Alexander the Great

And His Empire

A New League
338BC – Philip of Macedon defeats the Greeks
Promises Greek city-states autonomy (self rule)
League of Corinth
Assassinated by captain of his bodyguard
Alexander (20 yrs. old) left to finish the job

A Promising Future King
10 years old: Legend of Bucephalus
13 years old: Tutored by Aristotle
Fell in love with Greek culture
16 years old: Regent of kingdom when Philip was away
Crushed revolts, saved father’s life
Even though he was young, Alexander was destined to be an incredible leader.

The Invasion of Persia
Probably not an attempt to conquer the whole Empire
Reliving father’s dreams
Found out that he was very good at warfare
Small, mobile cavalry units (250) formed main striking force Military features :

The Invasion of Persia Deeper Phalanx

The Invasion of Persia War Machines Siege towers, catapults used effectively for first time Could hurl huge arrows, boulders 180 meters

Four Battles Alexander conquered the world in four decisive battles, in less than 10 years
Granicus
Issus
Gaugamela
Hydaspes

Four Battles
Granicus (334 BC)
Army of 35 000 invades Asia minor
at River Granicus
Persians make their first stand
Demolished by cavalry
Near-death experience for
Alexander

Four Battles
2. Issus (333 BC)
Massive battle – Alexander faces King Darius for 1 st time
Equal forces but cavalry defeats Persians again
Darius flees – Alexander realizes he can conquer whole empire

Four Battles
3. Gaugamela (331 BC)
Instead of chasing Darius, Alexander crushes Persian fleet
Conquers:
Phoenicia ,Damascus and
Egypt
Darius tries to bribe Alexander
to stop, no deal
Final showdown at Gaugamela:
Alexander commands 45 000
against larger Persian army
Cavalry wins again, Darius flees, is
murdered

Four Battles
4. Hydspes (327BC)
Wanted to conquer India!
Greek army travels across Asia and fights
King Porus at Hydspes
Alexander’s superior strategy still
victorious
Wants to continue East, but men refuse – have already travelled over 17 000 km!

The End of Alexander Alexander’s conquests took a toll on him Died of Malaria at age 32
Legacy
Incredible military genius
Never lost a battle
Huge cultural impact
Ensured Greek dominance by
spreading Greek culture all over world
Contributed to the Greek science, made Athens center of world

Aftermath After his death, the Empire quickly fell apart and was divided among three powerful generals: Egypt and fringe lands went to Ptolemy Asia Minor and old Persian Empire went to Seleucus Macedon and Greece went to Antigonus

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Alexander the Great

by Rachel Collishaw

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