ALEXANDER THE GREAT: BIOGRAPHY, CONQUERED TERRITORIES, PERSONALITY - ARTE - 2024

Alexander the Great (356 BC - 323 BC) was a Macedonian ruler and military man. He is known for the feats he accomplished as king and conqueror. Not only did he pacify the Greek cities, he dominated one of the largest empires known to the West until then.

He was the leader of Macedonia since Philip II, his father, died in 336 BC. C., until his own death, when Alejandro had 32 years and eight months. At the beginning of his reign he had to deal with several internal uprisings from which he managed to emerge stronger.

Bust of Alexander the Great, by Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, via Wikimedia Commons

One of his main goals was the inheritance of Philip II: to conquer the Persian Empire. Although he was only 13 years in command of the Greek dominions, the young and skilled Alexander managed to expand his culture to unimaginable frontiers for his ancestors.

Persia, Egypt, Asia Minor and part of Central Asia, until reaching India: Alexander's Empire was vast, both in extension and in cultures, so he decided to promote the mixture between the natives of the conquered lands and his own men.

By his early death, his conquests went to the grave after him. He had not consolidated the Greek command over the new territories, nor had he been able to select and train a successor who would live up to his responsibilities, which led to internal wars.

His generals dismembered the government and assigned to each one a piece of the different territories, fragmenting the great achievement of Alexander the Great. He founded several cities, most of which bore his name, but the most prominent was Alexandria, in Egypt.

Alexander is responsible for the Greeks to establish themselves as the main influence in the entire Mediterranean and rise as the dominant culture of the area. His prestige as a commander was unmatched for several generations and his strategies are studied to this day.

Biography

Birth

Alexander the Great was born in the city of Pela, the then capital of Macedonia, around July 20, 356 BC. His mother was Olympia, daughter of the king of Molosia, who was one of the wives of Philip II of Macedonia. Since then, Alexander was the heir to the throne most acceptable to the kingdom.

To show the innate greatness of the young man who ruled the world in just over ten years, many stories were created about his conception. In some it has been narrated that Alexander's mother dreamed that lightning struck his belly and caused a flame to spread.

Later, Philip had a dream in which he put a lion seal on his wife's belly. For some those dreams could indicate that Alexander was the son of Zeus, who was the god of lightning.

However, others said that these stories indicated that the child had been conceived by another man prior to the marriage between Philip and Olympia.

On the day of Alexander's birth, Philip II received three good omens. The first was the defeat of the Illyrians, followed by the successful siege of the Macedonians against Potidaea and the last was the victory of their horses at the Olympic Games.

Despite how replicated these stories have been, it is thought that many arose a posteriori, to give meaning to the achievements that Alexander achieved during his life.

Family

The Macedonian king Philip II, who had also been named hegemon of Greece, was Alexander's progenitor. They were part of the Argéadas dynasty, which ruled the area since 700 BC. C. They gained their territory after constant confrontations with the original tribes of the region.

Alexander was in charge of spreading a mythical origin of his dynasty that placed him as a direct descendant of the hero Heracles by Temeno, from Argos. That was one of the reasons why the Macedonian rulers considered themselves Greeks, as opposed to the people.

His mother was Olympia, daughter of King Neoptólemo I of Epirus, who ruled in Molosia. The name that was assigned to him at birth was Polyxena, then he changed it to Myrtale and finally adopted that of Olympia, when Philip's horses achieved victory in the Games on the day of Alexander's birth.

In addition, there was another version about the origin of Alexander in which it is stated that he was the son of the Egyptian pharaoh Nectanebo II, who was welcomed by Macedonia after the Persian invasion of his kingdom. According to this, the pharaoh died after being pushed into a well by Alexander when his relationship was revealed to him.

Early years

At the beginning of his life, Alexander was under the care of Lanike, sister of Lieutenant Clito el Negro.

Plutarch was in charge of preserving one of the most widespread stories about Alexander during his childhood: that of his horse, Bucephalus, and how he managed to tame it as a 10-year-old boy.

Alexander taming Bucephalus, by HAGuerber, via Wikimedia Commons

It is said that the beast had not allowed itself to be ridden by the best Macedonian horsemen, but the prince realized that his own shadow was the reason for fear in the animal, so he turned his eyes to the sun and managed to tame it.

His father, Philip II, was moved by Alexander's bravery and assured him that a kingdom should be sought that was large enough for his ambitions, because Macedonia would be too small for him.

Alejandro's relationship with his horse was very special. It is believed that the beast died as a result of old age, after which one of the cities that was founded by the young conqueror bore his name: Alexandria Bucephala.

He was not the only son of a Macedonian ruler, and the sympathies of the people did not favor Olympia; however, the king chose young Alexander to lead the kingdom. In 337 a. C., the mother of the successor was repudiated by Filipo.

Education

The first tutors that young Alexander had were Leonidas and Lysimachus of Acarnania. The former was a relative of hers through the maternal line, extremely strict and popular in the noble circles of Macedonia.

Lysimachus was a teacher much more appreciated by Alexander, since he was kind and sympathetic to his pupil, whom he affectionately nicknamed Achilles, especially because he knew the boy's taste for the Iliad.

From the age of 13, one of the most important philosophers in history, Aristotle, began to act as tutor for young Alexander. The classes were given at the Temple of the Nymphs in Mieza.

During Aristotle's time in Mieza he was also charged with providing education for other Macedonian boys such as Ptolemy, Cassander, and Hephaestion. There they learned about philosophy, logic, art, rhetoric, medicine, morals, religion, biology, and many other areas.

The young men who received classes together became great friends, and later many served Alexander as military men. As compensation for his work, Philip promised Aristotle to rebuild Estagira and free its former inhabitants.

Also influenced in the formation of Alexander dealing with Persians who were refugees in Macedonia. This gave him notions about that society and its political and geographical affairs.

Youth and regency

When he reached 16 years old, his father wanted to involve him with the work of the State, so he decided to appoint him regent, making it clear that he would be his successor, while he was absent for a battle against the Byzantines.

In the absence of the king there was an uprising driven by the Thracians. Not only was he boldly and swiftly appeased by Alexander, but he founded a Greek city that was named Alexandropolis.

Later, his father sent him to southern Thrace again to continue the campaign against the constant uprisings of the time. When the Illyrians attempted to invade Macedonia, young Alexander dispatched them immediately.

Bust of Alexander, by Gunnar Bach Pedersen, via Wikimedia Commons

In 338 a. C., Filipo II and Alexander occupied Elatea, a city near Athens and Tebas, which were united to repel the Macedonian. Finally, Philip's armies marched on Amfisa, who surrendered.

Then, at Queronea, Alexander took effective control of the Macedonian cavalry and proved his worth as a military man. From that point all the Greek cities, except Sparta, welcomed him.

In Corinthians the Hellenic Alliance was founded and Philip was named hegemon of the coalition against the Persians.

That same year, Alexander's father remarried a young woman named Cleopatra Eurydice, the daughter of one of his generals.

Exile

The position of the young heir as successor was at the mercy of the birth of a new child from the newlyweds. Since Alexander was descended from Olympia, considered a foreigner, an offspring of the king's young wife, who came from a traditional Macedonian family, would be more pleasant.

In a dispute, during the marriage of Philip, it was suggested that Alexander should not be the heir to produce a fitter one. Angry, Alexander responded to the offense that had been made by Attalus, uncle of his father's new wife. Philip supported his new family in the affront.

The young heir left his father's kingdom in a fit of rage. He decided that his mother would remain in Molosia, where her brother, Alexander I of Epirus, ruled. While he took refuge in the neighboring kingdom of Illyria for a few months.

Although the Illyrians had been defeated by Alexander himself, the king welcomed him as his guest during the time he needed to reconcile with Philip II, thanks to the intervention of Demaratus, a friend of the family.

Alexander spent six months in Illyria, but upon his return he realized that a new heir would not be the only bump in his path, since his father had other descendants at that time.

Political beginnings

A Persian governor named Pixodaro offered Filipo Arrideo, Alexander's older brother, his daughter in marriage. For many close to the natural heir, this meant that their father's choice of succession might have changed.

Then came one of Alexander's first political moves: he sent the Persian satrap a man of his trust to urge him to offer his daughter's hand to the legitimate son of Philip, that is, to himself, instead of to a bastard of his father.

That action was not to the liking of the ruler, who reprimanded Alexander, while assuring him that the young Persian could not give him a union at his height and that he should marry someone of better lineage. Furthermore, he expelled some of Alexander's friends and took his emissary prisoner.

Alejandro, by Glyptothek, via Wikimedia Commons

In 336 a. C. Filipo II appeared at the wedding celebrations of his daughter Cleopatra, also the fruit of his marriage to Olympia. The girl joined her uncle Alexander I of Epirus, king of Molosia and her mother's brother.

There the Macedonian king was assassinated by Pausanias, who acted as one of his guards. It was not clear who commissioned his death. Although according to Aristotle, the murder of Philip II was a revenge for the mistreatment that Pausanias had received by the new political family of the ruler.

Ascent to the throne

In the same instant Pausanias was captured by the rest of the guards and killed. Also in the place, the Macedonian military, like the leaders of the great houses of the kingdom, proclaimed Alexander as their king when he was 20 years old.

The rest of the heirs to the throne died in the following days, except for the half brother, Filipo Arrideo, presumably because the boy had mental handicaps. Olympia is said to have ordered Cleopatra Eurydice and her offspring to be burned alive with the ancient king.

Another of those who suffered a fatal fate so that Alexander III would lay firm foundations for his new government was Attalus, Cleopatra Eurydice's uncle, who had insulted the heir on the day of Philip II's marriage and intrigued against him several times.

However, the transition was not calm, since many Greek cities decided to rise up and forget the agreements they had made with Philip II. The kingdom that passed to Alexander III of Macedon was much more complicated and powerful than in previous generations.

His army was much stronger and more experienced than the one his father had received, who was in charge of tanning himself in battle and preparing his son to receive the witness.

Macedonia

At the beginning of his mandate, Alexander III of Macedonia had to strengthen the fragile union that his father, Philip II, had managed to establish with the rest of the Greek city-states.

The other leaders judged the new ruler weak and inexperienced, but soon Alexander proved them wrong.

He first wiped out those who vied with him for the right to the Macedonian throne. The natural enemy was his cousin, Amyntas IV, who was taken from him by Alexander's father when he was a child after the death of Perdiccas III. That led to his life being taken first of all.

Illustration of Alexander III of Macedonia, by Internet Archive Book Images, via Wikimedia Commons

Other lynchstid princes suffered the same fate. Two were condemned, Arrabeo and Hermoenes, while Alexander, another of the brothers, was saved by being the first to claim the son of Philip II as his king after the death of the previous president.

It is also said that Alexander III's mother, Olympia, ordered the murder of Philip's last wife, Cleopatra Eurydice, and her children, whom they burned alive.

Her uncle, Attalus, was in Asia and was also killed for the insults committed against Alexander.

City-states

When the one who had managed to form a league among the Greeks died, the rulers who were never fully committed to the cause rebelled. Thessaly, Thebes, and Athens, in addition to the Thracians, who took every opportunity to rise up against Macedonia, rose up.

When Alexander learned that these insurrections were flourishing, he headed for Thessaly with 3,000 cavalry members. He found the army camping between Mount Osa and Olympus and decided to take a position on the former.

The next morning, seeing themselves surrounded, they decided to bow to Alexander and join him on his march to the other Greek states. From there it went to Thermopylae and then to Corinthians. There they named him hegemon, that is, leader; and they established that he would be the commander of the fight against the Persians.

In 335 a. C., Alexander III of Macedonia went to the north of his kingdom to control some uprisings that were emerging in the area. He was crushing the Thracians in his path, first the Tribalios, then the Getas, after which he went on to deal with the King of Illyria and the Taulantians.

Meanwhile, Thebes and Athens rose up once more, but Alexander defeated them by armed means and commissioned his father's friend, Antipater, as regent of the area.

Military life and army

Alexander got his nickname "Great" especially for his military prowess. He earned the respect of the Greeks when he was just a boy. In addition, he strengthened the position of Macedonia in the region and when the right moment arrived, he began his fight against Darius III of Persia.

The defeats were very few in his wake and he was able to carry his borders to the lands of India. His domains reached most of the world known to the Greeks until then, and marked the beginning of an undeniable cultural dominance of the Mediterranean on his behalf.

It fought against Persians, Thracians, Illyrians, Sogdians - from present-day Uzbekistan -, and numerous Indian tribes.

The Dominions of Alexander the Great, by George Willis Botsford Ph.D. (1862-1917), via Wikimedia Commons

Anatolia, Syria, Egypt, the Levant, Phenicia, Judea, Persia, Mesopotamia and many other cities that had been the most important centers of power of the time came to his domain.

The battle formations of Alexander the Great had a cavalry part, which included the Hetaroi, an elite Macedonian unit.

They also featured the Hypspists, along with archers, javelin throwers, armed scouts, and Allied cavalry.

As support for the cavalry, they had an effective infantry with lances that could measure almost 6 m in length. In the same way, they used catapults with greater range, by modifying them with a mechanism similar to that of crossbows.

Last years

After Alexander took the reins of the Mediterranean, as well as Asia Minor and part of India, he returned to Persia.

The governors of that region were called "satraps" and it was those of Alexander who fed its current meaning: that of "despots".

The mandate of Alexander's men was very cruel and he did not agree with the behavior of his subordinates, so on his return through the territory he began to reprimand those who had done wrong.

He also ordered his veterans to return to Macedonia, which was not to the liking of these, who carried out small uprisings.

In addition, their dissatisfaction was added to the fact that Alexander wanted to unite the two cultures, as they saw it as a betrayal.

However, Alexander, in an attempt to reconcile himself with his new subjects, continued with his plans to create a new generation in which Persian and Macedonian customs would converge as one. That was how he proposed the celebration of the Susa Wedding.

Hefestión died during a trip to Ecbatana, in which he went along with Alexander. It was never made clear if he suffered from a sudden illness or if he was poisoned. The news made Alejandro very heartfelt and he never recovered from the loss of his friend.

Death

Alexander the Great died on June 10 or 13, 323 BC. C., in Babylon, when he was only 32 years old. There are two versions about his death, one belongs to Plutarch and the other to Diodorus.

In the first, the Greek historian affirmed that a couple of weeks before his death Alexander had begun to present a serious fever that made him almost completely impossible, since he was not even able to speak.

His men began to worry about the health of their commander, so they were allowed to visit all the soldiers one after another, while Alexander greeted them with a silent gesture.

Posthumous coin with the face of Alexander the Great, photo by Zeno of Elea, via Wikimedia Commons.

In the case of Diodorus' narration, it was commented that Alexander had taken wine in honor of Heracles and that after that his weakness began, which lasted 11 days. In this case, there is no talk about fever, but simply a long agony after which he died.

Theories about his death speak of an assassination plot by some of his men, especially Cassandro, who was the most benefited after the death of the Macedonian general.

Others think it could be a disease such as flavivirosis, popularly known as Nile fever, or perhaps malaria. It is said that he tried hydrotherapy to recover; however, to no avail.

Reasons

Those who maintain that Alexander the Great was assassinated have said that the poison was the most likely cause, probably a combination of hellebore and strychnine. In that case, the culprit of death would be Casandro, along with his brother, Yolas.

Others dismiss that possibility since it was unlikely that the poisons of the time would take such a long period of time to end a person's life.

Also some authors like the doctor Émile Littré affirmed that it was malaria; and others consider that it could have been a consequence of Guillain-Barré syndrome or acute pancreatitis, due to the circumstances and symptoms it showed.

Succession

At the time of his death, no heir to the throne occupied by Alexander III had been born. However, his wife Roxana was pregnant with a child who was born a few months after the father's death.

Some say that another of the wives, Statira, was expecting another child from the Macedonian king. If so, everything indicates that Roxana, as was customary, to ensure the succession of her son ordered the murder of her, her offspring and Alexander's third wife.

When he was on his deathbed, the generals asked Alexander to whom he would entrust the destiny of the kingdom and it has not been possible to clarify whether what he said was "to Craterus" or "to the strongest", because the Greek words are very similar.

Another story claims that Alexander III of Macedon offered his ring to Perdiccas, one of his generals. That was a gesture that could symbolize the transfer of power. But the general considered that the son to come, if he were a boy, would have to reign after his father.

The infantry proclaimed Alexander's mentally incapacitated brother, Philip of Arrideo, as their king, whom they intended to use as a puppet. After some disputes it was decided that both would reign together as Alexander IV and Philip III.

Conflicts

Thus began the dispute between the generals, who went down in history as diádocos, or "successors." These men divided the great kingdom that Alexander the Great had established and eventually led to its downfall.

Alejandro, by Belgrano, via Wikimedia Commons

The division of the Empire that Alexander forged for Greece did not take place in the way he envisioned it. Antipater was appointed to Europe as general, while Crátero was appointed representative of both rulers, acting as regent.

Another of the most important diádocos was Ptolemy I, who took the region of Egypt, in which he was crowned king almost two decades later. He was in charge of creating the Library of Alexandria and got the Greek and Egyptian culture to mix.

Lysimachus was another of Alexander the Great's men, who first secured his rule in Thrace and later joined with Antigonus to attack Macedonia. He was also a key piece in one of the last confrontations between the diádocos, the battle of Corupedio, in which Seleuco defeated him.

Seleucus was one of Perdiccas's assassins and had been an ally of both Ptolemy and Lysimachus against Antigonus, who first claimed Anatolia and then spread across Asia. The last Macedonian dynasty was founded by the last of the diádocos.

Marriages and relationships

Alexander the Great was a man of his time. It is thought that, like a good disciple of Aristotle, he came to reject vain pleasure, to the point that his relatives were concerned about what that might represent for the succession.

However, she had several momentous relationships during her life. He married three women and there has been speculation about various romances that he may or may not have had, both homosexual and heterosexual, both common and accepted options at the time.

In fact, his succession was an inconvenience, since at the time of his death his only legitimate son had not yet been born. It is believed that another of his wives, apart from Roxana, could also be pregnant.

Then a young man emerged who extended his claim to the throne claiming descent from the Macedonian king and a supposed concubine he had had. But there was no real basis for such claims, and their presence brought with it more questions than answers.

One of Alexander's possible homosexual relationships, besides being one of the most important in his life, was with his partner Hephaestion. After his death, Alexander fell into such a state of depression that he could contribute to his own death.

Campaspe or Pancaste

It has been said that this young woman from Larisa, with an unparalleled beauty, was Alexander's first love and that the future commander began his intimate life with her. Some claim that she was, for a time, the Macedonian's concubine.

Alejandro delivering Campaspe, by Charles Meynier, via Wikimedia Commons

Apelles, a popular artist of the time, made a nude of Campaspe. According to the myth, Alexander considered that her work had been so good because he loved her more than he did and offered her as his wife, but he kept the portrait that he had made of the young woman.

Hesfession

He was a young Macedonian nobleman, contemporary with Alexander, with whom he had been raised since childhood. He was one of the most important members of his army and was one of the people close to him. Constantly, the history of both was equated with that of Achilles and Patroclus.

At the Wedding of Susa the ruler made him part of the royal family, by making him the husband of the youngest daughter of the Persian King Darius III, whose sister Alexander married. Aristotle defined the relationship of young people as a soul that inhabited two bodies.

Alexander himself, after the error of Sisigambis, who prostrated himself before Hephaestion by mistaking him for the Macedonian king, replied that no such error had occurred, since his friend was also Alexander.

Rumors that they were more than friends arise since bisexuality was accepted in the Greek city-states of Alexander's time. But such adventures were common only during adolescence.

Alexander and Hephaestion, by Andrea Camassei, via Wikimedia Commons

However, it has been claimed that the rules in Macedonia were different and that it was well seen that the noble classes had a homosexual partner for a long time, or even permanently.

Roxana

Roxana de Bactria, daughter of a ruler of the area called Oxiartes was the first wife of Alexander the Great. She played the role of the main wife, despite the fact that he married two other young women.

They joined in 327 BC. C., and although it was said that everything had been for political purposes, it was also known that the Macedonian was genuinely in love. It is thought that when Alexander saw her he was captivated and that he kidnapped her from the fortress of the Sogdian Rock.

During the military campaign that brought Alexander to India in 326 BC. C., Roxana was by his side and was one of his closest companions. Shortly after the death of her husband, the Macedonian king, Roxana gave birth to her son who was named Alexander, the fourth of his name.

The army was divided between those who supported the boy's uncle, Philip III, and those who thought that Alexander IV should become king. Olimpia offered protection to both Roxana and her grandson. In 317 Philip III died, and Alexander IV remained the only heir with a sustainable clamor.

However, when the boy was about 14 years old, in the year 309 BC. C., Casandro ordered that they poisoned Alexander IV and his mother, Roxana, to assure his position like governor.

Susa Weddings

On that occasion, Alexander decided to unite with the eldest daughter of the Persian shah, Darius III, whom he had defeated, in order to secure his political position. The young woman's name was Statira. It is believed that she was pregnant, like Roxana, at the time of her husband's death.

However, she did not survive him, since some sources claim that Roxana ordered the murder of the woman, as well as of Alexander's third wife, Parysatis.

Both Statira and Parysatis married Alexander the Great during the Wedding of Susa. That event happened in 324 a. C. was intended to completely unite the Persian and Macedonian cultures, so that the descendants felt part of the new great Empire.

The Susa Wedding, via Wikimedia Commons

Hephaestion married Statira's younger sister, Dripetis, thus becoming Alexander's brother-in-law. Likewise, all the generals took Persian noble wives. This project was not fully realized due to the early death of Alexander.

Bagoas

The history of the eunuch Bagoas began before Alexander arrived in Persia, since he was part of the harem of Darius III. It was customary to keep castrated men within these enclosures so that there was no risk of them becoming intimate with the shah's wives.

Furthermore, in Persia homosexuality could be accepted if it was a dominant man and a eunuch, since the latter was not considered fully masculine. As for the Greeks, this also corresponded to their forms, except that they did not require castration.

Some sources claim that when Alexander met Bagoas he accepted him as part of his court, both because he knew customs and had information from the previous court of Darius III, and because he was a skillful and attractive boy.

The young Bagoas has also been described as a close friend of Alexander the Great, who kept out of the political sphere, but other historians claim that he used his position to manipulate the Macedonian king.

Barsine

It is believed that Alexander may have had an extramarital affair with a woman named Barsine, who had been the wife of Memnon of Rhodes. Supposedly, the king and Barsine were together around 334 BC. C., despite the fact that there was no record that related them.

Several years after the death of Alexander the Great, a boy named Heracles, the son of Barsine, appeared, claiming to be the bastard of the Macedonian king.

Many doubted his story, mainly because he was the only son that Alejandro could know during his life and that, as such, he would have been in charge of giving him an important place, but he was not treated that way, since nothing was ever known about the paternity of the young man.

That is why it was thought that his story of the descent of Alexander the Great was a simple excuse for the young man to be able to have a legitimate claim to the throne, especially, after the death of the other heirs.

Conquests

Asia Minor

The main task was to liberate the Greeks who lived oppressed by the Persians in the area of ​​Ionia. In the battle of the Granicus, Alexander was measured against Memnon of Rhodes and managed to prevail despite his armies being on an equal footing.

The Persian Kingdoms at Alexander's Feet, by Charles Le Brun, via Wikimedia Commons.

That was not the only meeting between the two, but finally Memnon perished during a siege and, from then on, the entire coast opened its doors to Alexander as a hero. After liberating Ionia, he continued to the city of Gordión, where he waited for reinforcements that arrived around 333 BC. C.

Mediterranean

In the battle of Isos, Alexander managed to defeat the Persians, who had a numerical superiority of about 10 men to one against the Macedonians. Some sources claim that Darius III fled the field in the middle of the night leaving all his possessions behind.

There Alexander took Darío's family captive and met who would later become his wife: Princess Statira. Phenicia and Judea were easily taken, but it was not the case in Gaza, where they did resist.

Egypt

Alexander had no problem gaining favor with the Egyptians. They received him with great kindness and named him son of Ammon, that is, it was a recognition of his authority to be named pharaoh, which happened in Memphis in 332 BC. C.

There Alexander founded what would be one of his most famous cities: Alexandria, through which he planned to open trade routes through the Aegean.

Assyria and Babylon

A year after his appointment as Egyptian pharaoh, Alexander the Great set out to meet Darius III. At the battle of Gaugamela the Persian shah was once again humiliated by the Macedonian who, with much more modest numbers in his army, managed to crush him in battle.

Alexander's Entry into Babylon, by Charles Le Brun, via Wikimedia Commons.

Babylon also received Alexander then. At the same time the Persian king, Darius III, was entering the mountains towards Ecbatana. The Greeks were allowed to sack the city for several days and it was ruined in the aftermath.

Persia

Alexander's next destination was the capital of the Persian Empire under Darius I, Susa. This was done with supply routes and with great loot that he found in the cities as he passed. Then he went to Persepolis and finally to Ecbatana.

In this location he intended to meet Darius III, but when he arrived he had already been assassinated by men loyal to the satrap Bessos, who took the name of Artaxerxes V when he usurped the throne for a brief period of time.

Alexander was in charge of carrying out a funeral according to the Persian president and promised his family that he would avenge his death. At the same time, Bessos was fleeing towards the borders with India, seeking support in the area.

Central Asia

After many adventures, some fantastic and others possibly real, Alexander and his men reached Sogdiana and Bactriana, where Bessos was, who was captured by members of his court and delivered to Ptolemy.

On that same trip he met who would become his first wife: Roxana, daughter of Artabazo II, a governor of the region. Alejandro then had to deal with some riots in the area, led by Espitamenes. Finally in 328 a. C., the rebels were defeated.

His wedding with the daughter of the Bactrian satrap helped him to consolidate his relationship with the new territories. That facilitated their next objective, which was to enter the lands of the Indus Valley, with the help of the locals.

India

In 326 a. C., Alexander urged the rulers of Gandhara to join him. Some, as was the case with Āmbhi willingly accepted, while the Aspasioi (Ashvayanas) and Aspasioi (Ashvakayanas), warriors by nature, refused.

One of the fiercest battles that took place in the context of the Indian conquest is known as that of the Hydaspes River, against King Poros. With that victory the territory was opened to the Macedonian conquest. For the worth of his enemy, Alexander decided to join his ranks and named him a satrap.

Alejandro and Poros, by Charles Le Brun, via Wikimedia Commons

Alexander planned to continue his foray into the lands of India. However, his army, which was unhappy and tired, began to give him problems. So he returned to Babylon, but made sure to leave important Greek officials in all the areas they had occupied.

Personality and vision of the Empire

Alexander the Great has been spoken of in countless texts and by countless authors, but many agree that he was a young man as brave as he was arrogant.

This was demonstrated in his attempt to adopt the custom that his subjects saw him as a god, as much a son of Amun as of Zeus.

He was extremely careful with his public image, since he understood early on the usefulness of propaganda. However, he was very jealous about his representations, work that only allowed three artists of his time.

He conceived of his nascent Empire as one thing. He thought that there should be no cultural, racial, or language barriers between his subjects, so he always favored the mixture between Greeks and the rest of the ethnic groups, but without imposing it, so that it did not feel like a conquest.

Alexander the Great founding Alexandria, by Placido Costanzi (Italian, 1702-1759), via Wikimedia Commons.

One of his attempts to unite cultures, for at least one generation, was the Susa Weddings, in which he ordered members of his army to marry Persian women, as he himself did. Before, he had already promoted a series of marriages between Macedonians and Persians.

Furthermore, he himself adopted certain Persian customs regarding governmental order and behavior. Many satraps retained their posts, and they were assigned a Macedonian supervisor who was in charge of the military.

Influence

In the western world

Alexander's achievements have been one of the foundations of Western civilization. With his conquests, the spread and domination of Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean began in the "Hellenistic period", which began after his death and culminated in the suicide of Cleopatra VII of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

In Rome the Greek dialect of the Macedonian king was used to deal with philosophical matters: the koine. He was admired by many, including Julius Caesar, who regretted not being able to match him when he turned 33.

The influence of Hellenic society in the development of the classical period, in which Rome emerged as the main power, was immense, since everything that was considered cult by the Latins came from the Greeks, from whom they adopted customs and mythology.

In addition, their battle strategies passed to posterity due to the genius that characterized them. So much so, that today they are studied by modern armies, although the methods of warfare have evolved.

In the eastern world

Hellenization also took place in the eastern world after Alexander's conquests. Thanks to the Greek-influenced cities in which the Silk Road was established, Iranian, Indian and Greek culture mixed, giving way to concepts such as Greek Buddhism.

One of the aspects in which the influence of Greece most permeated was in art, although it also affected other areas such as astronomy.

Among the names given to Alexander are: Iskandarnamah, in Persian; although they at first called him gujastak, which translates as "the cursed one", because of the damage he caused to the Persian Empire. Also Sikandar in Hindi and Urdu or Al-Iskandar al-Akbar in Arabic.

References

1. En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Alexander IV of Macedon. Available at: en.wikipedia.org.
2. Renault, M. (2002). Alexander the Great. Barcelona: Edhasa.
3. Walbank, F. (2019). Alexander the Great - Biography, Empire, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: britannica.com.
4. Haefs, G. (2005). Alexander the Great. Barcelona: Edhasa.
5. National Geographic (2019). Alexander the Great, the great conqueror. Available at: nationalgeographic.com.es.