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ALEXANDER THE GREAT: A Very Short Introduction | Animated Book Summary - YouTube
Channel: Eudaimonia
[14]
Alexander the Great was born in 356BCE, he
became king of Macedonia a mere twenty years
[21]
later, reigning until his death in 323BCE.
[26]
Once he was the king, he entered the territory
of the Persian Empire, leading an army and
[30]
taking control of an area of land that became
part of one of the largest empires of the
[34]
ancient world.
[35]
Alexander’s father, Philip II became king
of Macedonia after his brother died in battle
[41]
against an invading army.
[44]
Macedonia was at the time an empire roughly
the size of Yorkshire in England or New Jersey
[48]
in the United States, but it was penned in
by potential enemies on all sides.
[52]
In less than three years using a combination
of diplomacy, military reorganisation and
[57]
a lot of skill, king Philip transformed Macedonia’s
fortunes and expanded his empire into Greece.
[64]
After increasing the number of troops in his
empire, 10,000 men crossed from Europe into
[68]
Asia under his rule, with the aim of attacking
the Persians.
[72]
Alexander’s mother was Olympias.
[75]
She gave birth to Alexander while his father
was fighting against various Greek cities.
[79]
Alexander was educated under the guidance
of the philosopher, Aristotle.
[83]
Alexander was at his sister’s wedding in
Macedon and during a festival to celebrate
[88]
the wedding afterwards, his father king Philip
was killed.
[92]
The assassin was one of Philip’s bodyguards.
[94]
He was arrested and then executed.
[97]
It meant Alexander became king of Macedon
and leader of the Greek expedition to gain
[101]
revenge against the Persians for previous
destruction they had caused.
[105]
His time in power consisted of near constant
military campaigning.
[108]
First, he dealt with uprisings in the west
and northeast of Macedonia itself.
[113]
Then he attacked the Greek city, Thebes.
[116]
Later he moved into Asia and fought three
large battles against the Persians, one against
[121]
the Indians and other battles in Afghanistan
and Pakistan.
[125]
In all his battles, he was always triumphant
and therefore, undefeated.
[130]
When beginning his campaign in Asia he joined
up with the force his father had sent over
[133]
two years prior.
[135]
The Persian army was thought to consist of
just under 100,000 men, although estimates
[140]
range greatly.
[141]
Prior to the battle of the Granicus River,
Alexander had marched from Troy where he’d
[145]
visited Achilles’ tomb.
[146]
Alexander claimed to be a descendant of Achilles
and he took from the tomb a shield used in
[154]
the Trojan War.
[155]
In late 332BCE, Alexander entered Egypt without
any resistance from the Persian governor,
[159]
who had too few soldiers at his disposal.
[163]
Legend has it that Alexander founded the city
of Alexandria, which later became one of the
[168]
most important cities in the world in Roman
times.
[170]
However, it is more likely to have been formed
shortly after his death, despite bearing his
[175]
name.
[176]
Whilst in Egypt, Alexander visited the oracle
at the temple of Amun.
[180]
He asked the oracle if he would rule the world.
[181]
The response from the oracle was positive.
[185]
Drawings that have been discovered in the
temples in Egypt depict Alexander as a pharaoh
[189]
and described him as king of Egypt.
[191]
On 1st October 331BCE, Alexander defeated
the king of Persia, Darius III for the second
[199]
occasion.
[201]
This time it was at Gaugamela which is near
to where the city of Mosul in Iraq stands
[205]
in the present day.
[206]
In doing so, it gave Alexander rule over Asia.
[210]
When travelling through the world, Alexander
adapted and took on the role as leader of
[214]
a particular region according to the traditions
and protocols of that land.
[218]
This included everything from how he behaved,
to how he dressed.
[222]
Alexander had several wives, including the
daughter of Darius III.
[226]
He used marriage as a way of maintaining relationships
with his empire’s neighbours and to connect
[230]
him with families of previous kings and rulers.
[234]
In spring 330BCE, Alexander set off on a new
campaign into the eastern parts of his empire
[240]
that would go on to last five years.
[242]
He travelled into Afghanistan, initially to
stop Darius III from raising new forces.
[247]
He initially had difficulty bringing the area
under control, but eventually did so.
[252]
He continued further east into what is now
Pakistan and got to a point where, according
[257]
to frequently told stories, his soldiers refused
to accompany him any further.
[261]
Instead, he travelled south, all the way to
the Indian Ocean, which marked an end to his
[266]
successful campaign.
[268]
On his way back, Alexander returned to Babylon
in spring 323BCE, where he would eventually
[275]
die.
[276]
He caught a fever and spent the last few days
of his life lying down whilst still giving
[279]
orders, before finally losing the ability
to speak.
[282]
He is remembered as a creator of one of the
largest empires of the ancient world, who
[287]
was undefeated in battle and is widely considered
one of history's most successful military
[292]
commanders.
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