The Greatness Of Alexander The Great History Essay

Throughout history,few men have been able to gain the same prestige as that of Alexander the Great. He was a motivated leader and an excellent strategist, who led his men by example throughout his conquests. By the age of sixteen he had become a warrior, at eighteen he became a commander, and was made king over Macedon at the age of twenty (Manohar). In light of his accomplishments, it is evident Alexander the Great affected the very core of the ancient world in a very short time.

Alexander was born in 356 B.C. in the ancient capital city Pella, of Macedonia, to Philip II, king of Macedonia, and Olympias, princess of Epirus (Macedonia). From an early age, Olympias instilled a sense of conquest and kingship into Alexander. At the age of 13you have the number 13 here but in the first paragraph you wrote out sixteen, etc. it has to be the same throughout the entire paper. Look up whether you should write out numbers or spell them out in MLA he was entrusted to be taught under Aristotle. While under this tutorship, he gained an interest in philosophy, medicine, and science.

During this time period, Alexander had also decided to model his life to that of the hero Achilles, which was encouraged by both his mother and Aristotle. Aristotle personally annotated a copy of Homers’ Iliad to Alexander. He kept this book with him on all his travels, keeping it close when possible. Olympias encouraged Alexander significantly during these years, even going as far as making Alexander believe he was a true descendant of Achilles himself, and hinting at Hercules and Zeus also. We can see how his early upbringing affected what he did later in his life, and how it gave him a base for the ruler he was to become. (Whitten)

Alexander, filled with such high expectations from his mother, teacher, and tradition, looked for ways to prove his strength and courage. There are a few stories about significant things he had done when he was younger; one famous story was about his horse, called Bucephalas. A particular horse breeder had come to sell his prized horse to King Phillip II. When the king’s servants found the horse untamable, Philip <-correct spelling? disagreed to buy the horse, only to be interrupted by the eight year old Alexander, who complained that, “a great horse should not be lost simply because no one had the skill or courage to master him missing a reference”. Alexander rose to the task and tamed the horse in front of an audience. The horse was bought for Alexander, and served him for many years, and through many miles and battles. (Sparknotes)

Alexander had his first taste of power when he was sixteen. He was called to Macedonia to put down a rebellion since his father was away. He took the chance to distinguish himself immediately. He quelled the rebellion, took over the rebellions stronghold, and renamed it after himself. (Pagewise) <-in MLA, are references supposed to be within the period or outside? At the age of eighteen Alexander’s father put him in command of part of the Macedonian army in the battle of Chaeronea. This battle was won by King Phillip II who defeated the Athenians and Thebans. The two events were defining moments for Alexander, and gave him experience along with his prior education to become the great ruler of the Ancient World. (Manohar)

When Alexander reached the age of twenty, King Phillip II was assassinated. Alexander was crowned king to take his place as ruler of Macedonia (Manohar). At this point, Alexander’s conquering history begins. Some saw the death of King Phillip II as a chance to gain control or independence from the Macedonians. Alexander saw their motives and took care of the situation before it escalated, though he did so in a brutal way. He destroyed the city of Thebes, killing most of the population, including women and children, and the remaining survivors were made slaves (Whitten). This was done to set an example for all those who would try to oppose him.

Without the threat of rebellion after this act, Alexander could focus on conquering land and expanding the nation. His conquest began by going east, and defeating the Persians, who his father had never truly defeated. He pushed through Palestine, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, and India with upwards of 30,000 men, defeating those in his path of conquest (Whitten). He had a great amount of success, amassing a vast amount of riches and control. He established over 70 cities in the lands he conquered, all under his different versions of his own name, including a city named after his horse (Whitten).

His conquest over the Ancient World spanned across 11 years, 335 B.C. to 324 B.C. (Whitten). This included marching his army over 20,000 miles of land, laying sieges on fortified cities that lasted for months, and creating the largest empire of that time. Alexander was a thoughtful leader. He would visit his men after the battle, examining their wounds and praising them for their efforts. He would also arrange extravagant funerals for the fallen. After his conquest ended, he returned to Babylon to take his title as the ruler of the empire.

During his time at Babylon, Alexander’s life began to degenerate. He began to drink excessively and have fits of rage, and held paranoid suspicions towards those close to him. At one point he had even murdered one of his closest friends in a fit of rage (Pagewise). Though his death is debated between poisoning, disease, or sickness from alcohol poisoning, many agree he had contracted some form of a fever. 12 days after getting the sickness, he died (Macedonia). The empire did not last long after his death, as it was divided between his generals.

The prestige of Alexander the Great cannot be summarized in a few pages, but rather it is a broad topic that has page upon page of details. Alexander the Great was a powerful ruler, he was intelligent, cunning, and generous. Though even with these traits, he still committed immoral acts during his time. He had achieved things that many, before and after himself, had only dreamed of doing during their lives. He changed the lives of all those in the known Ancient World by conquering the lands of all those who lived there. The Persian Empire was brought down, customs were changed, cities were founded and destroyed, and a new empire arose which unified all that land under his rule. His story is something that will be remembered through history.

The ending is better. You need to double check the correct MLA format for citing sources within the essay. The way you reference seems to vary. Do you need to include page numbers in your references? Whenever you have a direct quote, the reference for it should be right next to it. Make sure the font style and size, margins, heading, etc. are in correct MLA format. Also, when you read through it make sure your tenses are the same throughout. For example “he did” (past tense) versus “he does” (present tense). Otherwise, it’s looking much better. Once you do this, send it back.

Cited Sources

Macedonia, History of. “Alexander the Great.” historyofmacedonia.org. 2/9/2011.

<http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat.html>.

Manohar, Uttara. “Alexander the Great Timeline.” buzzle.com. 2/9/2011.

<http://www.buzzle.com/articles/alexander-the-great-timeline.html>.

Pagewise. “Alexander the Great biography.” essortment.com. 2/10/2011.

<http://www.essortment.com/all/alexanderthegr_rxdz.htm>.

Sparknotes. “The Early Years.” sparknotes.com. 2/10/2011.

<http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/alexander/section1.html>.

Whitten, Chris. “Alexander the Great.” interesting.com. 2/9/2011.

<http://www.interesting.com/stories/alexander/>.