Essay The Life of Alexander the Great

Submitted By CrazyCheeringCow
Words: 2726
Pages: 11
Open Document
The Life of Alexander the Great

Caitlyn Chivers
Senior Division
Historical Paper
Paper Length: 2,106

Alexander the Great was an ambitious warrior king that was born to lead his kingdom to greatness. His many titles indicated his far reaching conquests during his lifetime, including “King of Macedonia”, “King of Persia”, “King of Asia”, “King of the Four Quarters of the World”, “Pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt” etc. In Alexander’s short life of only 32 years, he became one of the best military tacticians in the world. His military genius allowed him to build and rule an enormous empire in the ancient world from 336 to 323 B.C. His successful military endeavors were boasted by his vast conquering empire that stretched from Greece to Persia, to Egypt, throughout Asia Minor, and India. He spread Greek culture throughout the lands he conquered, changed the way those civilizations thought about government, language, and art, and improved their quality of life. Today, we continue to see how his legacy influenced and changed the course of history.

Early Life
Alexander the Great was born in the summer of 356 B.C. in a town called Pella. Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedonia and Olympia of Epirus, who was the daughter of the Molossian King Neoptolemus I. Phillip II was an aggressive leader who created a powerful army that conquered much of Greece. His frequent military campaigns kept him away from Alexander who grew up without seeing much of his father. His mother, Olympia was dominating and possessive and influenced much of his youth. As Alexander grew, she filled him with resentment for his father’s licentious ways and his absence. Although his parents were discontented with one another, they both wanted the young prince to have an extraordinary education.
Olympia brought two tutors from her own family to teach and train Alexander. The first tutor, Leonidas was hired to teach Alexander mathematics, archery and horsemanship, but Leonidas was severe teacher stressing a strenuous daily regime with a lean diet and strict exercise and deficient in luxuries. This prepared Alexander for the battlefield. The other tutor was Lysimachus who remained close to Alexander throughout his life. Lysimachus used role-playing to ensnare Alexander’s interest. One Alexander’s favorite character to impersonate was Achilles; a role model whose stories from the Iliad influenced Alexander later when he was conquering Asia.
When Alexander was 13, the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle became his tutor. For three years, Aristotle taught Alexander politics, science, drama, poetry and philosophy. When teaching Alexander, Aristotle noticed that the Iliad inspired him and wrote a shortened copy and gave it to Alexander. Alexander was rumored to have kept the copy for the rest of his life and keep it under his pillow at night. Alexander’s education ended during 340 B.C. at Meiza.

Military Career
While Alexander was learning in Meiza Phillip II was expanding Macedonia. He attacked and conquered Thrace, Thessaly and Chalkidike. He wanted to unite the Greek city-states into one province and the Greeks didn’t want that. So in 338 King Phillip left Macedonia and went to Chaeronea to battle with the Athenians and Thebans. A little before this Alexander came back from Meiza so Phillip left his kingdom with his 16 year old son as the acting king. For a while the battle at Chaeronea was uncertain and the win could have gone to either side, but then Alexander came and led a charge on the left wing of Athens’ and Thebes’ armies. The Macedonians won the battle. The Greek city-states were under King Phillip’s and Macedonian control now. But Phillip’s original objective still wasn’t complete; Greece was still separate. So Phillip II united all of the Greek city-states (excluding Sparta) into the Corinthian League. The Greek city-states could no longer fight between themselves, their armies were now controlled by Phillip to be used as
Show More

Related Documents: Essay The Life of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great Life Essay

Alexander the Great Alexander the great is considered to be one of the greatest military minds in world history. The Macedonian General's empire stretched from Greece to the Indus Valley. Alexander was born in Macedonian city of Pella. His father was King Philip II of Macedonia, his father was an ambitious conqueror in his own right. Alexander's mother, Queen Olympia was a princess from Epuiros, in Northwest Greece near present day Albania. She was known for her beauty as well as her quick-tempered…

Words 2141 - Pages 9

Life and Times of Alexander the Great Essay

Life and Times of Alexander the Great Introduction Alexander the great made an impact on world history that few individuals can profess to have done. He ruled all of the known world, and one of the largest empires ever. His men were the first westerners to encounter tales of the Yeti. They even discovered and classified new types of flora and fauna, such as the red mold that grew on their bread while they were in Asia, and made it appear as if it were bleeding. He expanded…

Words 1681 - Pages 7

Alexander The Great Hero

“Heroes are made by the paths they chose, not the powers they are graced with.” Alexander the Great conquered a lot of places in the world, and he was one of the most successful kings that has ever existed. Alexander protected his people and saved many lives. Although this is very important, it is not about the power and the success of Alexander; it is about the steps that he took that lead Greece to greatness. Without his great ruling and military skills, Greece might not have been the thriving, safe…

Words 1172 - Pages 5

Alexander The Great Essay

Urmeena Ashraf 10-30-14 2nd hr. Alexander the Great Thesis The Alexander the great was great because he follow his father’s footstep, military tactics, and conquer a lot of land. Alexander the great was born in the Pella region of Macedonia on July 2o, 356 B.C. He was a filial kid in his childhood. He devoted his time to his father, by going to military campaigns. Alexander was tutored as a child and learned mathematics, reading, writing, and how to play the lyre. He also would have been instructed…

Words 628 - Pages 3

Legend and Albert Brian Bosworth Essay

Robin Lane Fox: Alexander the Great- Overtaker of the World Robin Lane Fox is one of the writers about Alexander who is not just looking at the facts and copy them. In his book he describes what he thinks about Alexander’s decisions and what kind of feelings could drive him to do things. He looks at him from the very beginning of his life and so he has a good overview how things changed him. Many people just see a cruel tyrant in Alexander, but Fox wanted to show them that Alexander was not born as…

Words 629 - Pages 3

Alexander The Great Character Analysis

Alexander the Great: An Analysis Brodi Ashton, he once said “Heroes are made by the paths they chose, not the powers they are graced with.” Alexander the Great conquered a lot of places in the world, and he was one of the most successful king that has ever existed. Alexander protected his people and saved many lives. Although this is very important, it is not about the power and the success of Alexander, it is about the steps that he took that lead Greece into success. Without his Great ruling…

Words 1238 - Pages 5

Alexander The Great Research Paper

know that Alexander the Great conquered three continents? Alexander the Great was a great military leader and was really brave, which is one of the reasons why he was such a great leader and a hero. People have many different opinions on Alexander the Great. Some believe that Alexander was a villain because he destroyed and attacked many places. Others believe that Alexander was a hero because he tried to promote learning. I believe that Alexander the Great was a hero because he was a great role model…

Words 467 - Pages 2

Legacy of Atg Essay

The Legacy of Alexander the Great Alexander the Great is one of the most heroic figures in European history. Alexander, king of Macedonia, was born 356 BCE in Pella, Macedonia as the son of Philip II and Olympias (“Alexander’s legacy (overview)”). From when Alexander was young he was magnificent. He excelled in nearly everything he did. Alexander, one of the most brilliant military minds, was tutored by Aristotle, one of the wisest men in Greece (Sarah Ann). When he was just a young boy his…

Words 854 - Pages 4

Ancient Greece paper

Ancient Greece was a great empire that only lasted a short time, but in that short time the leaders and philoshers and just your ordinary worker in Greece built and left a legacy that is felt many of thousands of years later today. Greece was a great collection of many empires and city states in its early days. This later lead to the start of alexander the greats huge empire that spanded across Greece and its many colonies.Greece was a very classical and religouis based empire with many gods. The…

Words 698 - Pages 3

Alexander The Great Legacy

Alexander: The Truly Great Alexander the Great created history by pushing for advances in battle, and in life. He accomplished more than any other man in his time. His accomplishments created a legacy for him that has lasted for centuries. Alexander created many new cities across Europe, Asia, and Africa. According to Smith (2016), Alexander the Great established many new cities, most of which in his name. Cities were created in multiple various locations spreading Greek culture to different parts…

Words 323 - Pages 2