1. Greeks Why they fought How they fought How they succeeded
How they failed
*Greek colonization brought city-states in conflict with Persian Empire
* Darius and Cyrus tightened their grip on Greek cities, so they revolted
*Fought by sea and land
*Athenians fought with spears
*Athens formed an alliance with their military and the poleis, which gave them financial support, called the Delian League
*Spartans chose death over retreat
*Battle of Marathon
-Persians lost 6,400 men
-Athens lost 192 men
-Spartans held the Persians at Thermopylae to ensure safe withdrawal of the Greek army, even though they all died
*They were for the most part successful

2. Alexander the Great Why they fought How they fought How they succeeded
How they failed
*They fought to overtake Darius’ Persian Empire
*Alexander wanted to spread his rule to farther lands
*They fought in the formation of a Phalanx (a formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears)
*A warrior of the Macedonian army is called a Hoplite
*Weapons were bought to hurl over walls, scale or batter walls, and transport soldiers over them
*Used Companion cavalry (Alexander’s elite cavalry) to attack enemies flank
*First use of a reserve in history at Gaugamela
*Were successful because of Alexander’s 9 Principles of War
*Tyre was captured by using a battering ram
*Gaugamela was a success by defeating tired Persians. They also fought by the Wedge Formation to penetrate an opening
-Persians lost 40, ,000 men
-Macedonians only lost 500 men
*Alexander intermarried and encouraged his men to do the same
*Started to adopt Eastern habits
*Alexander began giving key positions to Persians
*Macedonians were tired of campaigning and began to resent the changes Alexander was making, resulting in the people becoming mutinous

3. Mongols Why they fought How they fought How they succeeded
How they failed
*The Mongolians were unified by Genghis Kahn and so then wanted to spread his empire
*Very aggressive
*Small groups of 10
*Organized army
*Strong character of troops
*No tribe affiliations
*Mobility
-horsemen were very mobile
*Light cavalry
-horsemen could shoot an arrow at full gallop
*Had strategy and tactics
-quriltai (meeting of commanders)
-3 separate columns
*Psychological warfare
*New technology
-bow that shot 350 yds
*Rode vigorously to surprise their enemies
*flanking columns would spread terror, gather intelligence, and eliminate smaller armies
*Established Mongol supremacy in Central Asia
*Extended Mongol control to North Asia in east and Persia in the west
*Genghis Kahn’s death started a power struggle among his heirs which ended up dividing his empire into 4 different empires

4. Aztecs Why the fought How they fought How they succeeded
How they failed
*Fought to obtain tributes
*Fought to gain victims for the sacrificial bloodletting
*Used the captives for a labor force
*Fought in open fields
*hand to hand combat in close distance fighting so they could capture but not kill
*Used slingshots and arrows from afar
*Had a shield and armour
*Formed Triple Alliance (Mexica, Texcoco, and Tlacopan)
*Thought success was because of Huilzilopochtli favored them
*Tributes brought in enough money to build roads
*Tenochtitlan was unopposed because it was protected by water on all 3 sides
*In 1519, Hernan Cortes led soldiers into Mexico and Tenochtitlan
*He surrounded the city with ships and besieged it and they ended up surrendering
*Cortes brought disease which greatly affected the Aztec population
*The rest were killed by his men

5. Crusaders Why they fought How they fought How they succeeded
How they failed
*Pope hoped to unite the entire eastern Mediterranean and the divided Christian faith under the rule of the Latin Church
*Italian city-states hoped for commercial gains and were dedicated supporters of the Crusades
*Byzantine Empire was declining so it couldn’t act as a buffer between Muslim east and Catholic west
*Christian visitors to Jerusalem began experiencing increased harassment and danger
*Pope traveled to various cities preaching the Crusade and offering incentives of indulgences for those that died on the Crusades
*Jews were herded into synagogues and burned alive
*Used the 9 Principles of War
*Serfs used the Crusades to leave and find new opportunities
*The Moslems were weakened, and fell more easily when the Mongols attacked
*Trade and exploration were enhanced
-trade provided the economic basis for the Italian Renaissance
*Jerusalem was in Moslem hands
*Christian pilgrims declined in numbers and were more fearful than ever
*Pope’s attempt to bring peace and unity to Europe were ruined
*The influence of the Catholic church declined, resulting in the division of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church to increase
*Moslems were victorious over Christian civilization
-many Christian caught in between the two religions ended up converting to Islam