biography about alexander the great

1. Alexander The Great

2. Alexander and the Hellenistic Era
Under the leadership of Alexander the Great, Macedonians and
Greeks united to invade and conquer the Persian Empire. In the
conquered lands, Greeks and non-Greeks formed a new society
in what is known as the Hellenistic era.

3. Macedonia
Under
Philip II

4. Alexander
the Great’s
Empire

5. • Macedonians Invade Greece
• The Greeks viewed their northern neighbors,
the Macedonians, as barbarians. The
Macedonians were rural people organized in
groups, not in city-states like the Greeks. By
the end of the fifth century B.C., however,
Macedonia emerged as a powerful kingdom

6. In 359 B.C., a man named Philip II became the ruler of
Macedonia. He built a strong army and made Macedonia the most
powerful kingdom in the Greek world. Philip admired Greek
culture and wanted to bring all of Greece under Macedonia's rule.
Worried about Philip's power, the Athenians teamed up with other
Greek states and fought the Macedonians at the Battle of
Chaeronea in 338 B.C. The Macedonians won, and Philip took
away the freedom of the Greek city-states. He insisted that they
form a league and help him fight against Persia.
But before Philip could begin his attack on Persia, he was killed,
and the job of invading Persia fell to his son, Alexander.

7. Alexander the Great became the king of Macedonia
when he was just 20 years old. His father, Philip, had
prepared him for this role by teaching him about
military leadership during their campaigns together.
After his father's death, Alexander quickly went after
his father's dream: to invade the Persian Empire. He
was driven by a desire for fame, power, and also to
get back at the Persians for burning Athens in
480 B.C.