Alexander the Great

Date of birth

356 BCE

Alexander the Great,conqueror and king of Macedonia was born on july 20, 356 B.C.,in Pella to parents King Philip ll of Macedon and Queen olympia, daughter of King Neoptolemus.

Education

343 BCE

In 343 B.C., King Philip II hired the philosopher Aristotle to tutor Alexander at the Temple of the Nymphs at Meiza. Over the course of three years, Aristotle taught Alexander and a handful of his friends philosophy, poetry, drama, science and politics. Seeing that Homer's Iliad inspired Alexander to dream of becoming a heroic warrior, Aristotle created an abridged version of the tome for Alexander to carry with him on military campaigns. He completed his education at Meiza in 340 B.C.

Becoming a soldier

339 BCE

In 339, while still just a teen, he became a soldier and embarked on his first military expedition, against the Thracian tribes.In 338, Alexander took charge of the Companion Cavalry and aided his father in defeating the Athenian and Theban armies at Chaeronea. Once Philip II had succeeded in his campaign to unite all the Greek states (minus Sparta) into the Corinthian League, the alliance between father and son soon disintegrated.

The new king of Macedonia

336 BCE

In 336, Alexander's sister wed the Molossian king, an uncle who was also called Alexander. During the festival that followed, King Philip II was murdered at the hands of Pausanias, a Macedonian noble. In the wake of his father's death, Alexander, then 19, was determined to seize the throne by any means necessary. He quickly garnered the support of the Macedonian army, including the general and troops he had had fought with at Chaeronea.

The beginning of alexander Asiatic expedition

334 BCE

In 334, Alexander embarked on his Asiatic expedition, arriving in Troy that spring. Alexander then faced Persian King Darius III's army near the Grancius River; Darius' forces were swiftly defeated. By fall, Alexander and his army had made it across the southern coast of Asia Minor to Gordium, where they took the winter to rest.

Alexander becomes the king of Persia

333 BCE

In the summer of 333, the troops of Alexander and Darius once again went head to head in battle at Issus. Although Alexander's army was outnumbered, he used his flair for military strategy to create formations that defeated the Persians again and caused Darius to flee. In November of 333, Alexander declared himself the king of Persia after capturing Darius and making him a fugitive.

The creation of Alexandria

331 BCE

After besieging Gaza on his way to Egypt, Alexander easily achieved his conquest; Egypt fell without resistance. In 331, he created the city of Alexandria, designed as a hub for Greek culture and commerce. Later that year, Alexander defeated the Persians at the Battle of Gaugamela. With the collapse of the Persian army, Alexander became "King of Babylon, King of Asia, King of the Four Quarters of the World."

Alexander defeats king porus

328 BCE

In 328, Alexander defeated King Porus' armies in northern India. Finding himself impressed by Porus, Alexander reinstated him as king and won his loyalty and forgiveness. Alexander forged eastward to the Ganges but headed back when his armies refused to advance any farther. On their way back along the Indus, Alexander was wounded by Malli warriors.

Alexander reaches Susa

324 BCE

Alexander at last reached the city of Susa.Desperate to retain his leadership and recruit more soldiers,he tried to connect Persian nobles to Macedonians in order to create a ruling class.He commanded that a large number of Macedonians marry Persian princesses.After Alexander managed to recruit tens of thousands of Persian soldiers into his army,he dismissed many of his Macedonian soldiers.This enraged the soldiers.Alexander appeased the Macedonian soldiers by killing 13 Persian military leaders

Alexanders death

323 BCE

While considering the conquests of Carthage and Rome, Alexander the Great died of malaria in Babylon (now Iraq), on June 13, 323 B.C. He was just 32 years old. Rhoxana gave birth to his son a few months later.

After Alexander's death

323 BCE

After Alexander died, his empire collapsed and the nations within it battled for power. Over time, the cultures of Greece and the Orient synthesized and thrived as a side effect of Alexander's empire, becoming part of his legacy and spreading the spirit of Panhellenism.