Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 126 views

    Alexander The Great

    Uploaded by

    manju
    Alexander the Great was a legendary king and general of Macedonia who conquered much of the known world from Greece to India in the 4th century BC. He was tutored as a youth by Aristotle and proved his military prowess early by defeating Greek forces. As king, Alexander went on to defeat the massive Persian army and its king Darius III, taking over the Persian Empire. He continued his campaign by conquering Egypt and marching his army into India, defeating King Porus but choosing to turn back at the refusal of his troops to advance further. Alexander established a vast empire before his early death at age 33, though it fragmented after his death among his generals. His conquests helped spread Greek culture and established Alexandria in Egypt,

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Alexander The Great

    Uploaded by

    manju
    126 views3 pages
    Alexander the Great was a legendary king and general of Macedonia who conquered much of the known world from Greece to India in the 4th century BC. He was tutored as a youth by Aristotle and proved his military prowess early by defeating Greek forces. As king, Alexander went on to defeat the massive Persian army and its king Darius III, taking over the Persian Empire. He continued his campaign by conquering Egypt and marching his army into India, defeating King Porus but choosing to turn back at the refusal of his troops to advance further. Alexander established a vast empire before his early death at age 33, though it fragmented after his death among his generals. His conquests helped spread Greek culture and established Alexandria in Egypt,

    Original Title

    Alexander-the-Great

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Alexander the Great was a legendary king and general of Macedonia who conquered much of the known world from Greece to India in the 4th century BC. He was tutored as a youth by Aristotle and proved his military prowess early by defeating Greek forces. As king, Alexander went on to defeat the massive Persian army and its king Darius III, taking over the Persian Empire. He continued his campaign by conquering Egypt and marching his army into India, defeating King Porus but choosing to turn back at the refusal of his troops to advance further. Alexander established a vast empire before his early death at age 33, though it fragmented after his death among his generals. His conquests helped spread Greek culture and established Alexandria in Egypt,

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    126 views3 pages

    Alexander The Great

    Uploaded by

    manju
    Alexander the Great was a legendary king and general of Macedonia who conquered much of the known world from Greece to India in the 4th century BC. He was tutored as a youth by Aristotle and proved his military prowess early by defeating Greek forces. As king, Alexander went on to defeat the massive Persian army and its king Darius III, taking over the Persian Empire. He continued his campaign by conquering Egypt and marching his army into India, defeating King Porus but choosing to turn back at the refusal of his troops to advance further. Alexander established a vast empire before his early death at age 33, though it fragmented after his death among his generals. His conquests helped spread Greek culture and established Alexandria in Egypt,

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Alexander the Great

    Alexander the Great was a king and general of ancient Macedonia who went on to conquer
    large parts of the known world, his empire extending from Greece to the eastern fringes of
    ancient India.

    He is legendary for his military for his prowess and regarded as an architect of the cultural
    exchange between the Western and Eastern world which would have a profound impact on
    world history for years to come.

    This article will give details about Alexander the Great within the context of the Civil Services
    Examination.

    The early life of Alexander the Great


    Alexander III was born to King Philip II and Queen Olympias in 356 BC at Phela, Macedonia

    Around the time of Alexander’s birth, the Greek states south of Macedonia were a collection of
    squabbling states always in perpetual war with each other. They took little notice when Philip II
    became the ruler of Macedonia and began a military transformation of his country that would
    overwhelm Greece in the coming years.

    When Alexander was 13, Philip called on the great philosopher Aristotle to tutor his son.
    Aristotle sparked and fostered Alexander’s interest in literature, science, medicine and
    philosophy.

    Alexander was 16 when Philip decided to got to war with Greece. At the battle of Chaeronea in
    338 BC, Philip’s army defeated a combined Greek force, conquering the country. Alexender
    proved his military might when he led a cavalry section against a supposedly invincible infantry
    detachment - the Sacred Band of Thebes. His cavalry annihilated them completely

    Philip II, having united the Greeks and Macedonians under him, wanted to fulfil his lifetime
    ambition of conquering the Persian Achaemenid Empire. But it was not to be. He was
    assassinated in 336 BC and the throne passed on Alexander.

    Alexander’s war against Persia

    In 334 BC, Alexander led his army against the Persians, in order to not only conquer their lands
    but also to replenish his treasuries with their great wealth. In 333 BC, he defeated Persian King
    Darius III at the battle of Issus.
    Next, Alexander took over the Phoenician cities of Marathus and Aradus. He rejected a plea
    from Darius for peace and took the towns of Byblos and Sidon.

    He laid siege to Tyre in January 332 BC despite a lack of a navy Alexander employed his
    ingenuity to take the city. Building a causeway which brought his siege weaponry within striking
    distance On 332 BC the city fell to his forces.

    Hel later marched into Egypt whose people recognised him as a living-god.

    After conquering Egypt, Alexander faced Darius and his massive troops at Gaugamela in
    October 331 B.C. Following fierce fighting and heavy losses on both sides, Darius fled and was
    assassinated by his own troops. It’s said Alexander was sad when he found Darius’s body and
    he gave him a royal burial.

    To lend legitimacy to his rule and strengthen the ties between the Hellenistic and Persian world.
    Alexander adopted Persian customs, including them in the government as well as marrying
    Persian Princesses much to the chagrin of his fellow Macedonians and Greeks.

    Alexander’s Invasion of India


    Although he had conquered the Persian Empire like his father before him. Alexander had far
    more lofty ambitions. He wanted to conquer the very ends of the Earth itself. India, in his mind,
    represented such an end.

    In 327 BC Alexander marched on modern-day Punjab where he encountered the various Indian
    tribes living in the region. Some surrendered peacefully while others put up a fight. He
    encountered kingdoms which submitted to his army but he later came upon King Porus (known
    as King Paurava in Indian sources) at the banks of the Hydaspes (Jhelum) River.

    In the subsequent battle that followed King, Porus was defeated but so valorously he had fought
    that Alexander was impressed enough to return his entire kingdom to him intact. Alexander
    wanted to press on further but his troops had enough of battles. Their run-in with Porus had only
    increased their dread of facing another army armed with elephants. Rumours floated freely that
    the Maghada Empire to the east was about to bear down on them and this army was supposed
    twice the size of the force Porus had fielded

    In addition, his army had not seen their homes or families ever since they left Greece decades
    ago. His soldiers finally convinced him to return to Persia. So Alexander led his troops down the
    Indus River and was severely wounded during a battle with the Malli tribe.

    After recovering, he divided his troops, sending half of them back to Persia and half to Gedrosia,
    a desolate area west of the Indus River.
    Later Life of Alexander and Legacy
    Alexander returned to Persia in 324 BC, where he celebrated his victories in India by taking
    more Persian wives. He also set about in creating an administration system which would govern
    his vast empire.

    But before he could see the full fruition of his policies he would contract a fever in 323 BC. The
    fever would eventually lead to his death in the same year. Naming no heir to his empire, his
    generals began to fight among themselves for their share. His empire was divided among many
    of his general with Cassander in Greece, Ptolomy in Egypt and Seleucus Nicator in Persia
    emerging as the most powerful. Seleucus would later lose his eastern holdings in India when
    Chandragupta Maurya of the Mauryan Empire would defeat him in battle.

    For his military prowess and tactical brilliance, Alexander earned the title ’Great’ as his empire
    overshadowed that of his own father. Stretching from Greece in the west to Punjab in India it
    was one of the largest empires the ancient world had seen, even outshining the Roman Empire
    which would emerge later. It helped spread Greek culture far and wide leading to a new stream
    of thought between various cultures of the empire. today Alexanders legacy lives on in many of
    the city he founded during his conquest, one of them being Alexandria of Egypt.

    Aspirants can find complete information about upcoming Government Exams through the linked
    article. More exam-related preparation materials will be found through the links given below

    You might also like