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Alexander is born in 356 B.C., at Pella in Macedonia, the son of King Philip II and Olympias.
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In 343 B.C., Philip hires the Greek philosopher Aristotle to tutor Alexander.
Over the next three years, Aristotle teaches Alexander to appreciate philosophy, geography, Greek poetry, and
scientific investigation. Alexander particularly
loves Homer's Iliad, which inspires him to dream
of becoming a great warrior -
In June 334 B.C., Alexander leads the Macedonian army
against the Persians at the Granicus river. After savage fighting, the
Persians retreat, and Alexander's army moves across the southern
coast of Asia toward Gordium. As they travel, they liberate a number
of cities from Persian rule -
Alexander spends the winter of 333 BCE
at Gordium, in present-day Turkey. According to legend, he solves
the puzzle of the Gordian knot, which held together the yoke and
pole of a wagon once belonging to King Midas. Stories foretold that
whoever solved the puzzle would rule all Asia, and Alexander's
success is seen as a good omen for his Asian campaign.
After conquering Syria, Alexander sweeps south and easily conquers Egypt after besieging Gaza. -
conquering Babylon on October 18, 331 BCE, and taking treasure to distribute among his men. He
incorporates Persian officials into his administration and adopts Persian customs in order to hold his empire
together. -
In the Summer of
327 B.C., after conquering eastern Iran and capturing Prince Oxyartes, Alexander marries Roxane, the prince's
daughter. This is meant to be a political alliance, and it serves as an insult to Barsine, Alexander's Persian
mistress. -
Alexander falls ill with a
sudden fever and dies at the
age of 32 in June 323 B.C.
According to legend, he leaves his empire to "the strongest" of his commanders, but after his death,
his empire falls into disorder. His three commanders divide up the empire and compete for control.
19th -
May 326 B.C. hoping to add even more territory to his empire, Alexander and his troops cross the
Hindu Kush into northern India. They defeat King Porus, leader of a kingdom east of the Hydaspes River, after
figuring out how to attack Porus' war elephants. After several months in India, however, Alexander's army
refuses to go any farther, and he is forced to return to Babylon. spends the next few years trying to
consolidate power in his
empire. Before he can set
out on his new campaign -
Suffering from the tensions of warfare and command, Alexander becomes drunk at a banquet in the
fall of 328 B.C. He and his close companion Cleitus, who saved his life at the battle of Granicus, fall into an
argument. Alexander accidentally stabs Cleitus with a spear, and is filled with remorse at Cleitus' death. -
In 331
BCE, he creates the city of Alexandria, which is meant to be a hub of Greek commerce and culture. -
In the Spring of 335 B.C., the Thracians and Illyrians rise up in rebellion. This inspires the Greek city
state of Thebes to rebel, and Alexander quickly besieges the city and razes it to the ground. The inhabitants
are executed or sold into slavery, showing the other city-states that Alexander is just as powerful as his father. -
In October 336 BCE, Philip celebrates his
upcoming departure to attack Persia, as well as the
marriage of his daughter Cleopatra. However, one
of his bodyguards assassinates him in the theater
of Agae. Alexander becomes king of Macedonia at
the age of 20. -
In August 338 B.C., the Macedonians meet the Athenians and Thebans in battle at Chaeronea.
Alexander leads the attack against the Thebans, while his father leads the attack against the Athenians. It is
Alexander's first taste of battle, and he and his father defeat the Greeks, placing all Greek city-states except
Sparta under Macedonian control. -
In 340 B.C., at age
16, Alexander finishes studying under Aristotle
and joins his father's army. By this point, Philip
controls all the Greek city-states except Athens
and Thebes. He aims to unite the Macedonians
and Greeks and invade the Persian Empire.
