The Battle of Gaugamela was one of Alexander's greatest triumphs . Outnumbered five to one, the Macedonians defeated the Persians while Alexander outmaneuvered Darius, despite the fact that the great king fought on his own turf, armed with special weapons such as scythed chariots and elephants. combat.
Alexander inherited more than a kingdom from his father, Philip II of Macedon. He inherited a powerful military instrument and the desire to use it. Philip had fought for many years to unify the Macedonian kingdom and impose its power over its Greek and barbarian neighbors. The army he raised to do so was the basis of Alexander's conquests. If Philip had not been assassinated at the age of 46, he, and not Alexander, could have fought against the great Persia .
Gaugamela data
- Who : Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) with 47,000 Greek/Macedonian soldiers versus 240,000 Persians under the great King Darius (reigned 336-330 BC).
- How: Alexander used an oblique formation to break through the Persian front, Darius fled, and the Persian army collapsed.
- Where: Near Tel Gomel, in what is now northern Iraq.
- When: October 1, 331 BC.
- Why: Alexander intended to finally defeat Darius in combat and finish his conquest of the Persian Empire.
- Result: Darius was assassinated, possibly by his own generals. Alexander became the owner of Persia.
ExamplesandinspirationofAlexandertheGreat
Alexander was raised as he befitted a Greek prince, with heroic tales from the epic poetry of Homer. He was part of a culture that demanded that great men despise personal danger and risk themselves to gain experience.
Also he received teachings from Aristotle himself in philosophy and science , and already as a child he was a delightful guest for court guests. Aristotle was named his teacher, largely to control Alexander's recklessness and aggressiveness or at least temper them with more philosophical and civilized values. In this he did not achieve complete success.
Alexander learned much from his tutor and became a very learned man, but he remained essentially the boy Hercules wanted to be. Alexander's inspiration was Hercules; Homer's accounts of his exploits inspired Alexander in his general attitude. Alexander probably considered himself a modern version of the classical Greek heroes. To a large extent, this was true.
Situation in the Reign of Philip II
At the time when Alexander inherited the kingdom of Macedonia. Philip II had made it the dominant power in the Greek world. Athens, Thebes and even Sparta had been overshadowed and the Persians had been driven out of Thrace. Alexander had participated in some of the later campaigns and was building a reputation as an aggressive commander. Philip also changed the nature of Macedonian society. The existing nobility now had the
compulsory military service, and the army was a clear path to greatness. Philip rewarded his distinguished officers and soldiers, and Alexander was quick to understand the effects of his father's generosity on morale.
Alexander the Great's rise to power
Philip was assassinated by one of his own bodyguards, and Alexander may have been behind the plot. Other plausible explanations exist, and Alexander himself adopted the version that Persia was behind the assassination of the Macedonian king. Alexander's succession was a characteristically turbulent process, with potential rivals and enemies assassinated or executed, and had repercussions that lasted throughout Alexander's reign . However, he did not stop here, but immediately began his own campaign of conquest. Alexander's initial campaigns were to put down rebellions between tribes on his northern frontier and in Greece itself . As soon as he could, he turned against Persia, as he had always wanted. A Macedonian contingent was already skirmishing in Persia, although nothing of importance had been achieved. In 334 BC Alexander reinforced his army and began his great campaign.
The Persian Empire in 334 B.C.
The Persian Empire was huge:it stretched from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean . He was extremely rich, although he was internally divided. The Persian Empire under Darius could field a huge number of soldiers, but they came from many different regions and cultures. They had no common structure, and in some cases they spoke a completely different language. Many of the soldiers of the empire came from subjugated peoples, dissatisfied with their state, and did not put great enthusiasm in fighting for their great king . This created an additional problem:Persia not only had to protect and control a huge area, but some of the troops she used were not very reliable.
Part of Darius's troops consisted of Greek mercenaries, since mercenaries were often more reliable than the forces of the subject peoples who formed the great mass of the Persian soldiery. These Greek mercenaries formed the backbone of the army that first confronted Alexander as he advanced into Asia Minor.
Victory in granic
Alexander was an extremely aggressive commander who viewed any kind of defensive preparation as a sign of weakness. He was therefore encouraged, rather than dismayed, when the Persian army massed behind the Granicus River, forcing him across it in the face of his opposition. Alexander stated that the Persians had no confidence in victory, and were counting on the steep banks of the river to slow the intensity of their attack enough for the Persian cavalry to defeat them . He hurled his cavalry across the river at the point where the enemy seemed strongest, and after a bitter skirmish managed to put the Persian cavalry to flight. The Persian second line, the Greek mercenaries, held their ground, but were massacred.
The Granicus established the moral dominance of Alexander's army over his enemies and forced Darius to adopt an even more defensive attitude . Several local populations defected to Alexander, who was able to consolidate his conquest of the region without interference. Only the fortified port of Halicamasus was defended to any extent, but it eventually fell to Alexander's army.
Alexander's forces quickly took over the entire region of Anatolia . The Persian army did not interfere, although some local tribes caused trouble. Alexander advanced on Cilicia, from where he could make his way both into Egypt and into the heart of Persia, forcing Darius to act.
Darius had assembled an army of some 140,000 men while Alexander cleared his flank of resistant coastal towns and subdued the barbarians in the mountains. He headed south into Syria to place his army in the rear of Darius's, and Darius, entering Cilicia through the northern mountain passes, found himself crossing Alexander's supply line. . Darío, still thinking defensively, chose a good position by the Pinaro River and awaited Alejandro's next move. He again interpreted this as a sign of nervousness and launched a frontal attack. Alexander fought on foot at the head of his infantry and, as at the Granicus, defeated the Persian forces at the critical moment . The Persian army disintegrated and the Macedonians pursued the stragglers with great energy. Darío himself escaped, although his family was captured.
The pause
Over the next two years, Alexander, now in possession of half the Persian Empire, reduced pockets of resistance and eliminated Persian fleet bases in the Mediterranean. Brazenly, he captured Egypt, relying on Darius's defensive mindset, to prevent an attack on his rear while campaigning in the West .
In the summer of 331 BC, Alexander was poised to complete his conquest of the Persian Empire. Vastly outnumbered and at the end of a long supply line, he nonetheless decided that rather than accept Darius's offer to acknowledge his conquests, he would risk everything in an attempt to capture the entire empire. This was Alejandro's attitude, in a nutshell:all or nothing. Advancing on Mesopotamia, the ancient cradle of civilization between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Alexander issued his challenge to Darius, king of kings. Dario considered going back further into his territory and perhaps burning the land behind him, but decided to put up a fight instead .
Dario's Preparations
Darius knew that Alexander would give battle as soon as possible, since he was operating at the end of a long supply line, and the Persians were not . He chose his land near the modern city of Mosul in Iraq and made his preparations for combat. Darius was determined to procure every advantage, even though he commanded five times as many soldiers as Alexander .
He ordered the land to be leveled and obstacles removed so that his cavalry and chariots would have better access to the enemy.
Darius's initial attack would be made by his front line, made up of the cavalry and the best Persian infantry units . Darius himself was in the center of the Persian line with his 10,000-strong personal guard, which the Greeks called the Immortals. In front of them were lined up some 200 chariots with scythes. A second line, made up of a huge number of foot soldiers, was positioned behind the first. Darius hoped he could encircle both flanks of Alexander and crush his army from all sides . Alexander's line would be crossed and broken by the onslaught of cavalry and chariots. The infantry would advance to complete the victory. Instead, Alejandro had other ideas.
The battle begins
To protect his flanks from encircling maneuver, Alexander used a version of the oblique order of battle used by the Thebans in 371 BC. He placed his cavalry units on the flanks, each one staggered back from the last, creating "rejected" flanks that required the enemy to move further if he wanted to engage. His phalanx of well-trained Macedonian infantry was positioned in the center of the Greek line. A reserve phalanx formed Alexander's second line. Alexander's plan called for his left flank, under the veteran General Parmenio, to initiate a holding action while Alexander the Great led his right wing to victory . In this he was aided by the Persians themselves, who sent their cavalry from the left flank a great distance around Alexander's right, opening a gap in his line. The Macedonian army moved to the right. If Dario was too late, his chariots could lose the benefit of his prepared race . So the attack was launched. Darius's cavalry surrounded the flanks of the Macedonian force as the chariots (and, in some accounts, 15 fighting elephants) made their initial frontal attack.
The Macedonian line was able to push back the chariots and withstand the initial onslaught, although a portion of the Persian cavalry managed to break through. It was attacked by the reserve phalanx and by light troops, who had received instructions to do so.
Triumph of Alexander
Some Persians began to rob the Macedonian baggage train. If they had turned around and fallen behind on the Macedonians, outnumbered and surrounded, they could have contributed to a victory . Instead, they withdrew from battle when they were most needed. As he had planned, Alexander led his elite cavalry, the Companions, and the forces they supported against the Persian left wing. Exploiting the gap between the cavalry of the Persian left wing and the center, the Companions dealt a savage blow to the forces in front of them. They were followed by a large wedge of infantry and light troops, who fell on the disorganized Persians.
Fearing to be separated, the commander of the Persian left wing, Besso, began a retreat , which reduced the pressure on Alexander's repulsed right wingtip. Meanwhile, Darío himself felt the pressure. If Alexander's conquering cavalry turned on him, instead of fiercely attacking Besso, Darius himself might find himself surrounded and captured. Memories of earlier defeats may have greatly influenced the Persian emperor, for he, too, began to regress. The retreat turned into a rout when Darío's bodyguards followed his leader in flight from the battlefield . Alexander could not pursue them because the situation on his left wing was becoming desperate. Parmenion's forces were hard pressed on the left, although they had fulfilled their mission by holding down the Persian forces. Now Alexander charged into the rear of the Persians attacking Parmenion, forcing them to retreat. The commander of the Persian right wing, Maceo, tried to lead an orderly retreat, but was vigorously attacked, and his soldiers fell into disarray.
End of the Persian resistance
This represented the end of organized Persian resistance in Gaugamela. The remaining Persian forces were scattered, pursued or put to the sword and the baggage train was captured. Alexander began a pursuit of the surviving forces of Darius for three days, although he was unable to capture his enemy , that he regrouped much of his remaining cavalry and several thousand foot soldiers and managed to escape. After Darius' flight, 40,000 Persian soldiers were left dead, 4,000 more prisoners, and the rest of the army scattered in the countryside.
Aftermath
Gaugamela was a decisive defeat for Darius. He kept the Crown and part of the army from him, but was unable to challenge Alexander again, who continued on to Persia itself. After taking Susa, he proceeded to the capital, Persepolis, and became master of the Persian Empire in all but title. As long as Darío was still alive, he could not claim the title .
Darius avoided capture and reached the friendly kingdom of Bactria, where he was found dead, assassinated. At last, the Persians could surrender. Alexander was proclaimed "Great King" and added Persia to his growing empire . Alexander's kingdom would eventually extend to India.