Alexander the Great

The Early Years

•Born in 356 B.C.E. in Pella (capital city of Macedonia)

•Father Phillip II (King of Macedonia) •Mother Olympias •Spent his childhood watching his father

develop Macedonia into a great military power•Private tutor was Aristotle •At the age of 16, Alexander ruled over

Macedonia while his father continued to expand power into Greece

•Tamed a wild horse named Bucephalus at the age of 12.

•“O my son, look thee out a kingdom equal to and worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee”

-Plutarch

Family Split Philip II Olympias

Assassination

•In the spring of 336 BC, with Philip’s Persian invasion already set in motion, the king was assassinated by a young Macedonian noble named Pausanias in the old capital of Macedonia.

•A young Alexander would be the heir to Macedonia

Alexander takes the Throne at 20 years old•After his father’s death, rebellions began

to spread throughout Greece.•Alexander had anyone who threated his

rule murdered

•Hearing of rebellion, Alexander marched south covering 240 miles in two weeks appearing before the walls of Thebes with large Macedonian army.

Two Options (Surrender or Die)Athenians as well as most Greek city-states decided not to fight and kept their lives and freedom.

Macedonian would keep control over the region, but these city-states had to pay a tax for his military campaigns.

Thebes decided to fight the Macedonians

The Macedonians stormed the city, killing everyone in sight, women and children included. 6,000 Thebans citizens died and 30,000 more were sold as slaves. The city was plundered, sacked and burned to the ground.

In one year, Alexander had control over all of Greece

Conquest of Persia • With the conquered territories firmly in

Macedonian control, Alexander began his conquest of Persia by crossing the Dardanelles (Hellespont) into Asia Minor

• 35,000 troops and 120 ships • Upon landing in Asia Minor, he threw his spear

into the ground and declared that he would accept this land as a gift from the gods.

What does this say about Alexander the Great?

Persian Empire

-Despite not being able to conquer Greece during the Persian Wars, Persia had a vast empire with a lot of valuable resources and citizens.-Each Independent region ruled by local governors called “satraps.” (local governor of an ancient Persian Monarchy)-Darius III ruled over this land at the time of Alexander the Great

Terror and Kindness

For those who surrendered, they would keep their government officials, property and helped rebuild any damage done.

For those who resisted, they would be burned to the ground and people sold into slavery.

Later Alexander, would pull back from this terror but the initial campaigns set the tone……

Liberators•Some saw Alexander as a Liberator •Alexander acted as liberator in Asia Minor,

by overthrowing Persian rule and replacing it with a Greek form of culture/government

•Pardoned citizens •Granted cities Freedom•Taxes to continue the campaign

Liberated all the coastal cities of Asia Minor and 40 cities on the Western side

Characteristics of Alexander(described by Plutarch)•“Uncompromising work ethic”•“Obsessive attention to detail”•“Ambition for Greatness”•“Heroic Concentration of Confidence”

Out Plan Out Work

Out Last

Battle at Granicus

334 B.C.E. at the Granicus River The Macedonians defeated the Persians and put them to flight1st Battle between the Persian and Macedonians

Another Major Victory

Battle of Issus (November 333 B.C.E.) -Persian Army greatly outnumbered the Macedonia Army -Macedonian Victory -King Darius III fled the battle field -Son, Mother, and Wife captured (happened to be with the military at the time)

City of Tyre

City of Tyre

Siege at Tyre

Technology in Warfare

Plans to Unite His Empire

Spread Greek Culture and Ideas

Religion to Inspire Loyalty

Show respect for the cultures he conquered

Alexander’s EmpireRuled over Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, and a vast majority of AsiaHelped spread Greek ideas such as Agoras, Education, Theaters, Court Systems, Libraries, and the Greek LanguageStayed with his soldiers in camp, ate the same ration of food, and did the same manual labor to show he was one of them.

In Egypt, Alexander built Alexandria into the educational capital of the Mediterranean

Alexander the Great’s Empire• Alexander had led his army 22,000 miles• Undefeated in battle• Captured over 70 cities and renamed many in the

process• “I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one

of obscurity.”

End of an Empire

• Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king and the great conqueror of Persian Empire, died at the age of 33 of a mysterious fever in 323 B.C.E. without designating a successor to the Macedonian Empire.