Alexander the Truly Great

Alexander the Great was admired by his people during his short period of reign, and is still thought of as an extraordinary leader to this day. Although military suits is one of the main things he is remembered for, that is by no means the only thing he accomplished throughout his time. He had an intelligence for medicine and often treated his friends when they were sick or wounded.

He did not burden himself with trivial things such as money and leisure, rather spending his time focusing on more dismal things for instance combat and his aspirations. He was taught by Aristotle, a great philosopher, as a boy, and recieved many of his ethical and moral views from his teachings. Although his extensive army was something he inherited through his father, he forged a strong connection with his troops, which made the army even more prosperous. Alexander’s determination to conquer and fidelity towards his troops make him a respectable and truly great figure.

Alexander was dignified and intelligent leader, and many of the techniques he acquired were inherited from his father's leadership. He was born as the son of Philip II, the previous king before him, who strengthened Macedonia as a whole before his death in 336 BC. The throne of Macedon was passed down to Philip II from Perdiccas III, and when he inherited it the community was not stable. At the time of Perdiccas III’s death, Macedonia was receiving many threats of attack, and Philip II, being new to power, handled the situation expertly by making a treaty to declare piece between the civilizations. This kept Macedonia intact, and set the stage for a notable reign. Before long, he realized that his army was subpar and made the decision to focus on improving it. He expanded it greatly, taking it from the limited amount of 10,000 to a total of 24,000 troops, and he taught each of them battle skills, loyalness, and dedication to battle and to the king. After insuring a stable military, he welcomed poets and philosophers to the community. Philip II having built this reliable society is important because it is what Alexander inherited and how he grew up. Everything that his father did to reorganize Macedonia would later help Alexander to be the leader he was. Having the philosophers being welcomed into town gave Alexander the opportunity to learn from one of them, Aristotle, who was very respected in the community and would help him to sort out his values and beliefs. Stabilizing the army made it to where Alexander started his reign in a good position, and had many valuable assets on his side for what he would conquer in the future. He also could have learned many beneficial combat and leadership skills from watching his father rule the civilization. Without Philip II having secured the community, Alexander would have had a rough start to his reign and therefore may not have been able to accomplish as much as he did in his time.

Alexander the Great was a noble and skillful leader, and his title as Alexander the Great has been very controversial and debated on for centuries. Some say that he does not deserve such a high title, but he truly earned it through his devotion and intelligence that he put towards the betterment of Macedonia. Alexander mended communities together and by doing so spread culture and values to new places throughout the world. USHistory.org says that, “In fact, Alexander's reign marked the beginning of a new era known as the Hellenistic Age because of the powerful influence that Greek culture had on other people. Without Alexander's ambition, Greek ideas and culture might well have remained confined to Greece.” He was dedicated to conquering more, and he traversed and battled for civilizations simply because he desired to rule. His military

troops were relentless and loyal to Alexander, following him throughout all of his journeys and fighting as they were told. Although, after numerous years of fighting, his army became tired and longed to see their families and friends once again, so Alexander obliged to turn around and return to Macedonia. Something Alexander truly valued was his connection with his soldiers. He believed that forging a strong relationship between them, the army would work more productively as a whole. Alexander also had a love for the art of medicine and would cure his friends if needed to be done, which shows that he did care about those close to him. He knew what he wanted to do as he conquered Macedonia from a young age, and had many ideas about the future of his community. He wanted to see a bright future for the civilization and truly cared about the progression of it.

The topic of whether Alexander was really great or not has been disputed, and there is not just one answer to the question. There were moments where Alexander may not have seemed an extraordinary leader. He was known to have anger issues, which lead to questionable actions. He also had a problem with alcoholism and would often drink too the extent of his behavior becoming unconscionable. He would often do ruthless things such as even killing those around him. Many people believe that he died just before his empire was about to fall, and that he would not be known as great if he had not died when he had. Although he did occasionally make problematic decisions, that did not cancel out the good he did as well. Alexander had a lot of good and bad aspects to him, and one consensus cannot be bad do to the diverseness of his actions.

Alexander was sincerely a great leader. He made many improvements to Macedonia as a whole, and conquered an abundance of land for his short time of reign. He had good values and ethics, and spread the culture of Macedonia through the ancient world. Although Alexander did occasionally make rash decisions, that does not counteract all the betterment he did for Macedonia. He worked hard at everything he did, improved his society, knew what he wanted, and had a firm ethical standpoint, which are some of the things that truly made him great.

Works Cited

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"Alexander the Great." Infobase.com, Facts On File, 2015, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/224479?q=alexander%20the%20great. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

"Alexander the Great." UShistory.org, 2016, www.ushistory.org/civ/5g.asp. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

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Nardo, Don. The Ancient Greeks. San Diego, Lucent Books, 2001.

"Philip II." Britannica.com, 2016, www.britannica.com/biography/Philip-II-king-of-Macedonia. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

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Watkins, Thayer. "Alexander of Macedonia." SJSU.edu, 1997, www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/alexandergreat.htm. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.