Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world before his death in 323 BC, starting with uniting Greece and defeating Persia at the Granicus River. He then conquered most of Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and the entire Persian empire. He was crowned the new king of Persia and erected Alexandria. However, his vanity and adoption of a Persian way of life caused some of his soldiers to plot against him. He died at the age of 33 from an intense fever, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire books and movies.
Alexander the Great was perhaps one of the most remembered figures in history. He was born the son of Philip II of Macedon and Olympias in 356 BC and before his death in 323 BC he had conquered most of the known world. Taking his father’s throne in 336 BC, Alexander quickly united all of Greece and waged the planned war his father had envisaged against Persia. Never having seen the Greeks united, Persia was defeated at the Granicus River and Alexander and his allied forces moved on to defeat Miletus and Halicarnassus. The great leader took most of Asia Minor and moved to northern Syria, whose inhabitants fled before Alexander’s army.
Alexander’s grand plan began to spread when the general set out to conquer all of Persia, but the Persians would eventually fight back. It took considerable effort to take Tire and Gaza, but they fell after over a year. He now had full command of Syria and marched further into Egypt. There he was given god-like status as he was called the son of Amun-Ra, the king of the Egyptian gods.
Alexander was now in control of the entire Persian empire. He had their king assassinated and crowned himself as the new king of Persia. He erected Alexandria, a great monument to himself. Many of his soldiers came to despise his vanity and his way of adopting a Persian way of life. A plot against him was discovered, and one of his general’s sons was implicated. Alexander had them both killed.
At the age of 33, ruling an empire that was becoming corrupt with conspiracy and hatred, the great warrior died of an intense fever. Alexander’s legacy grows. Many movies and books have been written about him, including the 2004 release about his life with Collin Farell.
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