History Essay Example on Alexander the Great

Background of Alexander the Great

Alexander was born in 356 BC to King Philip II and Queen Olympias in Pella, Macedonia. However, other legends hold that his father was Zeus, the ruler of the Greek gods. At the age of 12, he tamed Bucephalus, a huge stallion known for its furious demeanor. At 13 Phillip decide to put Alexander under the guidance of Aristotle who sparked his interest in literature science and medicine. At the age of 16, he saw an opportunity to prove his ability to be a successful leader when left to care for Macedonia when his father had gone to battle the Byzantium. He took over the Band of Thebes and worn the tough battle. Alexander became the king of Macedonia at the age of 20 after his father was assassinated. While ruling the states of Macedonia he achieved various goals and builds an empire that lasted long after his death.

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The Conquest of Alexander the Great

After assuming power, Alexander decided to continue I his father footsteps. His thirst for power was so vast that his first conquest was taking over Greece. He gathered his troops and headed with them to Greece with the aim of taking over the Greek empire and making one of his own secondly, after conquering different cities in Greece, Alexander then decides to take over Persia and make it another place of his leadership. In all this, he had to encounter and face a fierce battle in occasions when his troops were outnumbered. However, since he was a smart, strong and unrelenting king, Alexander and his army fought hard to gain power over these two regions.

After taking over Halicarnassus in Persia, Alexander then headed to the Gordan knot, which was believed to grant conquest over Asia should a person untie it (Mark, 2013). Alexander tried untying the known with his hand but did not make it on time, he then cut it with his sword and this granted him victory over Asia. From Asia, he went east to India where he also conquered the nation of India and added it to his empire. Alexander is believed to have fought hard to resist the army in India and after ling battle gained conquest over the nation. From there he went to Egypt where he was also met with a lot of pressure and rebellion. While there, he used various tactics, a large army, and cavalry to defeat the Egyptian army and added Egypt to his conquest. Alexander is known to have conquered many cities in Persia, Asia, and Egypt thus making them one of the cities in the Greek empire. His empire is believed to have been the greatest and strongest empire during the ancient era.

The Legacy of His Empire

Alexander took over Greece, Asia, Persia, India, and Egypt and made this his lasting dynasty some of the legacies of his empire is that be brought most of the Greek cultures and way of life into every area he conquered. For example, he is known to have established the Mycenaean which was known as a center of trade in the Greek empire. Thus, Alexander developed various aspects of trade that improved the economy of his empire as well as the economies of the surrounding nations. He also builds a monarchy in Mycenaean which led to the development of cities in the empire (History.com, 2017). The cities were known to be built in a line and this is seen in many nations today. In Greece, he came up with different ways of governing the city-states, or polis and this was done based on local conditions.

Aside from asserting his influence on Greece, he also had an important influence in uniting the Greek city-states. He destroyed the Persian Empire forever especially with the mass wedding in which he allowed Macedonians to marry Persian princesses. He also introduced Macedonian way of dressing into the states which he conquered. Alexander also ensures that the Greek culture, architecture, trade, and ways of life dominated most if not all the regions he had conquered. Similarly, the conquest of Alexander also led to the spread of the Greek culture, Hellenism to all the nations which he had conquered. For example, most of the cities taken by Alexander adopted Greek ways of life, trade, culture, and architecture. The Greek culture is believed to have spread from eastern to the western parts and from the Mediterranean to Asia. It is believed that factors such as education, medicine, architecture and general way of life were taken from the Greek empire.

Impact on India, Persia, and Egypt

In Persia, the reign of Alexander the great brought about changes such as destroying the Persian Empire. He introduced the Hellenic cultures, which is believed to have marked the Hellenic period in Persia and other parts of the world. He also introduced the Greeks way of living and thinking in Persia, India, and Egypt. Moreover, Alexander influenced these areas with the Greek language, culture, and way of life. For example, it is believed that he b rough about the magnificent Greek architecture to Persia, Egypt, and India. He also introduced the Greek language and writing styles to these nations.

Thus, through his conquest of these nations, Alexander was able to ensure that the people in these nations learn the Greek language and used in on a daily basis. He also ensured that India, Egypt, and Persia developed the use of Greek architecture in their buildings. They used intricate Greek ways of making houses, building other structures and well as used various architectural skills only found in Greece at that time. He also introduced the Greek religion and gods into these nations. For example, he ensures that the practice of having many deities and gods practiced in Greek was adopted by these territories. It is clear that Persia, Egypt, and India developed the practice of having many gods just like the Egyptians did. Moreover, Alexander also ensured that these regions developed methods of learning such as mathematics, science, and medicine. He also ensured that they lived their lives by following the Greek ways of life through religion, education, and other cultural practices (History.org, 2017).

Alexander the Great was born in 356 BC to queen Olympia and King Phillip II. Be became a king at the age of 20 years after the assassination of his father. He followed in the footsteps of his father and conquered many nations from Persia, Egypt, India, and Asia. Alexander is known to have a great influence on life of the people he ruled. For example, he introduced the Greek way of life to these nations. He ensured that the spread the Greek culture of Hellenism to all these nations that he had conquered. Moreover, Alexander also led to the total destruction of the Persian Empire as well as ensured that the nations he had conquered also adopted the Greek method of building their cities and states using the Greek architecture. He also introduced other factors such as religion, language, and medicine in these regions.

References

History.com. (2017). Alexander the Great. History.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great.

History.org. (2017). 5g. Alexander the Great. History.org. Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/civ/5g.asp.

Mark, J. J. (2013). Alexander the Great. Ancient History. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/Alexander_the_Great/.