightly mentions his major accomplishments, such as the places he conquered.  The quote states how he was tutored by Aristotle, who was a great and historical intellectual figure.  If someone like Aristotle tutored him, he must have been very intelligent, and qualified to lead an army and empire.  Going back to where the quote mentions his accomplishments, Alexander guided his army to victory over multiple other empires in parts of the Mediterranean, northeast Africa, Middle East, and western Asia.  Alexander’s father, King Philip of Macedonia, died in 336 B.C. after successfully defeating Greece and starting to develop a plan to attack Persia.  Alexander continued with his father’s plan, and invaded Persia only two years after, in 334 B.C. 334-326 B.C. was Alexander’s age of military success and rapid empire expansion.  In that time of success, his army and he marched more than eleven thousand miles in eleven years.  Alexander is often referred to as an overachiever.  

“Philip II said: ‘You’ll have to find another kingdom; Macedonia isn’t going to be big enough for you,’”(Holt McDougal World History: Patterns of Interaction).  This quote by Alexander’s father was said to Alexander when he was only nine. This shows how Alexander’s father had high expectations for him from an early age.  He proved his father’s vision right plus more.  He ruled a “bigger” kingdom than his father, but what his father did not expect, was that he incorporated Macedonia into it.  The way that Alexander shaped Macedonia was legendary and unheard of.  He had a very aggressive way of getting things done and was very strategic in his combat techniques.  All of this contributed to his success.    “For since he was so vastly inferior in numbers to the Barbarians, he gave them no opportunity to encircle him, but leading his right wing in person, extended it past the enemy's left, got on their flank, and routed the Barbarians who were opposed to him fighting among the foremost…”(The Parallel Lives by Plutarch). This quote talks about Alexander’s superior knowledge of combat strategies.  Troops were organized into sixteen by sixteen phalanxes, each man with an eighteen foot pike.  This strategy obviously worked because of his military success.

“Alexander’s ambitions were cultural as well as military and political. During his wars of

conquest, he actively sought to meld the conquered culture with that of the Greeks. He started new cities as administrative centers and outposts of Greek culture,”(Holt McDougal World History: Patterns of Interaction).   This quote reflects on Alexander’s feat from an aspect other than military.  Alexander created many cities using the hellenistic culture as a basis for them.  This culture was a blend of others, in effort to create a perfect one.  This culture mainly revolved around one city, Alexandria, which was the empire’s center of commerce.  This city was on the edge of the Nile Delta,allowing it to strive in trading.  This culture also had benefits of education and exploration.  Science, technology, art, and philosophy were valued in the hellenistic culture.  Knowing that this culture was very beneficial to cities, Alexander must also get credit for its expanse.  Alexander was an exceptional leader who, for the most part, wanted the best for his cities and people.

Alexander had an astronomical effect on the military and culture of many cities and territories during his time as king, essentially bringing to the conclusion that he was indeed great.  The points stated have given reasons as to why Alexander was great and gave a brief description of his life.  He was a determined leader who acquired effective war methods, and influenced his surrounding civilizations.

MLA Works Cited

“Ancient Greece.” History Study Center. ProQuest LLC., 2010. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://www.historystudycenter.com/search/displayMultiResultStudyunitItem.do?Multi=yes&ResultsID=14F59146F28&fromPage=search&ItemNumber=3&QueryName=studyunit>.

“Chapter 5 Classical Greece Section 4 Alexander’s Empire.” Holt Mcdougal World History: Patterns of Interaction. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2012. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://my.hrw.com/tabnav/controller.jsp?isbn=9780547521084>.

“24.” The Parallel Lives by Plutarch. Loeb Classical Library, 1919. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Alexander*/3.html>.