HISTORY ESSAY. 1. Born in 356 B.C.in Pella, Macedonia,

HISTORY ESSAY

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Born in 356 B.C.in Pella, Macedonia, Alexander was the son of Philip II and his
fourth wife Olympias. Alexander ascended to the throne at the age of 20 after the
controversial assassination of his father. Alexander earned the title of “Great” for conquering
much of the known world with his superior military and leadership skills. The Macedonian
king started his conquest with a dream of conquering the whole world and made his empire
stretch over 5,200,000 sq, km., spread across three continents. During his reign he
successfully captured the empires that existed from centuries. Although, Alexander the Great
possessed extraordinary strategic capability but still he failed to establish long term
governance in Persia after capturing it. He is also credited with plundering the resources of
Persia and damaging its culture and heritage.
Conquering the Persian soil was itself deemed as a heroic act as Persian empire was
said to be in a stable state without any widespread crisis1. {ATG piere briant} this victory
came after winning three battles namely, the battle of Gaugamela, Battle of Issus and Battle
of Granicus. Alexander depended largely on the Greek mercenaries as his own army was less
than half of the total2 .[ian worth 70]. Alexander’s army at the time of invasion was under the
financial stress, on the other hand Persia was one of the most prosperous places on earth, it
was a rich decentralised empire with abundant resources of gold and silver had a stabilized
administration3 (rostovtzef) but still the leadership of Alexander took toll on the Persian
forces and took control of the empire. Alexander had long term plans for establishing his
1Briant, Pierre, and Amélie Kuhrt. Alexander the Great and His Empire: A Short Introduction.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010
2 Worthington, Ian. Alexander the Great: Man and God. Great Britain: Pearson Education Limited, 2004.
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league in Persia. He forbade his soldiers to plunder the city and they were given clear
instructions to regard the victorious land as their own4 .ian worth 182. Alexander had
intentions of creating a unified Persian empire under Macedonian rule so he drew a line
between the Persian citizens and Persian soldiers because he wanted a bloodless conquest and
as little resistance and hatred as possible after winning it5. Ian worth 182. Alexander was of
the opinion to destroy the standing army of Persia, make the Persian empire act as a resource
centre for his empire and expeditions and rule the empire by taking Persian citizens into
confidence. The king did exceed in conquering Persian dynasty and making use of its
resources to expand his empire but he failed to make Persian people accept him as their ruler.
Alexander’s powerful standing army required a lot of resources for maintenance.
As the Macedonian army had limited supplies and food reserves, they chose to fill
Macedonian pockets with Persian resources. Persepolis, the capital of Persia was a rich centre
of art and architecture but the invasion by Alexander in 330 B.C. created ruins of it. The ruins
of Persepolis speaks three major stories i.e. it was built by Darius the Great, inflated by his
son Xerxes and destroyed by Alexander6[website resource}. Alexander gave an inflammatory
speech, laying stress on the misdeeds of Persia against the Greece, this motivated the army
enough to loot the palace of Persepolis7. {peter 315}. Alexander now wanted to rule by fear
so he gave army a free hand to kill any adult male they encountered8. {Peter 316}. The army
4
Worthington, Ian. Alexander the Great: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2003.
5 Worthington, Ian. Alexander the Great: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2003.
6
Website source
7
Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1991.
8 Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1991.
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took full advantage of the opportunity to loot. The massacre by the Macedonians forced many
Persians to commit suicide in order to escape the brutality of the attackers9. {brill} While the
army was busy plundering the private homes, Alexander laid his hands on the royal treasure.
He made a fortune out of this successful conquest. Alexander acquired enough resources to
support his conquests was now sure of his supremacy10 {peter 316}. Alexander was also sure
that after instigating so much fear of the Greek power, the priests and nobles of Persepolis
would regard him as the ‘highest worshipped spirit’ in Zoroastrianism. Alexander
desperately wanted that title so that he could create an image of a king having secular
freedom in his kingdom. However the priests saw Alexander as a destroyer of their religion
and did not honour him. Angered by this, he returned to Persepolis in May. (same year) and
decided to burn the city11.{peter 319}. Arrian an ancient Greek philosopher states that:
He burnt the palace of Persian kings , though this act was against the advice of Parmenion,
who urged him to spare it for various reasons , chiefly because it was hardly wise to destroy
what was now his property and because the Asians would, in his opinion be less willing to
support him if he seemed bent merely upon passing through as their conqueror rather than
upon upon ruling it as a secular king.12
Some surviving sources also indicate that the burning of the palace was ordered in drunken
state but Alexander justified the looting and burning of the Persepolis as a revenge of what
Xerex ( Persian King) had done to a Greek city Athens13.( avery short intro 73). Alexander
9 Roisman, Joseph, ed. Brill's Companion to Alexander the Great. Brill, 2002. Accessed March 9, 2019.
books.google.ca.
10 Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1991.
11
Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1991.
12
Roisman, Joseph, ed. Brill's Companion to Alexander the Great. Brill, 2002. Accessed March 9, 2019.
books.google.ca.
13
Bowden, Hugh. Alexander the Great: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2014.
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invaded Persepolis with two objectives: i.e. to increase funds for his financially struggling
army and to build his image as a secular king. However he was only successful in generating
a new resource for his army as the priests treated this destruction as no less than a calamity
and first of its kind where both civilisation and culture were brought to grounds in the form of
destruction of the city.
After failing to build his image as a secular king he, Alexander resorted to adopt
Persian clothing and court procedures14. {very short 74. He tried to create a sense of unity
among the Macedonians and Persians, which he thought was essential for ruling such a vast
empire but the Macedonians were against this practice as they thought that Alexander’s was
being inclined to eastern form of tradition. This idea of unification did not go well with the
Persians either as they thought that the king was using their customs and traditions in a
fashionable way. He included some Persians including Darius’ brother in the circle of his
companions and bodyguards and even allowed women to company the army train15. {brill
174}. Alexander even made some modifications in the army. He introduced Persian Royal
guard of spear-bearers in his army in 331 B.C.and gave leading positions of military corps to
Persians16.{brill 174-175}. Though Persians were given key positions they did not possess
any political or military powers. He saw this practise as the best way to minimize the
resentment of the Persian people and in this way, he could keep a track of the activities of the
people in his army. In a letter written to Darrius, Alexander stated that: ‘‘Your ancestors
invaded Macedonia and Greece and created havoc in our country, though we had done
14 Bowden, Hugh. Alexander the Great: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2014.
15 Roisman, Joseph, ed. Brill's Companion to Alexander the Great. Brill, 2002. Accessed March 9, 2019.
books.google.ca.
16
Roisman, Joseph, ed. Brill's Companion to Alexander the Great. Brill, 2002. Accessed March 9, 2019.
books.google.ca.
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nothing to provoke them. As supreme commander of all Greece I invaded Persia to revenge
that attack’’17. Primary source ecoboost
This clearly indicates that Alexander led a war against Persia on the pretext of taking a
revenge, which filled the hearts of Macedonian army with hatred against the Persian nobles
making it unbearable for them to see their enemies taking position in administration and
army. Though Alexander tried a lot of ways to mix up the population of both empires and
create a Macedonian- Persian empire he failed to create a sense of unity as rift between the
communities widened to such an extend that the king had to employ separate aides on liaison
duties, one for Macedonians and the other for Persians18. Peter 335. This growing loss trust
led to even more resentment on both sides.
Alexander was very keen on building a national identity and mixing up the communities
that after failure of his first plans he decided to celebrate the winning of Persian throne. In
324 B.C. he organised a grand party and on that occasion he married Darius’ daughter
Barsine while his General of army Hephaestion married another daughter of Darius. He also
married 80 of his officers to girls of Iranian elite in an effort to achieve success in fusion of
Persian and Macedonian communities19. (IAN) However even this plan of the king could not
deliver long term results as many of the bridegrooms died soon after their wedding.
Alexander even allowed his troops to marry native women in whose children he saw military
potential but these marriages were annulled almost immediately as Macedonian army was not
allowed to take their wives and children back home20. [Brill 176.} This again led to the failure
17LYONS, JUSTIN D. ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND HERNAN CORTES: Ambiguous Legacies of Leadership. Lanham:
LEXINGTON BOOKS, 2015. Accessed March 14, 2019
18
Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1991.
19
Worthington, Ian. Alexander the Great: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2003.
20 Roisman, Joseph, ed. Brill's Companion to Alexander the Great. Brill, 2002. Accessed March 9, 2019.
books.google.ca.
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of Alexander’s dream of a unified Persia and more resentment in both Macedonian and
Persian communities. Persians saw this ‘fusion’ as a way of establishing Greek supremacy in
their kingdom as no Macedonian or Greek women married the Persian men21. Ian
Worthington 315. Persians were also of the opinion they were a part of the administration
because of their linguistic expertise and local knowledge, which were essential to govern
such a vast empire efficiently22. Ian 314.
Alexander was unable to achieve stability and integration during his rule in Persia
but still he took on the expedition to India. Arrian states that : ‘As for exact thoughts in
Alexander’s mind, I am neither able nor concerned to guess them, but this I think I can state,
that nothing common or mean would have been his intention; he would nod not have
remained content with any of his conquests, not even if he added the British Isles to
Europe’23. His greed of conquering the entire known world resulted in the improper
administration and lack of control in the conquered areas. Since Persian Empire was quite
huge, hence the problems got worse in this region. Such was the turmoil in Persia that
Alexander had to execute more than one fourth of his provincial governors. He even had to
execute 600 of Macedonians for raping in his absence which further widened the rift between
the Alexander and his people.
Alexander earned the title of ‘the great’ for his extraordinary military explorations and
leadership qualities. He was accredited with not loosing the battlefield ever in his expeditions
and was blessed as a powerful speaker who had the potential to motivate his fellow
21
Worthington, Ian. Alexander the Great: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2003.
22 Worthington, Ian. Alexander the Great: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2003.
23 Fox, Robin Lane. Alexander the Great. London, England ; New York: Penguin, 1986.
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companions and get the mission accomplished. Alexander’s greatness revolves around his
military conquests. Although he was successful in conquering the Persian empire yet he could
not integrate it with the Macedonians and Greeks and run it efficiently. When seen through
the Persian eyes, Alexander is held responsible for disintegration of a peaceful empire. He is
seen as a reckless youth whose sole motive was to capture whatever came his way. The
Persians also do not describe Alexander’s ‘military and leadership’ skills as ‘great’ but rather
inherited. Although alexander took a number of measures ranging from taking up Persian
traditions to giving administrative posts to Persians, he still failed to control the resent in both
the Macedonians and Persians.
References
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Bowden, Hugh. Alexander the Great: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2014.
Briant, Pierre, and Amélie Kuhrt. Alexander the Great and His Empire: A Short Introduction.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010
Worthington, Ian. Alexander the Great: Man and God. Great Britain: Pearson Education Limited,
2004.
Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1991.
Worthington, Ian. Alexander the Great: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2003.
Roisman, Joseph, ed. Brill's Companion to Alexander the Great. Brill, 2002. Accessed March 9, 2019.
books.google.ca.
Fox, Robin Lane. Alexander the Great. London, England ; New York: Penguin, 1986.
LYONS, JUSTIN D. ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND HERNAN CORTES: Ambiguous Legacies of Leadership.
Lanham: LEXINGTON BOOKS, 2015. Accessed March 14, 2019.
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