So, we have this Alexander guy here. Most of us have probably heard of him of this person who was going around the world saying, “Hey...your land looks nice. Can I have it? No? Too bad, it’s mine. Mwah hah hah hah hah…”
Well, this was NOT Alexander! Alexander the Great was a leader unlike any other - brave, kind, and daring. Just a little bit about Alexander: Alexander fought very well to expand his empire. He inherited his father’s kingdom at 20, and worked to spread Greek cultures and ideas until his 33. He died really young, but he did SO much in his lifetime.
At first, it might seem odd that this crazy, lunatic Macedonian guy is just barging in wanting to take over the ancient world, but Alexander was a lot more because he unified struggling countries. He worked very hard to expand his growing empire.
These are the standardized ingredients to make a leader:
- Intelligence
- Achievements
- A great legacy
And Alexander pretty much had all of these!
Alexander was intelligent with absolutely amazing battle strategies. For example, according to The Campaigns of Alexander by Lucius Flavius Arranius, Alexander “...moved his troops in different directions so that [the enemy] would be puzzled…” Arranius then goes on explaining that Alexander boxed in the enemy’s elephants, while some men got crushed under the weight of the elephants, and the rest were killed by spears.
Just picture this in your head. Alexander, the hero, fighting his enemy who looks so huge because they are on elephants. Then suddenly, he raises the dramatic war cry and makes a clamour. BOOM! The elephants get boxed in, trampling the enemy, while a huge bunch of spears fly in from above. I mean, that would be a little bit scary, but that is the epitome of creativity in battle strategies. Alexander was the master of manipulation (even better than us middle schoolers, and that’s saying something).
The Battle of the Hydaspes: Alexander VS King Porus
Finally, let’s talk about what Alexander actually did. I mean, what’s a leader without some contributions to the world?
The text, History Alive!, clearly states, “In short time, Alexander extended his rule over Asia Minor, Egypt, and central Asia. Still he pushed on. He marched to the farthest limit of the Persian Empire. His armies even reached western India!”(291) Wow! His empire was GINORMOUS! Talk about achievements. Also, the size of Alexander’s Empire at his death was 2,000,000 miles, and it only took 11 years for Alexander to build his empire! He founded 70 cities! How better can one get?
Beyond achievements, Alexander had a HUGE legacy on Asian countries. He influenced the Kalish language, music, and dance! Even today, people still recognize him as a person who changed the world. Alexander’s legacy was so strong that Caesar wept at the sight of his statue! Wow! We will always remember Alexander as a leader who was a lot more than some show off!
Caesar Weeping at a Statue of Alexander
So, I hope this post proves that Alexander was much more than you think he was - in the best way!
We now know that Alexander wasn’t really that creepy conquering greedy guy. He was so much more!
Now that’s a quote!
