Alexander the Great

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Alexander III (or 'the Great') conquered the land starting from Greece in the west to India in the east to create the largest empire the world had seen until that time. This was achieved in just thirteen years between his ascension to the Macedonian throne at age twenty to his death at Babylon on 10 June 323 BCE. One of the issues surrounding Alexander's reign that has long been discussed by historians is whether he planned his conquest of Asia or if he made it up as he went along. This paper evaluates and discusses both possibilities by taking a somewhat chronological approach to Alexander's life.

From the Paper:

"Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedon and Princess Olympias of Epirus. Both his parents had strong personalities and influenced their son in different ways. Olympias had a fiery temperament and did not tolerate Philip having other wives and lovers. As Alexander was close to his mother, this bred further discontent between himself and Philip, who had a difficult relationship right up until Philip was murdered. Most importantly however, Philip was someone Alexander could emulate and because of his "passionate desire for fame," Alexander would attempt to surpass his father wherever possible. Philip II reinvigorated a formerly weak kingdom in Macedon to create the most powerful state in Northern Greece . From his childhood, Alexander had a legacy to continue and he was eager to prove himself in any way. Even Philip himself noted his son's great aspirations and perhaps put ideas in Alexander head; "My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Badian, E. "A King's Notebooks." Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Vol.72 (1968): pp. 183-204.
• Brunt, P.A. "The Aims of Alexander." G&R 12 (1965): pp. 205-15.
• Tarn, W.W. "Alexander the Great and the Unity of Mankind." Proceedings of the British Academy 19 (1933): pp. 123-66.
• Hammond, N. G. L. Alexander the Great: King, Commander and Statesman. Park Ridge, 1980.
• Heckel, W and Yardley, J. C. Alexander the Great. Oxford, 2004.

More papers on Alexander the Great:

• Book Review # 96825 : "Alexander the Great"
• Essay # 33322 : "Alexander The Great"
• Term Paper # 120882 : "Alexander the Great"

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