Essay/ Weekly

Grace Leung

3/9/11

Western Civilization Essay

The life of Alexander the Great was a huge adventure that took him across continents and earned him his reputation of greatness.  The son of a prominent King, Alexander would quickly surpass his father’s reputation and make his own as a brilliant military leader. Tutored by Aristotle and pushed by his ambitious mother, Alexander sought greatness and believed it was his destiny. Even as a prince, Alexander found success on the battlefield. Alexander’s conquests as the ruler of Macedonia would take him across the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa making his rule worthwhile and influential throughout the world.  

After King Phillip’s murder, Alexander easily took over rule of the Macedonian army and quickly sought to fulfill his father’s lifelong ambition of bringing down the Persian Empire. He mobilized his army and marched toward Egypt taking all cities with ease, except Tyre which he battled over for close to seven months. Ironically, the seizes of Tyre and Gaza brought about a letter from the King of Persia, Darius, who attempted to invoke a truce with Alexander, but it was refused as Alexander would not have any peace unless the entire Persian Empire was given to him. By the time Alexander reached the heart of Egypt, the Persian satrap welcomed Alexander and surrendered without a fight. Taking each city with brutal force, Alexander was known for slaughtering the men and leaving women and children for slavery. Alexander had successfully taken Egypt and promptly called a son of a god, for all his power and reign by the liberated Persians.

Having several victories behind him, Alexander continued to move toward his ultimate goal- the Persian Empire. Darius continued to flee Alexander, even leaving behind his wife and children in Tyre. Alexander was noted for treating them like royalty and not harming them. Alexander traveled to the center of Persia’s rule, Persepolis. Alexander attempted to beat Darius with a risky battle strategy which caused Darius to flee from battle yet again. Eventually Alexander caught up to Darius, but to find him already murdered by a fellow Persian, and close friend. Alexander claimed Persia, making him more powerful than ever. Conquering the Persian Empire was a smart and well-constructed move made by Alexander. He also took his first wife, Roxana, a known beauty among Persians and from Persepolis.

Despite having achieved his ultimate victory over the whole Persian Empire, Alexander would chose to continue his ambitious campaign seeking to rule the Far East. His army would divide due to disillusionment, and his most formidable opponent would be a former ally, Spitamenes. Alexander would not win a victory over Spitamenes for two years when he would finally gain control of the Sogdianian region, present-day Afghanistan. It is from this region that Alexander would take his first wife, Roxana, in an attempt to gain allegiance from the locals. A successful strategy that Alexander used when seeking governors for his conquered cities- he gained allegiance by chosing a person from the area. After this victory, Alexander led his troops to another hard battle with India, an area in present-day western Pakistan. Like all the battles before, Alexander proved a genius at battle strategy and won over the Indians. Yet with seven years of marching and fighting done, it is no wonder that Alexander’s troops wanted to turn around, and they talked of a mutiny after the Indian area was won. Although Alexander wanted to press forward toward China, he realized that without his men he could not and began to head homeward.  

          Alexander’s influences are seen today in the trades and sharing of cultures as well as in his brilliance as a military leader. Throughout his rule, Alexander sought to fulfill his destiny as a great leader. He used the wisdom gained through tutoring with Aristotle and the ambition shared by his mother to propel him through his campaigns. Fantastic strategies where shown at each battle while clever decisions were made when choosing who would govern newly won cities. Each step towards victory was a step closer to ultimate control for Alexander. His title of greatness is truly a reflection of his amazing life and its impact on the world as we know it today. 






Works Cited
"SparkNotes: Alexander the Great." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/alexander>.
"Alexander the Great." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great>.