The legendary campaign of Alexander the Great is one of the greatest events of the ancient world. Even in antiquity, Alexander was entrenched in the glory of one of the greatest commanders in history. For seven years, the great commander managed to completely conquer the Persian Empire, which once nearly conquered Alexander's homeland - Greece. Let's remember this glorious story.
Alexander was born at the end of July 356 BC. e. in the capital of Macedonia - Pella. The son of a fan of Greek culture, Alexander, in addition to military affairs and horseback riding, studied music, mathematics and Greek literature. The admiration for the great creations of the Hellenes by the young Macedonian was so great that he even carried Homer's Iliad with him on campaigns and laid it at the head of the head next to the sword at night. True, he was inspired not by poems, but by the exploits of heroes. But even Greek literature could not soften the passionate and unbridled character of Alexander - he always compared himself with Achilles, from whom, by his mother, the frantic and power-hungry Olympias, he descended. The famous philosopher Aristotle, who, at the choice of his father, was to become a mentor to a 13-year-old teenager, could not cope with him either.
In addition to ethics and philosophy, Aristotle taught Alexander the science of the state. But the ideal of a great teacher was far away. Macedonia was full of noble families who sought to control the king. Greece, after the death of Philip II, decided to win back its freedom.
Alexander began his reign by destroying all possible contenders for the throne, and then reminded Hellas of Macedonian rule. The initial demonstration of power at the borders made the Greeks change their minds, and they recognized Alexander for all the rights of the murdered Philip II:he was elected archon, strategist-autocrat of Hellas and recognized as hegemon. Alexander calmly departed north to fight the barbarians.
However, Thebes broke first, spurred on by Athens, who had a low opinion of the young king's abilities. It is one thing to defeat some barbarian tribes, another thing is to take one of the most powerful cities in Greece. Is it possible for a boy? It turned out that yes. Alexander's army quickly marched (in 13 days) from Thrace to Thebes. And, despite the courageous resistance of the best Theban army in Greece, the city was taken. Alexander, in the words of the ancient Greek historian Diodorus, "brutalized soul." All the inhabitants of the city, with the exception of the priests and supporters of the Macedonians, were sold into slavery (30 thousand people), the male population was exterminated, and the city itself was wiped off the face of the earth. Apparently, as a tribute to Greek literature, the king left in the open field only the house of the poet Pindar. Only then did the Greeks appreciate the velvet policy of Philip II, when Alexander showed them the "iron fist".
Now that the hopeless Greeks were pacified, Alexander decided to finally go to war with the Achaemenid power. This war was to be perceived by the Greeks as revenge for the desecration of the Hellenic shrines in the previous Greco-Persian wars. The desire of Alexander, who "dreamed of inheriting power, fraught not with luxury, pleasure and wealth, but with battles, wars and the struggle for glory" (Plutarch), seems to have been close to being realized. To cut his way back, Alexander gave away most of his lands in Macedonia and hopefully turned his glory-hungry gaze on Iran. In 334 BC. e. Alexander threw his spear at the Asian coast, thus declaring his rights to this territory, and landed on the coast of Asia Minor with an army of 50,000.
Alexander was so eager to fight that, having met the enemy near the Granik River, he immediately ordered his cavalry to swim across to the other (steep!) Bank of the river and attack the enemy (according to experienced commanders, it was a crazy plan). The battle that began in the water, with the Iranians who did not expect such pressure, was won! Inspired by the first success, the commander, plundering and ruining everything in his path, rushed through the cities of Asia Minor in a whirlwind, subjugating them and establishing democratic rule (but not granting them independence, however).
In Gordion, Alexander showed everyone how he solves complex problems. In this city there was a famous wagon, to the drawbar of which, according to legend, the Phrygian king Gordius tied a yoke with a tangled knot (Gordian knot). The prediction said that whoever unties this knot will gain dominion over the world. Having fiddled with the intricacies of the ropes, Alexander, seeing the futility of his attempts, in a rage cut the knot with his sword.
The Iranian king Darius III Kodoman was looking for a meeting with the invader. Iran has long been famous for its cavalry, which was strong on flat ground. The Iranian king, no less than Alexander, was confident in his abilities and was in such a hurry to meet the uninvited guest that, without listening to any advice, he entered the rugged terrain of Cilicia, deciding to go to Alexander's rear. Now the Iranians could not use their famous cavalry and even numerical superiority (according to ancient historians, the army of Darius III outnumbered the Macedonian three times).
November 12, 333 BC e. The battle took place on the river Pindar near the city of Iss. The Macedonian troops slowly approached the enemy and immediately went on the attack. The Iranians began to retreat under the onslaught of the Greeks and Macedonians. Alexander, who fought in the forefront, noticed Darius on a gilded chariot in the center of the army and rushed towards him, not noticing the wound and destroying everything in his path. Fast, furious, impulsive, he sought to end the matter with one blow - the single combat of kings should decide which of them to rule in Asia. But Darius, standing among the fighting and dying bodyguards and nobles, seeing the Macedonian king so close intoxicated with battle, was the first of his army to rush to escape. After that, even the left flank of the Iranians, which had successfully pressed the Macedonians, fled. Panic began, which ended in a crushing defeat for the Iranian army. The whole family of the Iranian king was captured by Alexander.
Entering Darius’s camping tent, which was more like a palace, the semi-impoverished Macedonian king, who did not see such luxury in meager Greece, said in puzzlement:“This, apparently, means - reign."
The Iranian king who escaped was not dangerous in the near future, and Alexander went to Egypt. Along the way, he easily took luxurious Damascus, in which Darius's traveling treasury remained. It was then that the Macedonians felt a taste for luxury. But the commander did not give them enough to enjoy the eastern bliss and the brilliance of gold. He impatiently drove the army forward. On the way to Egypt, Alexander, accustomed to the rapid surrender of cities, was unexpectedly stopped by the rebellious inhabitants of the city of Tyre, who stubbornly did not want to give up. Tire forced the Macedonians into a long siege. Even the god Apollo, according to legend, who appeared in a dream to the persistent townspeople, could not persuade them to surrender to Alexander. The inhabitants of Tyre recognized Apollo as a traitor, entangled his statue with ropes, nailed it to the plinth (so that he would not go to Alexander), and called him "Alexandrist". However, these measures did not help, and after a seven-month siege, the city was taken. Unforgiving resistance, enraged Alexander ordered the execution of 6 thousand prisoners, crucified 2 thousand and sold 30 thousand into slavery. The same fate befell the city of Gaza.
From Encyclopedia