Alexander Al-Macedonian

Alexander III, “Alexander Al-Macedonian,” also known as Alexander the Great (July 21-365 BC-10 or 11 June 323 BC), was the son of Macedonian King Philip II. 

He became king after the death of his father in 336 B.C. and went on to invade the majority of the world at that time.

He was known as the “biggest” because of his military genius and his diplomatic skills in dealing with the various inhabitants of the areas he invaded. 

He was also known for spreading Greek culture, language and thought from Greece to Asia Minor and Egypt, and from Mesopotamia to India, thus beginning the Hellenistic Age.

When Alexander was young, he learned how to fight and ride horses at the hands of Leonidas Epirus, his mother's relative Olympias.                                                                                                              

Philip's father was interested in creating a decent property, so he hired Lessimakus to teach his child to read and write and play harp. 

This tutelage will instill in Alexander a lifelong love for reading and music.

At the age of 14, Alexander was introduced to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, whom Philip employed as his own teacher. 

Alexander studied with Aristotle during the next three years, and they kept in touch during the subsequent campaigns of Alexander. 

Aristotle had a direct effect on Alexander's dealings with the peoples he conquered, during which he never imposed Greece's culture on the inhabitants of different regions, but he presented it the same way that Aristotle used to teach his students.

The impact of Leonidas on Alexander's lifelong resilience and physical endurance, as well as his skill with horses, may be observed. Alexander managed to tame the untamable Pokyfalus horse when he was only 11 or 12 years old. 

Despite his master's deep influence, Alexander seemed to be headed toward greatness from his birth. Alexander Ab initially had a strong foundation for Alexander's subsequent successes.

                     

The historian Dudor Al-Saqli notes:

During his 24-year reign as Macedonia's king, which he began with few resources, Philip built his own kingdom to become the great power of Europe.

He planned to overthrow the Persian Empire, land troops in Asia and liberate Hellenic societies.
Philip inherited his son, Alexander, a military establishment that enabled him to overthrow the Persian Empire without the help of the Allies. 

These achievements were not made by “luck” but because of the strength of his personality, and therefore he excels at others for his military wit, personal courage, and mental intelligence.

Although his great father had a clear influence on him, Alexander himself chose to see his success set by divine powers.

He called himself “the son of Zeus” and claimed that he was “half a god,” and he linked his line to two of his favorite ancient heroes, Achilles and Herazel, and imitated them in his conduct.

This belief in his divinity was established within him by Olympus, who also told him that it was the result of the birth of virginity, as it was vaccinated by Zeus himself. 

His birth was associated with great miracles and signs like a shining star in the skies of Macedonia that night, and the destruction of the temple of Artemis. Historian Plutarchus writes:

Alexander was born on the sixth of the Greek month of “Hikatumbayon,” July 20, 365 B.C.E., the same day that witnessed the fire of the temple of Artemis, also known as the Temple of Diana.

Historian Heguecias says the temple caught fire while Greek goddess Artemis was busy with the birth of Alexander.

And all the priests who were in the city of Ephesus at the time, were looking at the ruin of this temple as warning of other calamities, and they ran on the sides of the city, beating their faces and crying, and that day would bring destruction and devastation to all parts of Asia.

Although his birth has been well documented by historians, there is not much information about his youth, regardless of his early adult stories — he claims to have interviewed prominent figures about Persia's strengths when he was 7 — and with his teachers and childhood friends. 

Alexander's friends, Ptolemy, Alexander, and Hivaston, will become his lifelong companions and generals in his army. Callestens, another friend of Alexander, was the son of Aristotle's older brother and came to the Macedonian court with him. He will later serve as a court historian.

He remained Alexander's best and most precious friend during his lifetime and was the second in command. 

As for the young people of Alexander, the historian Werthington writes that Alexander received his education at home, as this tradition was in Macedonia at the time, and he was raised where he used to watch and later participate in the wine-drinking competitions, which were part of the life of the Macedonian court. 

However, apart from what was mentioned, we do not know much about the youth stage in the life of Alexander.

Battle of Gironia and First Campaigns

Alexander's military prowess was first observed in the battle of Gironia in 338 B.C.- Though he was 18 years old at the time, he helped turn the tide of war into a decisive victory for Macedonia, during which allied Greek cities were defeated. 

When Philip II was assassinated at 336 B.C., Alexander took the throne with Greek cities that became united under Macedonian rule following the battle of Geronionia In the grand campaign his father had planned: the invasion of the powerful Persian Empire.

During his campaigns, Alexander was determined to know everything he could about the areas he had gone through.                                                                                                                                     

He brought along a collection of scientists to record and analyze this information, from plant and biological scientists to animals and meteorology, to terrain. 

His desire to learn and record as much information as possible stems from Aristotle's teachings and enthusiasm.

In 334 BC, Alexander crossed to Asia Minor with an army of 32,000 pedestrians and 5,100 knights. At that time, he controlled the city of Baalbek and renamed it Heliopolis.

He later liberated the city of Ephesus from Persian rule and proposed rebuilding the temple of Artemis, which burned down the night of its birth, but the city refused its offer.

In 333 B.C., Alexander and his troops defeated the forces of King Darius III in the battle of Esus. Darius fled the battlefield and left his family behind.

Alexander  continued his campaign to seize control of the Phoenician city of Sidon and then went on to invade Aleppo. In 332 B.C., Alexander invaded Syria and Egypt in 331 B.C., where he established the city of Alexandria. 

Despite his invasion of Egypt, Alexander was not interested in imposing his own ideas on religion and behavior on people, as long as they voluntarily maintain open supply lines to feed and arm his forces.

However, they did not oppose this, as they did not brutally suppress uprisings against his rule or hesitate He's fiercely betrayed. 

After drawing up the plan to invade the city of Alexandria, Alexander left Egypt for other campaigns and easily conquered the land of Phoenicia, except Tire Island, which is under siege. 

With his intention to invade the city of Tire, he built a road from the mainland to the island to lay siege and take over. 

Because of their stubborn resistance, the residents of Tire were slaughtered and those who survived were sold into the slave market.

His policy towards the citizens of Tire was a prime example of his cruelty.

Persian Campaigns.

In 331 B.C., Alexander faced King Darius III again during the battle of Gomila, faced large numbers of troops, and defeated Darius, who had fled the battle, with a crushing defeat.

Darius was later assassinated by his cousin Besus, an act that Alexander was said to have denounced.

From Shoshan, Alexander walked to the city of Persepolis, where in 330 BC he, according to historian Didor al-Saqli and others, set fire to the destruction of the main palace and most of the city in retaliation for the burning of the Acropolis during the occupation of Greece's first Persian king Ahasuerus (Chaiar) in 480 BC. Darius' his family. 

Alexander declared himself king of Asia and continued his march towards the city of Shoshan, which surrendered to him unconditionally and without resistance. 

The act is said to have been instigated by the archimandrite, General Ptolemy's mistress, who claimed that it would be a convenient retaliation for the city that was burned by the “hands of women,” and reportedly set off its torch immediately after the Alexander first threw his torch. 

After Alexander left Persepolis for a long time and carried huge treasures, he walked to Bakhtira and Sugdiana with ease.

In 329 BC, he built the Alexandria Supercity on the Sihon River (Sir Daraya), destroyed the city of Ciropolis and beat the Scorpions.

Alexander created many cities that carried his name to reinforce his image as a god and named himself the “king of kings” of Shah, who was used by the rulers of the first Persian Empire.

Alexander embraced some Persian traditions and introduced them into the army. Macedonian forces became disturbed by Alexander's clear support and adoption of Persian traditions.

Al-Iskandar's assassination plans were unsuccessful and the conspirators were executed. And Callisthenes was one of those when he got involved in one of the schemes — the same for Cletus, the great statesman who saved Alexander's life in the Granicus Battle. 

In 328 B.C., Alexander Clytos and Callisthenes were killed in two separate incidents on charges of treason and questioning his authority.

Alexander's habit of over drinking was well known, which greatly influenced the murder of Cletus. Clytos and Callisthenes have become staunch critics of Alexander's adoption of Persian traditions.

Despite his considerable diplomatic abilities and skill in dealing with the occupied people and their rulers, Alexander was not aware of Alexander's tolerance of personal opinions that contradict his own, and of the growing intolerance of his views with alcohol. 

Cletus died quickly through a spear thrown into his throat by Alexander, and Callisthenes was imprisoned and died either in prison or crucified.

India's Rebellion
In 327 B.C.E., with the Persian Empire under his control and his marriage to the primate Roxana, Alexander turned his attention to India. 

Hearing about the heroic acts of the great Macedonian General, Indian King Omivis gave in to his power without a fight, but the Asocian and Asakinawi tribes strongly resisted Alexander.

In battles between 327 and 326 B.C., Alexander won over the two tribes and eventually faced Boras King of Urava in the battle of Hydaspis in 326 B.C. During the battle, Bruce pushed about 100 elephants, and fought bravely with his troops. 

After the defeat of Pors, Alexander set him up as governor of a much larger region than he had previously ruled. 

During the battle, the Alexander's horse killed Bukyvalos, and Alexander named one of the two cities he built after the battle as Bukyvalos. 

Alexander wanted to cross the Ganges River for more invasions, but his exhausted forces, following the fierce battle against Porus, during which Alexander lost nearly 1,000 fighters, according to historian Arianus, refused to move forward. 

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Alexander tried to convince his men to progress quickly, and, failing to convince them, eventually he responded to their wishes. 

Following this, Alexander divided his army into two parts, half of whom were sent to Shushan by sea under Admiral Nearchus across the Persian Gulf and headed the second part across the desert.

The reason for this decision remains unclear, and it is being debated by historians. The harsh terrain of the desert and military actions caused significant losses to the Alexander forces, and as they arrived in Shoshan in 324 BC, Upon his return, he found that many of the dictators who were entrusted with his rule had abused their authority, so he executed them, in addition to those who vandalized the Korosh cemetery in Basarjad.

He also ordered the restoration of the old capital and the cemetery, and took other measures to integrate his army with the people of the region and to integrate the cultures of Persia and Macedonia.

Alexander held a mass wedding ceremony in Shoshan during which he married his senior staff to Persian women. 

Many of his forces objected to this cultural integration and increased their criticism of the adoption of Persian costumes and customs, which he was affected by since 329 BC.

They also objected to the promotion of the Persians to the Macedonians within the army, and to Alexander's order to merge Persian and Macedonian units.

Alexander responded by appointing Persians to senior positions within the army and granting Persian units traditional Macedonian titles and medals. 

His forces eventually retreated and put down his wishes. In a gesture of goodwill, Alexander reinstated the Macedonian titles and ordered a grand group feast where he ate and drank with the army. 

In 324 BC, a friend of his age, the second man, the Army, died of fever, although some reports indicate he had died poisoned.

Historians agree that Alexander's reaction to Sevaston's death was intolerable.

Death of Alexander.

After recovering from Sevaston's death, Alexander returned to his plans to expand his empire, but never achieved it. 

Alexander died in Babylon at the age of about 32 on 10 or 11 June 323 BC after suffering for 10 days from a severe fever. 

The theories that spoke about the cause of his death ranged from being poisoned by malaria, meningitis, bacterial infection, drinking contaminated water, or other possible causes.

Plutarchus says that 14 days before his death, Alexander received the commander of the fleet, Nerkos, and his friend, Medicus, and they drank alcohol together, and then he had a fever from which he never recovered. 

When asked who would succeed him, Alexander said, “The strongest”, the answer that led to the division of his empire between four of his generals - Alexander, Ptolemy, Antiques, and Seleucus (also known as the kings of the Alexander or the Caliphs). Nevertheless, Pluterchus and Arianos claimed that Alexander handed over his reins of power to Perdikas,

His friend Hivestyounis, who carried with Alexander the body of his friend to his funeral in Babylon. 

Berdicas was a friend of Alexander, his bodyguard, and his friend in the Cavalry, and Alexander's choice may be due to Perdicas's custom of honoring his cronies. 

However, following Alexander's death, the generals may have ignored his wishes, and Berdicas was assassinated in 321 BC.

Kings of the Alexander denominations

He claims that Alexander killed the Kichichians in a nearby town as an offering to his friend, and Arianus wrote that Alexander executed Hivaston's doctor for failing to treat him. 

The horse felt and tails as a sign of mourning and Alexander refused to promote another person to the position of Chief of the Knights Assault.  

Alexander refrained from eating and drinking, declared a period of mourning in the empire, and held funerary rituals usually reserved for the king.

Alexander's wife, Roxana, her son, and Alexander's mother, Olympus, were ordered to be executed to consolidate his power as Macedonia's new king (a title he will later lose for Antigens and his heirs). Ptolemy had stolen Alexander's body while on its way to Macedonia and sent it to Egypt in the hope of securing a prediction that the land to be hidden would be prosperous and invincible.

Ptolemy also established the Ptolemy of the Ptolemaic kingdom in Egypt, which lasted until 30 B.C. and ended with the death of his seventh descendant, Cleopatra. 

Seleucus created the Seleucid Empire, composed of Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and parts of India - the last remaining kings of the Alexander community after 40 years of war with their heirs. 

Seleucus became known as Seleucus I Nicator. And none of the Alexander's generals had the intelligence, the military genius, and the understanding, but they created kingdoms through which they governed their regions. 

Their control of those regions created what historians call the Hellenic Era, which witnessed the convergence of Greek thought and culture with the ideas and cultures of the indigenous peoples. 

According to the historian Dedor al-Saqli, what drove Alexander's will was to create a unified empire among former enemies. 

Although the kings of Alexander's denominations failed to fulfill his wishes peacefully, they contributed to Alexander's dream of cultural unity, even if that unity was not fully realized.

Wait for us with another story from ancient history.

Abu Musa

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