alexander the great essay

Alexander the Great is one of the very few generals in

history who never lost. His unbroken success is all the more amazing

because the circumstances he faced varied widely and he often exposed

himself recklessly in battle.

Alexander won his first victory when he was just 16 against hill tribes on

the borders of Macedonia. When he ascended the throne of Macedonia, located

just north of Greece, the hill tribes and the Greek city of Thebes

rebelled against his rule. He defeated them both and destroyed Thebes.

Then, in 334 BC, he turned against the Persian Empire, crossing the

Hellespont waterway with 30,000 to 40,000 men into what is now Turkey. He

encountered the Persians at the Granicus River.

Though the Persians and their Greek mercenaries were in a strong position,

Alexander waded across the river with his men, climbed the slippery bank on

the far side, defeated the best of the Persian cavalry and destroyed the

Greek mercenaries.

In two more battles, Issus and Arbela, Alexander defeated the much larger

armies of Persian King Darius. He also destroyed the fortified island city

of Tyre on the Mediterranean Sea, founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt,

conquered hill tribes the Persians had never been able to subdue, and

defeated a well-trained Indian army equipped with elephants.

After defeating Porus, an Indian ruler, he wanted to continue his conquests

into India, but his weary, homesick army refused. Reluctantly, Alexander

turned around and led his army back to Babylon, where, just 33 years old,

he died of a sickness (or perhaps by poison) after a wild party. Alexander

Lived From 356BC Until 323BC.

Legend says that Alexander the Great was born on the same day as the temple

of Artemis At Ephesus (One Of The Seven Wonders Of The Antient World)

burned down. No one knows for sure, but it was definitely in the summer of

356BC. Alexander The Great s Real Name Was Alexandros.