Alexander the Great

Alexander III of Macedon, commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a King of Macedon and one of the most successful conquerors in history. The most celebrated member of the Argead Dynasty, he defeated the powerful Persian Empire as a military commander, and subsequently created of one of the largest empires in ancient human history.

Biography

Early Life

Alexander was born to the king of Macedonia, Phillip II and the princess of Epirus, Olympias. His childhood was dominated with visions of war and victory over neighbouring countries of Greece, as his father rode to bring most of the city-states of mainland Greece under Macedonian hegemony, and with them, expand the Macedonian Kingdom.

Alexander was personally tutored by the Greek philosopher Aristotle from the age of 13 and was educated with sciences, medicine and philosophy, a great influence on his later exploits and personality. Three years after the beginning of his education, Phillip II invaded the nearby Thracian civilization with Macedonia's powerful army, leaving the kingdom of Macedonia to be governed by Alexander, temporary regent. Alexander skilfully defeated an uprising of the nearby Maedi tribes, defending his city and proving his ability in war. The conquered stronghold of the Maedi was renamed to Alexandropolis after its defeat.

Alexander the Great with the Staff.

Two years later, Alexander once again proved his worth in battle by defeating the Theban Sacred Band, an elite Greek force. This battle has been said to have been won due to Alexander's bravery.

Alexander continued to win against powerful opponents, using unique strategies and specialized men in battle rather than relying on superior force. He eventually went on to conquer Thessaly, the Thracians, the Illyrians, the Thebes, Persia, Egypt and Babylon, a city that once belonged to Persia. The secret of Alexander's success was actually The Staff of Eden. It is unclear exactly how Alexander obtained The Staff.

Later Life

Alexander died on either 10 or 11 June 323 BC, as a result of a poison administered by Iltani. The details of the poisoning, and what happened to The Staff after Alexander's death, are not known.

Characteristics and Personality

Personality

Alexander was an unbalanced individual, often using his influence over his soldiers to pursue whims or to avenge imagined slurs against his name. From an early age, the boy attempted to prove how special he was and how alike he was to the legendary hero Achilles from a popular tale known as the Illiad. His horse Bucephalus was a representation of his early mental state, managing to tame the beast, a feat that no other man could accomplish, but also embellishing the tale to make himself seem more important and special.

He was prideful and arrogant, yet attracted people to him like flies to honey. His charisma and incredible achievements did contribute to Alexander’s inflated sense of pride. An act that he committed during his march was the cutting of the Gordian Knot; a knot said to be impossible to untie. Alexander simply cut through the knot, his militaristic approach to an intellectual problem.

The man eventually lost his mind after conquering a huge area of land, causing his men to doubt his ability and his enemies to rally against a flagging leader. The death of his friend Hephaestion was the catalyst to Alexander the Great’s final downfall.

Appearance

Alexander was known to have a single blue eye and a single dark eye, possibly dark brown or dark blue. He has been described as fair-headed, in having lightly-coloured hair. He was physically fit for most of his life and fair-skinned, with a strange tendency to move his head to the left whenever he looked at someone closely. He has been said to have had a pleasing, aroma-like scent.