Alexander the Great, one of history's most renowned conquerors, earned his reputation for military prowess later in life. However, his early years were marked by poverty and a fading dream to become a war hero. Ironically, despite achieving hero status in battle, he instilled fear in others due to his reputation as a drinker and murderer.
He was born in 356 BC to Philip and Olympias. Alexander had a younger sister named Cleopatra. His family was far from ordinary; Philip and Olympias despised each other. Following Macedonian tradition, Philip had multiple wives and rumors circulated about poisoned children. Some accuse Olympias of being responsible, but this claim is unlikely as Philip treated Alexander as his own son. He even appointed Aristotle as Alexander's tutor.
Despite certain characteristics that irritated Philip such as a slim physique and hi
...gh-pitched voice, Alexander considered himself fortunate to have him both as a father and mentor. In 359 BC, when Alexander was only three years old, King Peridcaas III passed away - he was the brother of Alexander's father. Originally, the plan was for Peridcaas' son Amyntas to succeed him with Philip acting as regent. However, Philip seized control of the throne and proclaimed himself King Philip II.
In the next few decades, Alexander successfully conquered most of Greece. During his teenage years, his father informed him that he would be leaving to fight in a war. Consequently, Alexander had to take on the role of regent while his father was away. In this time, Alexander embarked on an expedition to modern-day Bulgaria and encountered wild barbarians whom he eventually pacified. To demonstrate his strength, he established a new city called Alexandropolis a
the same location and assumed the position of general in his father's army.
Despite these accomplishments, tension remained between father and son when Philip was attacked by rioters and injured. In a potentially life-saving act, Alexander shielded the attackers from his father; however, Philip never acknowledged this heroic deed, deeply angering Alexander. Throughout his life, Alexander frequently experienced fits of rage. One such instance occurred during a celebratory dinner for his final marriage when his uncle expressed hope for him and his new wife to have an heir who could inherit the throne.
Responding with anger, Alexander questioned if he was only seen as an illegitimate child before throwing his goblet at his uncle. This led to a chaotic brawl between them. Intoxicated, Philip attempted to confront Alexander but stumbled clumsily – a stark contrast to his ambitions of crossing from Europe to Asia.Witnessing the unfolding scene, Alexander made a comment about Philip's lack of coordination compared to his own aspirations. As a result, both Alexander and his mother were expelled from Macedon due to this incident. However, after several years they reconciled with Philip and returned home together. Unfortunately, shortly after their reunion, Philip was fatally stabbed by the Captain of his bodyguards during the theater ceremony for Alexander's wedding. The assassin attempted to escape through a vineyard but stumbled on a vine and was promptly killed by other guards.
Following Philip's death in 336 BC, Alexander became King Alexander III at the age of twenty. Despite being a heavy drinker, he maintained good looks and a clean-shaven appearance while remaining healthy and athletic. He also had interests in reading, music, and theater and showed unwavering loyalty
towards his friends. In an attempt to win Persia's respect, Alexander successfully conquered them while treating them fairly.
However, challenges arose due to his excessive drinking and fiery temper. Once, the son of his most trusted general was implicated in a plot to assassinate him. Although the general had no involvement in the incident, both he and his son were executed as punishment. Shortly after that incident, Alexander was insulted by the successor of the old general at a party which led him to immediately kill him.
In 327 BC, Alexander captured a group of rebels where he became infatuated with Roxane—the daughter of their leader.Despite being separated from Roxane for a significant period of time due to his conquests in India, Alexander and Roxane had a stillborn baby. It took four years until they had another child together. However, during his journey back home, his men refused to continue further which prompted him to turn back. Despite facing battles and being shot with an arrow in the chest, Alexander managed to survive.
On a later trip to Persia, Alexander discovered that many of his governors had abused their authority. In order to promote unity between the two civilizations, while still being married to Roxane, Alexander married Barsine, the daughter of the former King. He also arranged for his closest friend Hephaestion to wed Barsine's sister Drypetis. Additionally, he appointed some Persians to high-ranking positions in his army.
Unfortunately, these efforts did not succeed and the marriages eventually ended. In 324 BC, Alexander was devastated by the death of Hephaestion. The following summer at the age of 32, he fell ill and passed away on June 13 in Babylon.
While it was initially believed that malaria caused Alexander's death, recent theories suggest typhoid fever may have been responsible.
Today, Alexander is remembered as one of history's greatest generals, leaders, and conquerors—a reputation he desired since childhood when he aspired to be remembered as a war hero rather than a villain.
