Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great was not always known by this title. He earned his well-fitting designation after remarkable demonstrations of his military genius, political shrewdness, and cultural visions. His achievements in government and conquest transformed him into a legendary figure and worldwide influence in subsequent ages. He unified and Hellenized most of the ancient civilized world, creating a mighty empire that he had envisioned for most of his life, since the commencement of his conquests. Alexander was born in 356 B.C. Philip, who was the brother of King Perdiccas III of Macedonia, in northern Greece, fathered him. Alexander's mother was Philip's wife, Olympias, daughter of King Neoptolemus I of Epirus, in modern Albania. Alexander had a younger sister, named Cleopatra, not to be confused with the famous Egyptian queen. Alexander's parents, unfortunately enough for him, loathed each other. In keeping with the tradition of Macedonians, Philip had numerous lesser wives and children--all whom Olympias regarded with contempt and animosity. When one of these lesser wives gave birth to a mentally retarded son, Philip Arrideaeus, rumors told that Olympias had caused
No less a genius than a strategist, Alexander neutralized the Persian fleet by marching down the coasts of the Eastern Mediterranean, and taking the enemy's seaports by land. In order to establish himself as a liberator, he dealt ruthlessly only with those cities that opposed him, and installed Greek-style democracies in those that yielded without a fight. Alexander always retained local governors, customs, and taxes, insisting only that the people be loyal to him instead of to King Darius III of Persia. His conquest of Asia Minor was completed in the fall of 333, when he crushed Darius' army at Issus on the Syrian frontier, then advanced down the coast, and received submission of all the Phoenician cities, except for one-Tyre-which he besieged for seven months. His vision of empire changed from 331 to 330 to that of a union of Macedonians and Persians under his rule. He began to wear Persian dress, and married Persians princesses, while beseeching his men to do the same. His men became increasingly resistant of his foreign practices, and Alexander executed the most vocal. In spite of growing contempt, his men remained loyal and followed him into India for one last victory. After this, his troops, tired and homesick, could not go on, and Alexander the Great had no choice but to end his offensive. His fabulous engineers thus built a fleet of more than seven hundred vessels to accompany the army downriver to the Indus, then to the Indian Ocean, and west again to Persia. Heavy fighting and unfavorable conditions inflicted great losses upon his forces. Alexander the Great was one of the most successful generals in history, and his short-lived career forever transformed the face of the European and Asian continents. He was able to obtain victory with skillful tactics, flexibility, a keen sense of logistics, and superior leadership. His army was one of excellence. His charismatic personality and vision combined all these elements into the final one-firm, dynamic, political rule. Once Alexander t
Some common words found in the essay are:
Macedonia Philip, Macedonians Alexander, Macedonians Greeks, Macedonians Persians, Conqueror Alexander, European Asian, Persian Empire, Alexander Philip, Eastern Mediterranean, League Corinth, lesser wives, king perdiccas, asia minor, persian empire, persian army,
Approximate Word count = 1360
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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