Alexander III of Macedon (356-323 BCE)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
An Alexander III of Macedon (356-323 BCE) is a person.
- AKA: Alexander the Great, Alexander Magnus, Iskander, Alexandros ho Megas, Alexandros III Philippou Makedonos, Lord of Asia, Pharaoh of Egypt, King of Persia, Hegemon of the Hellenic League.
- Context:
- It can typically demonstrate Macedonian Military Genius through combined arms tactics and rapid campaign movements.
- It can typically create Hellenistic Cultural Fusion through Greek colonization policys and local tradition integrations.
- It can typically employ Macedonian Strategic Innovations through siege warfare advancements and cavalry-infantry coordinations.
- It can typically establish Alexander Administrative Systems through satrap retentions and multicultural elite integrations.
- It can typically inspire Alexander Soldier Loyalty through personal combat leadership and merit-based promotions.
- It can typically be associated with Alexander Military Victorys and Alexander Cultural Legacys.
- ...
- It can often manifest Alexander Divine Aspirations through pharaonic title assumptions and deity consultations.
- It can often demonstrate Alexander Tactical Brilliance through oblique phalanx formations and hammer-and-anvil maneuvers.
- It can often pursue Alexander Geographical Exploration through unknown territory expeditions and geographical boundary pushings.
- It can often exhibit Alexander Cultural Synthesis through Persian custom adoptions and intermarriage encouragements.
- ...
- It can range from being a Macedonian Warrior King Alexander III (356-323 BCE) to being a Cosmopolitan World Ruler Alexander III (356-323 BCE), depending on its Alexander political evolution stage.
- It can range from being a Greek Hegemon Alexander III (356-323 BCE) to being a Oriental Despot Alexander III (356-323 BCE), depending on its Alexander cultural adaptation degree.
- It can range from being a Historical Alexander III (356-323 BCE) to being a Legendary Alexander III (356-323 BCE), depending on its Alexander source interpretation.
- ...
- It can transform Ancient Mediterranean World from city-state systems to cosmopolitan empires.
- It can establish Alexandria City Network across conquered territorys for Hellenistic civilization spread.
- It can create Successor Kingdom System through empire fragmentation after premature death.
- It can influence Military Strategic Thought through campaign study traditions lasting to modern era.
- ...
- Example(s):
- Alexander Life Periods, such as:
- Early Life Alexander (356-340 BCE), including:
- Birth Alexander (356 BCE) born to Philip II of Macedon and Olympias of Epirus in Pella.
- Youth Alexander (356-343 BCE) raised in Macedonian court with royal companions.
- Aristotle Pupil Alexander (343-340 BCE) receiving philosophical education at Mieza.
- Macedonian Prince Alexander (340-336 BCE), including:
- Regent Alexander (340 BCE) governing Macedonia during Philip campaign absence.
- Chaeronea Victor Alexander (338 BCE) commanding companion cavalry in decisive Greek battle.
- Succession Crisis Alexander (336 BCE) securing Macedonian throne after Philip assassination.
- Early Reign Alexander (336-334 BCE), including:
- Persian Campaign Alexander (334-330 BCE), including:
- Granicus Victor Alexander (334 BCE) defeating Persian satrap coalition.
- Gordian Knot Solver Alexander (333 BCE) fulfilling ancient prophecy.
- Issus Conqueror Alexander (333 BCE) defeating Darius III personally.
- Tyre Besieger Alexander (332 BCE) conducting seven-month siege.
- Egypt Liberator Alexander (332 BCE) being crowned pharaoh at Memphis.
- Gaugamela Victor Alexander (331 BCE) destroying Persian imperial army.
- Persepolis Conqueror Alexander (330 BCE) capturing Persian capitals.
- Eastern Campaign Alexander (329-326 BCE), including:
- Bactria Subduer Alexander (329-327 BCE) conquering Central Asian satrapies.
- Roxana Husband Alexander (327 BCE) marrying Bactrian princess.
- India Invader Alexander (326 BCE) crossing Hindu Kush mountains.
- Hydaspes Victor Alexander (326 BCE) defeating King Porus and war elephants.
- Return Period Alexander (325-323 BCE), including:
- Gedrosian Desert Survivor Alexander (325 BCE) enduring catastrophic march.
- Susa Wedding Organizer Alexander (324 BCE) arranging mass intermarriage ceremony.
- Babylon Death Alexander (323 BCE) dying from mysterious illness at age 32.
- Early Life Alexander (356-340 BCE), including:
- Alexander Military Innovations, such as:
- Macedonian Combined Arms Tactics integrating sarissa phalanx with companion cavalry.
- Siege Warfare Innovations including siege towers and torsion catapults.
- Logistics System Innovations enabling rapid long-distance campaigns.
- Intelligence Network Creation for enemy movement tracking and local alliance building.
- Alexander Administrative Reforms, such as:
- Satrap System Retention maintaining Persian administrative structures with Macedonian oversight.
- Currency Standardization creating common coinage across empire territory.
- Cultural Fusion Policy encouraging Greek-Persian intermarriage and administrative integration.
- Alexander City Foundations, such as:
- Alexandria-in-Egypt (331 BCE) becoming Hellenistic intellectual center.
- Alexandria Eschate (329 BCE) marking northeastern empire boundary.
- Alexandria-on-the-Indus (325 BCE) establishing eastern trade post.
- Multiple Alexandrias totaling over twenty city foundations.
- Alexander Historical Impact Periods, such as:
- Diadochi Wars Period (323-281 BCE) fragmenting Alexander empire among successor generals.
- Hellenistic Period (323-31 BCE) spreading Greek culture through former empire territory.
- Roman Alexander Reception (200 BCE-500 CE) as military ideal for Roman generals.
- Medieval Alexander Romance (500-1500 CE) creating legendary narrative traditions.
- Modern Alexander Study (1700-present) examining historical impact and military innovations.
- ...
- Alexander Life Periods, such as:
- Counter-Example(s):
- Philip II of Macedon (382-336 BCE), who created Macedonian military system through gradual reform rather than rapid conquest.
- Cyrus the Great (600-530 BCE), who built Persian Empire through tolerance policy rather than cultural hellenization.
- Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE), who expanded Roman territory through political manipulation alongside military conquest.
- Hannibal Barca (247-183 BCE), who achieved tactical brilliance without creating lasting empire.
- Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), who emulated Alexander strategy but failed to maintain conquest stability.
- Genghis Khan (1162-1227), who created larger empire through nomadic military system rather than Hellenistic synthesis.
- Darius III (380-330 BCE), who lost Persian Empire through tactical failures rather than creating new synthesis.
- See: Macedonian Empire, Hellenistic Period, Ancient Military History, Philip II of Macedon, Aristotle, Diadochi, Ptolemaic Dynasty, Seleucid Empire, Greek Culture, Persian Empire, Ancient India, Alexandria, Companion Cavalry, Macedonian Phalanx, Battle of Gaugamela, Hellenistic Civilization.
References
2016
- (Wikipedia, 2016) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great Retrieved:2016-6-6.
- Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Aléxandros ho Mégas ), was a King (Basileus) of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonand a member of the Argead dynasty. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander succeeded his father, Philip II, to the throne at the age of twenty. He spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa, and by the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to Egypt into India and northwest South Asia. He was undefeated in battle and is widely considered one of history's most successful military commanders. During his youth, Alexander was tutored by the philosopher Aristotle until the age of 16. After Philip's assassination in 336 BC, Alexander succeeded his father to the throne and inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army. Alexander was awarded the generalship of Greece and used this authority to launch his father's Panhellenic project to lead the Greeks in the conquest of Persia. In 334 BC, he invaded the Achaemenid Empire, ruled Asia Minor, and began a series of campaigns that lasted ten years. Alexander broke the power of Persia in a series of decisive battles, most notably the battles of Issus and Gaugamela. He subsequently overthrew the Persian King Darius III and conquered the Achaemenid Empire in its entirety. At that point, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River. Seeking to reach the "ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea", he invaded India in 326 BC, but was eventually forced to turn back at the demand of his troops. Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC, the city he planned to establish as his capital, without executing a series of planned campaigns that would have begun with an invasion of Arabia. In the years following his death, a series of civil wars tore his empire apart, resulting in several states ruled by the Diadochi, Alexander's surviving generals and heirs. Alexander's legacy includes the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered, such as Greco-Buddhism. He founded some twenty cities that bore his name , most notably Alexandria in Egypt. Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and the resulting spread of Greek culture in the east resulted in a new Hellenistic civilization, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-15th century and the presence of Greek speakers in central and far eastern Anatolia until the 1920s. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mold of Achilles, and he features prominently in the history and mythic traditions of both Greek and non-Greek cultures. He became the measure against which military leaders compared themselves, and military academies throughout the world still teach his tactics. He is often ranked among the most influential people in human history, along with his teacher Aristotle.