Was Alexander the Great really Great?

                     Alexander the"Great"?

        Imagine yourself having a king that is supposed to be ruling over you and caring for the empire, but your king is never there. How would you begin to feel towards your king who isn't ruling over the nation and the people? This in a way is what it was like for the people who were under Alexander III's rule.

       Throughout history Alexander has always been referred to as Alexander the Great.  But what did he do that made him great? Granted he was a genius, a great strategist, and an amazing general, but these are not the only traits that a king should posses.  Alexander was born in the summer of 356 BC and succeeded the throne at age 20 when his father was assassinated. But many don't know what his childhood was like. Alexander had inherited his military talent and quality of capacity for affairs from his father Phillip II. At age 13 Alexander started tutoring under Aristotle who taught that "moderation cannot hold a kingdom together". At age 16 he governed Macedonia in his father's absence. At age 19 his father married Cleopatra and he ran away with his mother to Illyria. His father then banished Alexander and his mother, but was soon persuaded by Demaratus (a peace maker)  to allow Alexander to return. The next year his father was assassinated (Tarn, 1-121).  Alexander then succeeded the throne and inherited a well-trained army. Could Alexanders greatness come from his father's legacy or from something else? 

      Alexander continued to build an army that was drilled, trained, disciplined much like the armies today. Alexander had a large army consisting of: 12,000 Macedonian phalanx; 7,000 in the league troop; 7,000 Odrysian, Triballian, and other tribal levies; 1,000 light-armed troops (archer and Agrarians) ; 5,000 mercenaries; 11,000 advance expeditions; and 1,800 Macedonian Phalanx (Green, 158). Alexander was an amazing general. He had lead his calvary past the Persian line and achieved a stunning victory over the Persians. This triumph created Alexanders reputation of being a bold commander whose soldiers were devoted to him. After Alexanders success against the Persian Empire Darius (Alexanders rival) was killed. Alexander had earned his reputation of greatness from a military perspective. He made sure his troops were well fed and he led them into battle. He was easily recognized in the front lines and was an inspiration to his troops because of his courage. Alexander conquered 3,000 miles of territory making it the largest empire in the ancient world. Alexander the Great never lost a battle. 

      Although Alexander was a brilliant general he pushed his troops too hard and made examples of those he thought were not loyal by brutally killing them. His troops thought that the battles would cease after conquering Persia, but Alexander wanted to extend the limits of his empire. Alexander adapted to Persian dress and began to be part of different religions, which began to upset the Macedonians and his men.  In 324 BC he then arranged a mass marriage at Susa, where he made 80 of his officers take persian wives while he married the daughter of Darius (Wepman, 101-104). Alexander was selfish and narcissistic naming 70 cities after himself and one after his horse. 

     In June 232 BC Alexander died of a fever.  Many began to derive different stories of his death because a "great" commander could never have died from a fever. Could the spread of these false stories have made Alexander become the "Great"?

<-- many referred to Alexander as a god, such as Hercules.

         One can learn about greatness based on the values of society by looking at who the majority of people define as leaders, mentors, and people that are famous. Today, greatness is so commonly used that its original meaning is lost. Characteristics that make greatness are courage, morality, dignity, fairness, respectfulness, and strong leadership yet these no longer matter to the world.  "That person is great" we hear, yet what qualities do they show that are great? Usually that person is attractive, funny, talented, or entertaining. Is this what we should really consider great? Those who are great are those who leave something for the world to remember them by and the actual great things they have done based on their actions and what they do for others!

         As Alexander's story showed that time and distance can impact someone's growth of popularity. After Alexander had died many false stories had been made regarding him. Such as, he was the son of Zeus or that he died from a poison. Also he was known for "never loosing a battle".  Although it sounds impressive he only ruled about 12 years. Greatness is sometime achieved, earned, or given, but must be worked for. Alexander though he did have his military greatness, he doesn't deserve to be called great. He was selfish, narcissistic  and made decisions based on would benefit himself or his legacy. He gave little thought to others. The quote below defines who should be considered great!

           Citations:

"Alexander the Great." Abc-clio. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/575648?terms=alexander+the+great>.

"Alexander the Great." SalemPress. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://history.salempress.com/doi/full/10.3331/GLAW_3611012011?prevSearch=alexander%2Bthe%2Bgreat&s

Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Berkeley: U of California, 1991. Print.(pg 150-158)

Tarn, W. W. Alexander the Great. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print. (pg1-121)

Wepman, Dennis. Alexander the Great. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Print. (pg101-105)