Alexander the Great in the painting by Januarius Zick.

Alexander the Great known as Alexander of Macedon (356-323 BC)

King of Macedonia, founder of a vast Middle Eastern empire. In his youth, he was raised by the famous philosopher Aristotle. He ascended the throne in 336 B.C.E., after the death of his father, Philip II. Hegemon of the Corinthian League, which brings together most of the Greek states.

In 334, he launched a major campaign against Persia ruled by Darius III. Conqueror from Issos (333 BCE), he conquered Tire, took Gaza and Egypt. In 331 he gave Darius the final defeat at Gaugamela, incorporating Mesopotamia into his swelling empire, as well as the area of ​​today's Iran and Afghanistan. He made an attempt to conquer India, during which he almost died during the storming of one of the cities.

He is remembered for his military genius and love of culture. However, Alexander the Great was both a bloodthirsty and ruthless leader, responsible for one of the greatest slaughters of the ancient world. Such was the fate of, among others Tire people who were either slaughtered or sold as slaves. Thousands of men paid their lives for resisting Alexander's army in Gaza. The uprising incited by the brahmanas in the Sindhu area was also bloody suppressed. In an increasingly larger empire, there were more and more rebellions, which Alexander most often suppressed by condemning their ringleaders and participants to death.

Alexander the Great died in Babylon at the age of only 33. The cause of his death was likely malaria, although it is a topic of constant debate, with many authors still claiming that the ruler was the victim of a treacherous attack. A few months later his wife Roxana gave birth to his son, later Alexander IV.