Alexander the Great
The Early Years
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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 any threats at home murdered
and used his military to put down any rebellion.
• 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 citystates had to pay a tax for his
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
Conquest of Persia
• With the conquered territories firmly in Macedonian
control, Alexander began his conquest of Persia by
crossing the Dardanelles 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
Hellenistic 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)
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“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 flight
1st 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 Empire
Ruled over Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, and a vast
majority of Asia
Helped spread Greek ideas such as Agoras, Education,
Theaters, Court Systems, Libraries, and the Greek
Language
Stayed 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.