Alexander the Great , was the king of Macedonia from 336 BC. and, during his reign, he managed to form a great empire in a period of approximately twelve years. After his father's assassination, Alexander set out to conquer Asia and faced the decaying Persian Empire, which was led by Darius III . The great legacy of the Macedonian empire was the spread of Greek culture to the East.
Coronation of Alexander
The Macedonians, people who inhabited northern Greece, are considered the heirs of the last groups of Hellenes who settled in the region during the Pre-Homeric Period . They considered themselves a Hellenized people, that is, a people of Greek culture, but they were viewed with contempt by the Greeks themselves.
Macedonia abandoned the stage of seminomadism and consolidated a centralized power from the 7th century BC. With the weakening of Greece, after the successive conflicts fought during the Medical Wars and the Peloponnesian War, Macedonia rose as a local power.
The Macedonians dominated the entire region from the Battle of Chaeronea , when the army led by Philip II of Macedon defeated the army formed by the league of Greek cities in 338 BC. However, Philip II's reign over all of Greece was short-lived, as in 336 BC he was assassinated by Pausanias, one of his bodyguards.
Historians don't know exactly why Pausanias was motivated, but there is speculation that the two had a personal disagreement, or even that Philip's murder was part of a conspiracy. which aimed to kill both Philip and his successor Alexander. Upon Philip's death, Alexander was crowned King of Macedonia in 336 BC.
Philip's death triggered a crisis in Macedonia, with the emergence of plots to seize Alexander's throne, foreign attacks and rebellions by Greek cities. Alexander acted energetically and bypassed all obstacles by executing the conspirators, containing foreign attacks, and defeating and punishing the Greek cities that rebelled.
Campaign against Persia
After ratifying his power internally in Macedonia and Greece, Alexander began the military campaign of conquest of the Persian Empire. He mobilized an approximate total of 50,000 troops and headed for Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). In this region, the first phase of the campaign began and an important Macedonian victory in the Battle of Granicus was recorded. , in 334 BC
This victory granted Alexander control over the Greek cities of Ionia (another term for Asia Minor), which were under Persian rule. According to historian Claude Mossé, the Macedonian king transformed the Greek cities of the region into democratic polis and ended the collection of the tribute they paid to the Persians|1| .
Next, Alexander managed to dominate the region where the Phoenician cities were located, known as the Levant. The conquest of this territory was possible from the victory in the Battle of It , in 333 BC, which expelled the Persian troops from that location. The accounts say that, in this battle, Darius III began a desperate flight, even leaving his family behind.
With the victory at Issus, all cities in the region surrendered to Macedonian rule, except for the city of Tyre, which put up resistance. Alexander was only able to defeat this city after an eight-month siege. Upon conquering it, the Macedonian king ordered thousands of local citizens to be sold into slavery.
With the conquest of the entire region corresponding to Lebanon, part of Syria, Israel and Palestine, Alexander left for Egypt, where he stayed for a year. The highlight of this stay was the foundation of the city of Alexandria, in 331 BC, which fulfilled an important military function and became one of the most important cities in the region.
Defeat of the Persian Empire
After this stay in Egypt, Alexander resumed his main objective and set out again to defeat Darius III and conquer the Persian Empire. The decisive fight against the Persian troops took place during the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC This victory marked the end of Darius III's reign over the Persian Empire.
With this victory, Alexander consolidated his power over important cities in the region, such as Babylon, Susa and Persepolis, and gained access to a large amount of gold from the Persian royal coffers. Darius III fled, but was murdered by a traitorous satrap named Bessus. Alexander then defeated Bessus and another traitor, Epistámenes. With this, he consolidated his power over the regions of the Persian Empire.
Indian campaign and death of Alexander
By securing control over the rebellious regions of the Persian Empire, Alexander organized the campaign of conquest of India. In this campaign, the Macedonian emperor faced strong resistance, with a great battle at Hydaspes against Poro, king of Paurava. The difficulties of this Indian campaign caused Alexander to retreat and return to Babylon.
During his stay in this city, Alexandre fell ill after a banquet and died eleven days later, due to a strong fever. Historians are not sure why he died, but three causes are raised:poisoning , malaria and fever typhoid .
Alexander's death interrupted plans to invade the Arabian Peninsula, and so the Macedonian Empire was divided among its main generals. The great legacy of this empire was the diffusion of Greek culture to the East .
|1| MOSSÉ, Claude. Alexander, the Great. São Paulo:Liberdade Station. 2004, p. 29.
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