Chapter 5, section 4 “Alexander’s Empire”

Philip II Philip II was king of Macedonia, a region north of Greece proper. Philip gained much military power by building a large army of phalanxes supported by cavalry. Philip was able to conquer the Greek city-states because the city-states could not agree after the Peloponnesian War.                                       

Philip’s Death After conquering Greece, Philip planned to conquer Persia. He never got the chance. He was stabbed at his daughter’s wedding and his son, Alexander, took power. Alexander proved to be an incredible leader and, over time, he came to be known as “Alexander the Great”.

Alexander Defeats Persia After securing Greece, Alexander crossed into Anatolia (Asia Minor) and attacked the Persian army with 35,000 men. At the battle of the Granicus River, Alexander defeated 40,000 Persians. Daruis III, the king of Persia, sent 50,000-75,000 soldiers. Alexander soundly defeated this force at the battle of Issus.

Alexander’s Other Conquests Alexander advanced on to Egypt, a Persian territory. The Egyptians welcomed Alexander and founded a city, called Alexandria. Alexander advance further into Mesopotamia, where he met 250,000 Persian soldiers at Gaugamela and again soundly defeated the Persians. Alexander continued even further and conquered India.

Alexander’s Legacy Alexander’s troops had traveled and conquered more than 11,000 miles. Alexander made plans to organize and unify his empire by building roads, cities, and harbors. However, it was not to be. Alexander died suddenly at age 32. After his death, Alexander’s generals fought over his empire.