Alexander The Great Research Paper
Alexander the Great also known as Alexander III of Macedon was a king of ancient country Macedon, located in the north of modern Greece. He is known as one of the best military leaders of all nations and epochs. During his government, the Macedon transformed from the small peripheral state into a huge empire, strength and success of which rattled the whole world. His life was short because he died at the age of 33, but 13 years of his reign were the best years of whole Macedonian history. During his campaigns against other empires, he also founded a lot of cities, and most of them are still important centers of their regions. Immediately after his death, the Macedonian empire was divided into several parts by his generals, known as Diadochi. Their management was unsuccessful, so the whole Macedonian empire collapsed. To understand the phenomenon of Alexander the Great, it is important to properly analyze his biography, his personality and evaluate his role in the historical retrospectives.
Alexander was born in 356 BC in the Macedonian capital city, Pella. His birth coincided with the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World arson by Herostrat. The exact date is unknown due to the characteristics of the Ancient calendar and different opinions of historians and chroniclers. His father was Macedonian king Philip II and mother was Epirote queen Olympias. Her mother had a huge influence because Philipp II was involved in numerous conflicts around the country or wars against Greek city-states. The fact that his father played no role in his life forced their bad relations. From his first years, Alexander studied diplomacy, politics, and military tactics. Later he and other children of high-ranking Macedonian officials attended a special school near the Pella. He had a lot of tutors and mentors, like Spartan Leonidas, clown, and actor Lysimachus and Greek philosopher Aristotle. Without any doubt, Aristotle had a huge impact on the development of Alexander’s personality. Under the guidance of Aristotle, Alexander focused on ethics, medicine, philosophy, literature, and politics, so he received a brilliant classical Greek education,
Even in his childhood, Alexander was a goal-oriented person; there is a famous legend about his taming of father’s obstinate horse, Bucephalus. This fact amused his father, and sometimes during the war campaigns at Byzantium, Phillip allowed Alexander to rule in Macedonia under the under the supervision of the commander Antipater. During this training governance, Alexander declared himself as a successful and adventurous governor. Later after Byzantium campaign, Phillip II divorced his wife and married new woman. Unfortunately, during the wedding ceremony, he was killed by his own bodyguard Pausanias. This murder was quite mysterious because Philipp II had a lot of enemies around the state and also his ex-wife Olympias was very angry about their divorce.
Right after this sad events, Alexander received the reins of power and proclaimed himself as a new King of Macedon. His …
