Alexander the Great
(English Edition)
After Death Philip of Macedon:
Philip of Macedon died, leaving his son Alexander the Great to a great kingdom. Alexander had to preserve his father’s kingdom from the first moment he assumed the throne, and his upbringing played a great role in making him a great leader praised by history, as his father left his upbringing to his mother Olympias, who earned him many of its attributes. Greek culture was taught by the Aristotle philosopher. He mastered knighthood when he was twelve years old, so his father gave him his famous horse, Bucephalus, meaning the head of the bull that shared his legend.
In 336 BC, Alexander ascended the throne of Macedonia, at the age of twenty. He faced several great difficulties from the first moment of his accession to the throne. But his personality and culture had a great impact, which made him feel his great responsibility and realize among the folds of himself that he is an invincible hero. The first of these difficulties that Alexander faced was the emergence of some claimants to the throne, led by Commander Antipatros, his father's friend who was sold by the army in the Sea of Marmara. Likewise, the Commander Atallus declared uncle Philip's bride his rebellion against Alexander and pledged allegiance to Amuntas IV, Alexander's cousin, but Alexander was able to arrest and execute him. Amontas was also arrested and executed by him and his family while he was trying to flee so that he would not be seen new demands for the throne.
The difficulties faced by Alexander the Great
Only his half-brother, Arrhidaeus, was left to Alexander, and he was not mentally disabled.
The second of these difficulties is the rebellion of the Greek cities, which received the news of the death of King Philip with great joy, because they believed that they had obtained their freedom, and that Alexander would not be as strong as his father. That is why Greek cities broke off treaties they had concluded with Macedonia, expelled Macedonian garrisons and declared a general rebellion. At the head of these cities is Thebes, which expelled the Macedonian garrison from Cadmea Castle.
In Athens,
Demosthenes claims to call for union against Macedonia for the freedom of the country of Greece. Likewise, Thessaly, Africa and Aetolia also declared independence. In addition to the revolt of the Thracians and Illyrians tribes that inhabit Northern Macedonia. Because of the behavior of Greek cities, Alexander gathered senior Macedonian army leaders to consult in order to prepare for his discipline campaign against the rebellious states of Greece.
In the spring of 335 BC, Alexander at the head of an army of thirty thousand soldiers headed to Thessaly, surrendered to him, and forgave her family in honor of the hero Achilles (Achilles). Then he headed to Corinth and soon declared allegiance to him. While in Corinth he sent Athena asking for safety and submission to Macedonia, so the Alexander forgave them and secured them for their souls and possessions.
On the other hand, Alexander wanted to secure the northern borders of his kingdom before he began his campaign against the Persians. Alexander went with his forces north to confront the tribes of the Thracians and Illyrians, and at the Danube the great battle took place, and from the intensity of the fighting the news of Alexander's death was rumored, and the news of his death reached Athens and Thebes. As for Thebes, it announced the revolution, and killed the Macedonian garrison. It was supported by Athena, who quickly called for an alliance with the Persian Empire against Alexander. Alexander learned of this rebellion, and his anger increased due to the betrayal of the Greek cities by him, so he quickly rushed after securing the northern borders, and went south across the Thermopylae Corridor until he reached Tiba, and besieged Kadamiah Castle until it fell into his hands, and Alexander ordered the destruction of the good walls, temples, and houses, and the sale of its inhabitants in markets The slave, who captured nearly thirty thousand prisoners.
When Athens knew of a good thing, she hurriedly sent an embassy to Alexander to express their regret for their misbehavior towards Macedonia. The Athenian embassy was welcomed, and the Athenian delegation's apology was accepted, provided that the leaders of the revolution were exiled against Macedonia, led by the preacher Demosthenes. Athena declared her subservience to Alexander, and that she did not carry out any rebellion during his campaign against the Persians. Alexander acted with Athena this way because he was troubled by what he did kindly. Alexander became the leader of the countries of Greece and assumed full control over the Peloponnese region in the south, the Danube in the north, the Korcera in the west, and the Hellespont in the east. With this, Alexander managed to subdue Greece and consolidate his rule over Macedonia within two years of his father's death.
At the end of the year 335 BC, Alexander went to the city of Corinth, and the Greek cities were invited to the meeting, and the Greek cities sent their ambassadors to the conference. The conference decided to recognize Alexander, commander-in-chief of the Greek Macedonian Alliance, and support the sacred campaign against the Persian state, and provide aid during the Holy War. The conference also noted Alexander's respect for the independence of Greek cities. After that Alexander visited Delphi to consult the gods before coming up with the campaign against the Persians, then he went to Macedonia to prepare for the campaign.
A) Alexander the Great's campaign on the East:
After Alexander the Great returned to Macedonia and secured its northern borders and put down the Greek rebellion. He began preparing for the grand campaign to eliminate the Persian Empire. He began to arrange the affairs of Macedonia and Greece, where the Commander Antipros appointed a general commander in Macedonia and Greece under his command twelve thousand infantry and one thousand and five hundred horsemen. In the year 334 BC, the war decision was a great step for Alexander to prove to himself, the Macedonian advisers, and the great pimps of King Philip that he was a strong leader. Before the expiry of the campaign, Alexander gave a sermon in which he explained the civilization development that his father introduced to the people of Macedonia, explaining the transformation of the Macedonian people from a pastoral people to urban residents and farmers.
In the spring of 334 BC, Alexander went out with a large army to meet the Macedonian forces at the Dardanelles Strait that was under the command of Commander Parmenion and which Philip II had sent to Asia Minor in preparation to fight the Persians. The sources differed on the number of this army. The campaign was also strengthened by a fleet of between one hundred and twenty to one hundred and sixty ships, and the number of its crew numbered about thirty-eight thousand. He accompanied a group of scientists and researchers with the campaign to study the nature of the open country.
On the other hand, as Alexander crossed his army to the Sea of Marmara, the supplies decreased, so he considered returning to Macedonia and canceling the war. But he wanted to prove to the army that he is a Macedonian leader and a great Greek leader, just as he wanted to create for himself a great historical glory like his father. So he crossed the Sea of Marmara, until he reached Troy and visited the grave of the hero Achelius, then performed the prayers at the Temple of Athena in Troy.
The Battle of Granicus (334 BC):
After Alexander's visit to Troy, he crossed the Geranikos (Beja River) and is located northwest of Asia Minor. He found the Persian forces stationed at the river under the leadership of the Persian ruler Aurandabad, and the great battle took place, and Alexander almost died in that battle had it not been for the courage of his Commander of the Guard, Cletius. He punished them by sending them to work in the Macedonian fields because of their participation in the war with the Persians against the Greek forces, and this is according to the laws of the Corinthian Conference.
After that battle Alexander moved to conquer the Greek cities of Asia Minor, and the Greek cities surrendered to him one after the other, except for Milicus and Halicarnassus. He besieged them for four months until they fell in his hand, and the commander Memnon of Rhodes, the commander of the mercenary soldiers in the city, expelled the Persian fleet, and forced the two cities to enter the Greeks. Then Alexander proceeded to arrange the affairs of the Greek kingdoms in North Asia Minor, and the Persian leaders remained in place after they pledged allegiance to him.
In the year 333 BC, Alexander headed south towards Anatolia, seized Phrygia and appointed Commander Antigonus the One-Eyed as governor. Meanwhile, military supplies have arrived from Macedonia and the Greek alliance countries. Then Alexander moved his forces to Ankara (Ancyra) and took them, and from there to Cappadocia and Cilicia and took them over, then he went to Tarsus and from there to Asus.
The Battle of Issos 333 BC:
After Alexander and his army spent the whole winter conquering the fortified cities and castles of Asia Minor, they continued to march south until they reached the Issus plain leading to Syria. Alexander knew that the Persian king was there and that he was reuniting his forces. On the other hand, King Darius learned of the course of Alexander’s forces from the north, led by Parmenion, who ordered the attacking and killing of the Macedonian wounded. Alexander became angry and went to meet the Persian armies, which number more than one hundred thousand Persians and mercenary soldiers approximately, and his forces number approximately forty thousand.
In November of 333 BC, the battle of Asus waged a strong and unequal number. Alexander's great leaders played a major role in that battle, led by the commander Parmenion. The Persians did not last long, and King Darius III fled from the battle and his forces followed him, and the territory of Syria fell to Alexander, and the wife of the Persian king and his family fell into captivity. The Macedonians seized a great treasure he had carried with him, as well as massive amounts of supplies and weapons. Alexander also ordered the establishment of a city near Issus to honor this victory known as the Alexandretta. After that location, Alexander engaged with his soldiers to urge them to fight for Greece.
On the other hand, King Darius III sent an offer of conciliation to Alexander the Great. It reminds him of previous treaties between the Macedonian kings and his predecessors from the Persians, and offers him to release the prisoners in exchange for a large ransom of money, and to keep all of what he seized from the cities of Asia. Alexander met his pimps and sent a reply to Darius 'letter explaining his predecessors' attack on the Greeks by the Greeks, and that he came for revenge. Thus, Alexander rejected the offer because he wanted the entire Kingdom of the Persians, and thus the fighting became the only and decisive solution between the two parties.
It is worth noting that Alexander did not follow the influence of the Persian king but rather seized the cities of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, in order to tighten the noose on the Persian fleet, which was taking from these ports a base for him to provide aid to the Persian king, as well as for the ease of Alexander's contact with Greece in order to reach supplies And check on its internal affairs.
Alexander the Great's victory in the site of Issus had a wide resonance over both Byblos, Byblos, and Sidon (present-day Sidon) as these cities announced their subordination to Alexander. Alexander continued his campaigns until he reached Ture and asked his people to visit the Temple of Hercules In the city, but they refused that visit and insisted on resisting Alexander, and maintaining their loyalty to the Persian king, Alexander met with his senior leaders to consult in the position of Tire the hostility and the status quo in the East and settled the matter of the occupation of Tire.
Tire was overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by walls that were about two hundred feet above sea level, in addition to an island about half a mile away from the city. Alexander met again with a number of pimps and engineers, led by the commander Radikas, for how to capture the city as it was difficult to control from the sea. They indicated that he would have to seize the city first and erect wooden towers in order to destroy the impenetrable fences, then a bridge would be built to connect the city with the island to take over. Indeed, Alexander besieged the city for seven months until it fell into his hand, and then he built the bridge, crossed the sea, and imposed a siege on Tire from the southern side. After the arrival of his fleet led by Hephaestus, the city fell in July 332 BC, and Alexander ordered the demolition of its walls, the killing of its men, and the sale of its women and children in the slave markets. Alexander celebrated the victory and made offerings at the Temple of Hercules. He ordered that some of the spoils be sent to his family in Greece and to his teacher Leonidas.
After Alexander opened pictures of a message from the Persian king Darius III offering peace, in exchange for the release of his wife and the rest of his family from the families in exchange for ten thousand talents of gold as a ransom, Alexander would marry Alexander from what he wanted from his daughters, and give Alexander the hand in all lands located west of the river Euphrates. Alexander met with pimping and the Commander of the Armenians advised him to accept the peace, but he refused and said to him, "If you were Armenians, I would have accepted it."
Alexander completed his conquest and arrived in Gaza, and found it fortified, as it is located on a high hill surrounded by fences on all sides in addition to the trenches, as it overlooks the sea from the eastern side. It was also found that the Persian garrison had been prepared with the command of Commander Batis. On the other hand, Alexander was aware of the ease of taking over the city, but military engineers indicated to him that it was difficult to take the city with the strength of the army. So he had to turn around the city to locate the attack, and they found the city walls weakened from the southern side. They pointed to the erection of sandy hills next to the fences and put the military towers on them to destroy them. Alexander agreed, and in this way he managed to seize Gaza after heavy fighting, leaving him with a serious wound on his shoulder. And Alexander did to the people of the city what he had done to the people of Tire, and the commander of the garrison, Basit, was killed and took over the city.
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