Ancient Greece: The Legacy of Alexander the Great (Greatest Military Leader in History) by van Basten T.D

Author:van Basten, T.D. [van Basten, T.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: T.D. van Basten
Published: 2016-04-15T22:00:00+00:00

IV

THE CONQUESTS OF ALEXANDER

“There is nothing permanent except change.”

-HERACLITUS

Alexander received his moniker “the Great” as a result of his military prowess and the strength of his battle plans. He may have ruled for but a short time, but he managed to expand the reach and influence of Macedonian society to extents that were never again to be matched. By the time of his death at the age of 32, he had successfully conquered most of the then known world.

He was just 18 when he had his first taste of battle, as he fought alongside his father, King Philip II, in the resounding victory that was the Battle of Chaeronea. This victory was what ultimately allowed Philip II to join the various Grecian city-states under his control, known as the League of Corinth. After Philip was assassinated and Alexander ascended to the throne, he had the overwhelming support of the military behind him.

He boasted some 35,000 infantry troops and over 5,000 cavalry. It was with this massive force that he began to conquer and take control of most of the known world at that time. As they swept through these newly conquered lands, Alexander and his troops gained skill, experience, and knowhow, which made them even more formidable in battle. He began in the Near East and Persia, conquering the famous city of Baalbek in 334 BC, and renaming it Heliopolis. He then went off to battle and defeat Darius III of Persia, causing Darius to flee. Though his forces were outnumbered, Alexander and his men made smart moves and were able to cause the retreat.

With Darius on the retreat, Alexander turned his sights to Egypt, which, then controlled by the Persians, easily fell to his will. While in Egypt for a very short time, Alexander was quite taken with the city and founded what would become one of the most important cities in the ancient world: Alexandria. Alexander would stay in Egypt for just a short while before returning to his conquests in Persia and beyond. His time there was obviously deeply influential to him though. The legacy he would leave to Egypt and the world is still felt to this day.

After his retreat, Darius III regrouped his forces and he and Alexander again met in battle. Again, Alexander and his men were greatly outnumbered, but a shrewd, yet risky decision made by Alexander paid off, resulting in another victory, which again sent Darius fleeing for his life. This time, he would be cut down by one of his own men in his attempts to retreat. Alexander continued on with his campaign to conquer Persia, then taking Bactria and easily overpowering the Scythians.

As he and his troops took more and more of Persia, Alexander began to adopt more and more Persian cultural affections and dress, which began to make his generals a bit concerned. There were rumors of a possible military revolt and there were also, perhaps, even plans hatched for assassination attempts during this time. While conquering Persia in

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.