Alexander, also known as Alexander the Great, was a member of the Argead dynasty and was born in Greece. His Greek name was Ἀλέξανδρος. His father was King Philip II of Macedon, and his mother was Queen Olympias. Alexander was educated by the famous philosopher Aristotle until he was 16 years old.
After his father’s assassination in 336 BC, Great Conqueror ascended to the Macedonian throne. He was awarded the title “Leader of Greece” and used this authority to implement his father’s Pan-Hellenic plan to unite the Greeks for the conquest of Persia. In 334 BC, Alexander began a series of campaigns that would last for ten years, during which he conquered the Achaemenid Empire.
After the conquest of Anatolia, Great Conqueror won a series of decisive battles, particularly at Issus and Gaugamela, which left the Achaemenid king, Darius III, in a precarious position. Alexander ultimately deposed Darius and conquered the Achaemenid Empire. At its height, Alexander’s empire spanned from the Adriatic Sea to the Beas River.
Throughout his life, Alexander strived to reach “the ends of the world” and the “Great Outer Sea.” In 326 BC, he won a significant victory over the Pauravas at the Battle of Hydaspes and invaded India. However, due to the fervent requests of his homesick troops, he returned and fell ill in Babylon, where he planned to declare his capital and launch a campaign to conquer Arabia. He died in 323 BC, and his funeral cortege was taken to Alexandria in Egypt by one of his commanders, Ptolemy. His tomb, visited by Julius Caesar, is now lost.
After Alexander’s death, a series of wars were fought among his surviving generals and heirs, known as the Diadochi Wars. These power struggles led to the fragmentation of Alexander’s short-lived empire into four major parts: Macedonia, the Ptolemaic Kingdom, the Seleucid Empire, and the Kingdom of Pergamon.
Alexander had learned Greek myths and believed himself to be invincible and even divine. During his campaigns, he founded around 20 cities and regions named after himself, and the most famous of these settlements that has survived until today is Alexandria in Egypt. İskenderun, a district in the Hatay province of Turkey, is another example.
Great Conqueror has become a legendary figure in both Greek and non-Greek cultures. He has been compared to the classical hero Achilles and is revered as a military genius. He has been a model for many military leaders, and his tactics are still taught in military academies worldwide. He is considered one of the most influential figures in history.
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