Alexander the Great, Military Intellectual

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Alexander the Great was born in 356 B.C in a place called Pella in Macedonia. According to historical records, Alexander was one of the greatest military intellects the world has ever produced. While still a young boy, he had set out on a mission to conquer the world and make it under Macedonian rule. The driving factor in this mission was his belief that the world should have one leader. In all the countries that Alexander conquered, he brought in Greek ideas that finally culminated into what is today referred to as western civilization. In order to understand the man better, it is first important to examine the circumstances surrounding his birth. (Kagan 36)

Main body

Alexanders birth according to historical analysts was in itself surrounded by mystery. His parents were people who belonged to the royal family and were legends in their own way. Alexanders mother Olympias was a direct descendant of Zeus who was a feared god in the Greek culture. Both his father and mother were religious people. When Olympia was pregnant, the gods are said to have communicated to her and the husband in a dream on the nature of the child to be born. His mother is said to have dreamt of a loud rumbling that had struck her womb. In her husbands dream, he saw himself sealing his wifes womb with the seal of a lion. Since both of them believed in the power of dreams, they called an interpreter who was required to give the meaning of the dreams. The man determined that since Olympias was pregnant, then the dream was linked to the birth of the child. According to his interpretation, the child would be a boy and would have the character of a lion. It was in this context then that the young boy Alexander was born. (Green 301)

When he was a young boy Alexander was fearless and strong. These are qualities that could only be likened to those of a lion. At the tender age of twelve years, Alexander was able to tame a horse that even adults could not ride. On achieving this fete, his father had encouraged him to look for a bigger kingdom since he couldnt fit in Macedonia. It was this horse that could later carry him to the far parts of the world in war. Together with his age mates who belonged to the loyal family, Alexander was taken in by the renowned philosopher Aristotle who taught them the world of art. Though Aristotle conquered the world with intellect, his pupil Alexander conquered it with war. (Green 305)

Alexanders motivation came from the belief that since god was one, then the world should have one person to rule it. It was this school of thought that would see him endeavor to unite the world under one rule. When his father went out for conquest, he would leave the kingdom under Alexander. At one time in 340 B.C, Alexander who had nothing to do was left to look after the kingdom. He then decided to use this period to test his skill in war. Using his fathers remaining army, Alexander is said to have driven the inhabitants of Maedi who were considered to be rebellious out of their town. After he had done this, he created a kingdom of several nations that were in the region. He then called the town Alexandropolis after his own name. This was like a baptism of fire for the young boy Alexander. Encouraged by his courage, his father Philip decided to put him in charge of one section of his army. It was this section under Alexander that finally brought the whole of Greek under Macedonian rule. (Kagan 38)

When King Philip was executed in 336 BC, Alexander who was only 20 years old was immediately installed as king in place of his father. Due to his young age, many people did not respect him at first but he soon quashed any rebellion against him. To achieve this, he executed all the people suspected to be behind his fathers death and those who were disloyal to him. Alexander then began his march to conquer the parts of the world that his father had not succeeded in doing so. It was this march that finally saw him come to India. (Kagan 37)

At this point it is important to note that India was the last country that Alexander conquered in Asia before consolidating his power. Unlike other countries that had resisted him, the king of India had made a peace treaty with Alexander. He then helped the Indian king in driving out the Persians who had inhabited the land. However, the only part that he managed to conquer was the North-Western frontier. India had one of the fiercest tribes in history. Another notable thing is that India had been having numerous foreign influences for a long time. In terms of religion, India had been influenced by different religions and was only beginning to adopt Buddhism when Alexander invaded it. When Alexander entered the country, he had succeeded in crushing the Persian army that inhabited the country. He had then proceeded in establishing Greek settlements all over the land. Crushed by many years of war, the morale within the Macedonian army was low and they pressured the king in to leaving India. (Green 298)

By this time, Alexander had not succeeded in conquering the whole region. When he left after only two years of inhabitation, he left behind a power vacuum that was not immediately filled. After Alexanders death, there arose a power struggle in the whole Macedonian kingdom since they could not agree on someone to succeed him. This struggle for the throne made the whole kingdom suffer for a long time. The impact of the vacuum was worse in India since the people he had installed to rule after leaving had also left immediately after his death. This vacuum was later filled by Chandragupta an artistic young man who almost succeeded in unifying India. However due to many years of war and the larger Macedonian influence, he did not achieve this fete. (Green 302)

Though Alexander ruled for only 13 years the effects of his rule were felt in every country that he conquered. His desire to see the world under one ruler had led him to introduce one currency that was used in the entire Macedonian kingdom. India was no exception to this rule. Though the invasion in India did not have far reaching impacts as far as the politics and military were concerned, it had lasting effects in other areas. Before the invasion, India had cordial relations in trade with Persia. Where the Indians traded in ivory, the Persians had used coins that were finally accepted as a medium of exchange. (Kagan 37)

When Alexander conquered India, he introduced the Greek coins that greatly influenced those that were being used in India. After the Greeks had left, coins of Indo-Greek rulers were found in Taxila. While the Greek coins were made nicely, the Indian ones were punched in the middle. When these new set of coins were found, they were used to form a better looking Indian coin. These are still the coins that the Indians use albeit with a few changes. (McCrindle 16)

Another key sector that the invasion of Alexander the Great changed in India was culture. The Persians had opened up trade with other countries and India became a country with contacts in foreign countries. Due to the influence that Alexander the great had on the countries he conquered, Indias culture was forever altered. The Greeks culture was complete with art and India inherited this rich culture. Alexander was renowned for his artistic ability that he had learned from Aristotle and he brought this in to every country that he conquered. In India, he built cities that he called Alexandria. These cities were occupied by Greek soldiers but when they left they were inherited by the Indians. Due to their great architectural designs they became the focus of Greek culture and great tourist attractions. They also build schools of art in the western regions of India that came to be very popular in later years. (McCrindle 17)

Upon the withdrawal of his troops in India, Alexander left behind a great political vacuum that needed to be filled if the country was to move forward in development matters. This had then set the stage for Chandragupta to come up with a culture he called the Mauryan Empire. This empire had better rulers and a rich culture. Their government unlike those before them was centralized and had well developed commerce and trade. They also maintained public places and brought the order that had been lacking in India for a long time. The emperor also introduced Buddhism in and outside India. This is still the religion that the people of India still practice. (McCrindle 18)

The Mauryan culture was also rich in art. The empire had carvings that are still used up to date. An example of this is the Ajanta Ellora Caves which are a major tourist attraction in India. Another symbol called the Ashoka Lion and Chakra that depicted peace is still the symbol used in the Indian currency and flag. This shows how deeply the invasion has impacted on the architectural culture of India. (McCrindle 20)

Conclusion

Alexander the great was one person whose memory still lives on even after his death. In military schools, students are taught how to emulate his tactics in war. In the old and the modern society, great leaders still measure their success against that of this great man. Wherever the names of those who fought a brave fight are quoted, Alexanders name always finds a place. Although he did not realize his dream of seeing a unified world under one leader, he came close to achieving that goal. His ideas have been adopted by many people who want a place in historical books.

A greater influence is felt in those countries he conquered. The dates he conquered different countries have remained as calendar markers in the history of those people. The ideas and beliefs that he stood for finally gave way to the birth of the western civilization. The Greek way of life has largely been adopted in our society today thanks to Alexander. Countries like India were the great benefactors of this great legend. After he had left the country, the power vacuum that he left gave birth to the Mauryan culture that became a defining period in Indias history. Most of Indias history was written during this important period and it was also the period that finally saw India adopt lasting peace.

Works Cited

Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. 297-310, University of California Press. 1992. Print.

Kagan, D, Ozment, S & Turner F. The Western Heritage: To 1715, Volume 1 of Western Heritage. 34-46, Prentice Hall. 1998. Print.

McCrindle, John. The Invasion of India by Alexander the Great, 8-20. AMS Press. 1972. Print.

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Alexander the Great, Military Intellectual

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