Alexander the Great
Alexander was great for his time period and left a major impact on the Hellenistic era. Alexander grew up in a very wealthy environment, in fact his school tutor was Aristotle, who was a well known Greek Philosopher. After King Philip, Alexander’s dad was assassinated Alexander took position as king of Spain. His legacy includes many great achievements and has shaped the way generals looked at his style of leadership. Julius Caesar, a well known general, mimicked the phalanx formation that Alexander used to win many battles which led him to conquering large amounts of land. Alexander was more focused on the leading perspective, and not so worried about the money and the fame. His goal was to work for his reputation and not let the fame of his dad, who is King Philip, ease his way through life. Alexander the Great was feared by many enemies due to his strong army.King Darius III, another powerful leader, acted in a very cowardly manner towards Alexander and his army. King Darius knew how powerful he was and later experienced it first hand during the battle of Gaugamela, which ended the reign of King Darius III. Winning that battle was huge turning point in Alexander’s career and it really built up his name and strengthened his legacy.
Alexander really worked to improve his leadership skills so his army would have the uppermost respect for him. Alexander engraved this character into his army, which turned out to be successful by winning many battles, such as Battle of Issus, Battle of Gaugamela, and many others. This really added to the list of achievements which really seperated him from other top notch leaders. Alexander would not take glory that his dad was King Philip III, he wanted to earn his respect. This mindset Alexander had shaped the way reign he led.
Some believe that Alexander was great for time era because the way he was an alcoholic and destroyed many Persian temples. From a Persian perspective he was not so great, but it was the goal he had for Persia. Alexander did not just leave impact and unified the city. Alexander shape the culture and affected many areas such as the Arts, language, and the customs. This modern day perspective is quite different from many other views people have that dislike him. It’s like judging a former President of the United States, one President might have messed up caused tension between a former ally, but at the same time unify all races. This question of “is Alexander really great?” is highly debatable and very controversial topic.
Alexander the Great had a very war strung mind which helped him be very successful in very tough conditions. Alexander really engraved the same perspective he had into his army and trained his men to be agile. Many armies feared Alexander and his army because of how strong and coordinated they were. After his father King Philip was assassinated, Alexander pursued his dad’s plan and invaded Persia. The leader of Persia was King Darius, who ruled persia when the military was at its peak. Alexander did not hesitate and flee when greatly outnumbered, Alexander stuck to his gut and used the powerful Phalanx formation to conquer King Darius and his Army. This battle was known to be the Battle of Issus and followed into the Battle of Granicus. After the Battle of Issus, King Darius III offered to create and sign a treaty and settle things. Alexander declined the treaty and was set out to conquer King Darius and rule Persia. This action really showed Alexander's character and demonstrated his key traits. One of Alexander’s key traits was ambition, he would not settle for an ordinary life and accept the fame and glory of being King Philip’s son. 
“Alexander the Great”
“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” - Alexander the Great
The Battle of Gaugamela, a follow up war behind Granicus, was a turning point for Alexander and really seals the title of being great. Alexander had to make a very courageous decision to declare war and fight, even though his army was outnumbered by King Darius’s troops to a 5 to 1 ratio. This lack of numbers, did not affect Alexander mentally and he pursued on to the war. Alexander used very strategic tactics, including the Phalanx formation. Alexander and his men soon enough won this battle, which ended King Darius’s reign over Persia. It takes a great leader to overcome mental and physical deficits and take over Persia. This occurrence Alexander really proved him to be great.
“Phalanx Formation”
Many people pose the argument of is Alexander really great or is he just an average leader in history. Which really seems crazy that someone would question the fact if Alexander was great, after he overcame so many obstacles and left an impressive legacy. After Alexander’s death in 323 BC, many generals fought to obtain his position. Alexander really worked hard and achieved his dream of leaving a amazing legacy full of achievements. The following generals in that time era, heavily mimicked Alexander’s military tactics and perspective, because they knew it was the key to success. Knowing those few facts about Alexander’s fantasized legacy, really proves to modern day historians that Alexander was great.
Citations
Emmons, Jim Tschen. "Alexander the Great." World History: Ancient and
Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016,ancienthistory.abc-
clio.com/Search/Display/575648.Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.
"Battle of Issus." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/586583. Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.
"Alexander the Great on His Deathbed." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/706351. Accessed 25 Sept. 2016.
Davis, Paul K., and Stanley Sandler. "Battle of Gaugamela." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/575706. Accessed 25 Sept. 2016.
Sizgorich, Tom. "Julius Caesar." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/585251. Accessed 26 Sept. 2016.
Dell, Pamela, and Debra l Skelton. “Legacy of Alexander the Great.” Empire of Alexander the Great, Revised Edition, Chelsea House, 2009, Ancient and Medieval History Online, http://online.infobase.com/hrc/search/details/397267?q=alexander the great'.
1. It was interesting how Alexander still managed to defeat Persia with the army ratio 5 to 1 with his Phalanx.
ReplyDelete2. My research showed he wasn’t great and killed his best friend with alcohol, which you said was a good thing about him, but you didn’t really explain how alcohol “improved” him.
3. I wish you would have mentioned more of the flaws so you could say how they helped him with his quest across Greece. I also wish you would have mentioned other people who were inspired by Alexander the Great, like Napoleon.
1. I like how you use the analogy of comparing different presidents to compare Alexander to. It was a good point and something that I had never thought about.
ReplyDelete2. I thought it was very interesting that you said Alexander didn’t want money and fame because he did name 12 cities after himself. My research completely conflicts with yours, but your blog brings up new and interesting points.
3. I wish you would have mentioned how Alexander and his army burned and looted Persepolis, the capital of Persia.