ALEXANDER THE GREAT I can explain how Alexander the great conquered the Persians and expanded the Macedonian empire. Your job through this power point is to write down what you believe to be the important noteworthy information. After we go through, you will compare your notes with a person sitting next to you.

ALEXANDER’S CHILDHOOD From the beginning of his life, Alexander was groomed to one day be king. As a child he was tutored by the finest Greek instructors and philosophers in Greece, including Aristotle. He was educated both intellectually and physically, receiving military training from an early age on. Eventually, Alexander became known as one of the finest horsemen in the world. As a child, he encountered and tamed a horse that would be by his side for much of his life. Alexander’s horse, Bucephalos, rode with him through many battles. At the age of 16, his father King Philip II put Alexander in charge of military campaigns. Alexander proved himself to be a courageous fighter and inspirational leader. His fellow troops loved him and followed his lead.

ALEXANDER TRIES TO CONQUER THE WORLD Alexander was only 20 years old when his father, King Philip II, was assassinated. He was told that his father had been murdered by Persian spies. Details of Philip’s death remain a mystery to this day. Alexander’s main goal was to honor his father’s legacy and destroy the Persian Empire. Before Alexander could attack Persia, the Greek city-state of Thebes rebelled. Alexander destroyed the city. His cruel tactics made other Greek city-states fearful to rebel. As a result of his siege of Thebes, 6,000 were killed and over 30,000 were captured. Alexander destroyed everything except the temples.

Next, Alexander moved his troops to Anatolia, where he attacked and defeated Persian forces. He used bold tactics, such as using thousands of troops to charge straight at the enemy. In the beginning, Alexander met sharp resistance from the Persians, but he was successful. Next, instead of going directly to Persia, he turned south and entered Egypt, which the Persians controlled. The Egyptians welcomed Alexander because they hated the Persians. They even chose him to be their pharaoh.

Alexander then moved his forces of over 30,000 soldiers from Egypt across Mesopotamia toward Persia. Finally, he struck Persepolis, the royal capital of the Persians. Finally, in 331 B.C., Alexander’s forces met up with the Persian forces at Gaugamela. This battle would end up becoming one of the most important battles in world history. At 25 years of age, Alexander was now ruler of all the known world.

ALEXANDER’S OTHER CONQUESTS In the next 3 years, Alexander pushed his armies eastward to conquer parts of Central Asia. In 326 B.C., the reached the Indus River Valley and India. No invading army had ever conquered India. Alexander’s army encountered the Indian King Porus in what would become the final battle for the Macedonian king and his army. Widely considered the bloodiest battle ever fought by Alexander’s army, the battle ended with neither side gaining control. Alexander’s army retreated back and King Porus was left to rule. It was said that Alexander was greatly impressed with the military tactics of King Porus. Alexander urged his troops to press forward. They refused. Alexander’s army had been away from home for 11 years and had marched thousands of miles. Many thousands had been killed through numerous battles or to disease. Alexander was forced to turn back and return home.

In 323 B.C., Alexander and his armies returned to Babylon. While they paused there, Alexander fell ill with a fever and died within days. He was 32 years old. Although he did not live to an old age, he managed to create a great empire. Alexander however did not have time to unify his empire. Not one of Alexander’s generals was strong enough to take control of the entire empire. Eventually, three key generals divided it.