Introduction
Inheriting an already powerful empire of Macedonia in 336, Alexander the Great ruled to become one of the most famous conquerors, and his reign became a turning point in Europe and Asia.[1] The Macedonian empire was strong and had a kinship system that was already powerful, where the King was the final judge and had semi-divine power. King Philip Ⅱ had brought unity between North and South Macedonia and became a centralized monarchy.[2] King Phillip Played a significant role in grooming Philip to become his successor by ensuring he had educational literacy by having Aristotle as his tutor.[3] Although Alexander was involved in the conspiracy of his father’s death, Philip, his father, was his role model and his two heroes, Hercules and Achilles. Therefore, with proper grooming and nurturing, Alexander was a successful and most famous ruler in Europe and Asia, with numerous achievements in his reign.
Military Strategy
After securing his position after his father’s death, King Philip Ⅱ, Alexander executed his rivals to assert authority outside and within the territory.[4] Alexander was ‘great’ for conquering neighboring territories and was undefeated in battles. The people of Macedonian identified their King as confident and physically capable; hence, they expected their warriors to have slain a boar and slay a man in battle.[5] Although Alexander lacked military knowledge and experience at an early age, the Macedonian army was well-trained and had combat experience.[6] The success of Alexander was reflected in his expertise during military combat and in conquering an extensive empire that started from Greece to India. Alexander knew how to command respect in his territory and believed the enemies he defeated would someday become his allies. Hence, this proved that Alexander had a great inspirational leadership style for his troops and soldiers.
Aristotle instilled great leadership styles that helped Alexander rule his territory successfully. Indeed, Alexander was a great leader, leading his troops from the front and connecting well with his soldiers.[7] His life indicated that the King lived a life as a warrior hero who was in search of glory in war and fame. Alexander motivated his soldiers and encouraged them to be fearless, aggressive, and proud of their marks and wounds from the battles. The military tactics that Alexander used entailed attacking his enemies and surprising them with an attack, which helped him win by shaping the direction of the fight.[8] The King honored the cultures of his enemies during battle, where he buried the dead by giving them proper burial ceremonies and only took away their political authority.[9] Alexander grew the Macedonian empire to the Far East, modern-day Pakistan. The Macedonian soldiers, under the leadership of Alexander, had unique military tactics, which were witnessed by the victories and success of conquering the Persian empire, Mesopotamia, Syria, Afghanistan, India, Phoenicia, Anatolia, and Egypt.
The Hellenistic World
The Hellenistic world began with the expansion of the Greek culture, which was contributed by the success of Alexander’s conquest across Europe and Asia. Globalization was practiced by Alexander by having mapped his strategy of expanding Macedonia.[10] Instead of killing his enemies, he believed in converting his enemies and offering the Macedones full rights to them.[11]The characteristics of the Hellenistic world were significant in the spread of Greek culture, the Greek language and literature, and the spread of the Macedonian monarchy. With the Hellenistic way of life, Alexander improved the economy of the conquered states by promoting trade.[12]
Bibliography
Bosworth, A. B. 1993. Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great. Google Books. Cambridge University Press. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=95qY0qz93ZUC&oi=fnd&pg=PP13&dq=alexander%27s+military+exploits&ots=A56GunBBXm&sig=nlWklIUqwX17ZUojSaH5bdqKA4E&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Gabriel, Richard A. 2015. The Madness of Alexander the Great: And the Myth of Military Genius. Google Books. Pen and Sword. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5vWxBgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=alexander%27s+military+&ots=HcRONYDZr7&sig=U6D44G0YqiZXlydc84SgddNTjnc&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Profi Le Books, Partha, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Hannibal, George Washington, Robert Lee, Ulysses Grant, and Norman Schwarzkopf. 2003. “Overall Applicability Innovation Style Alexander the Great’s Art of Strategy the Timeless Lessons of History’s Greatest Empire Builder.” https://ds.amu.edu.et/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/3414/00974.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Stoneman, Richard. 2004. Alexander the Great. Google Books. Psychology Press. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=WflsLSi77icC&oi=fnd&pg=PP8&dq=alexander+the+great+primary+sources&ots=di5XnFoKG4&sig=q7cBezM6SxEzhirD9pguqlf-Slc&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=death&f=false.
Worthington1, Ian. 1999. “How ‘Great’ Was Alexander?” https://m-hosseini.ir/esk-solk/articles-1/10.pdf.
- Richard Stoneman, Alexander the Great. Google Books. Psychology Press, 12.
- Ian Worthington1. 1999. “How ‘Great’ Was Alexander?” 18.
- Richard Gabriel, 2015. The Madness of Alexander the Great: And the Myth of Military Genius. Google Books. Pen and Sword, 18.
- Bosworth, A. B. 1993. Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great. Google Books. Cambridge University Press, 29.
- Gabriel, 18.
- Gabriel, 27.
- Profi Le Books, Partha, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Hannibal, George Washington, Robert Lee, Ulysses Grant, and Norman Schwarzkopf. 2003. “Overall Applicability Innovation Style Alexander the Great’s Art of Strategy the Timeless Lessons of History’s Greatest Empire Builder.” 04.
- Profi Le Books et al. 04.
- Profi Le Books et al. 04.
- Profi Le Books et al. 05
- Gabriel 03.
- Worthington1, 10