Alexander the Great Part Four

I chose to learn more about an important ancient figure, Alexander the Great. Alex was a leader of one of the largest empires throughout history, which collapsed after his death. He was one of the greatest generals of all time, and he also possessed a talent for administration and logistics. Alexander inherited the Macedonian Empire from his father, Philip, who laid the groundwork for the Macedonian Empire; Alexander would not have succeeded without his father. He also led a conquest that captured one of the largest empires in history. Alexander was a daring tactician who also developed well-designed logistical plans for his 12-year military campaign.

Alexander the Great inherited his kingdom from his father and made it one of the largest empires in history. King Phillip inherited Macedonia from his father and promptly killed off all opposition. He was buried in Egypt- against his will. The successor Kingdoms fought over his spoils. Alexander the Great inherited his kingdom from his fathers, was buried in Egypt, and the successor kingdoms divided up his empire afterward.

Alexander the Great inherited Macedonia from his father, King Phillip. Alex would not have been able to achieve almost anything close to what he had achieved if it weren’t for the support of his father.[1] King Phillip created the marriages, created the units, created the alliances, created the troops, and created the ships that allowed Alexander to succeed.[2]  King Hillip had five wives- all from outside Macedonian kingdoms. These kingdoms allied with Macedonia due to the marriage alliances, which strengthened Macedonia and the general- overall Greek Kingdom. The Macedonian Kingdom relied on having all kings be Argyles. King Phillip killed all the Argyles who were inside Macedon, leaving him being the only choice for succession. King Phillip created the scenario that caused the Macedonian Kingdom to grow under Alex.

Ptolemy constructed the ancient city of Alexandria and also constructed the Library of Alexandria. Alex died in Egypt and was buried in Memphis, Egypt. The body of Alex was put in the city of Memphis, Egypt – it was not supposed to be there, it was supposed to be in Macedonia- his homeland- according to his will. He was supposed to meet his youngest child’s Euphrates, in Egypt, but he died right before.

The successors to the Macedonian Kingdom were called the successor kingdoms. They were split into Bactria, Egypt, Greece, and Persia. The Successor Kingdoms were very powerful, however not the most powerful in Europe. The Macedonian Kingdom split into three to five smaller kingdoms after Alex died. Some were his generals, some were local rulers, and some were his family members.

Alexander the Great built his kingdom of Macedonia from the enlarging kingdom of Macedonia. His father, King Phillip, had killed off all opposition to his rule that came from inside his kingdom. The Kingdom of Macedonia, until King Phillip became king, was slightly backwards and also slightly uncivilized. King Phillip built his kingdom from the metaphorical jungle and allowed Alexander the Great to explode onto the scene. King Alexander died in Egypt, on his way to see his kids after a long Campaign. Alexander the Great inherited his kingdom from his father and created one of the shortest but largest campaigns in history.

Citations:

Romm, James S. 2011. Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Alexander: The Making of a God. Dir. Hugh Ballantyne, Stuart Elliott, Mike Slee. Netflix, 2024. Streaming video.

Meeus, Alexander. “Some Institutional Problems Concerning the Succession to Alexander the Great: ‘Prostasia’ and Chiliarchy.” Historia: Zeitschrift Für Alte Geschichte 58, no. 3 (2009): 287–310. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25598472.

Goldsworthy, Adrian. Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors. New York: Basic Books, 2020.

[1] Goldsworthy, Adrian. Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors. New York: Basic Books, 2020.

[2] Goldsworthy, Adrian. Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors. New York: Basic Books, 2020.