Who Controlled Asia Minor And Part Of The Persian Empire Following Alexander The Great's Death?

For more than two centuries, the Achaemenid Empire of Persia ruled the Mediterranean earth. Ane of history'south showtime true super powers, the Persian Empire stretched from the borders of Bharat down through Egypt and upward to the northern borders of Hellenic republic. Simply Persia's dominion equally a ascendant empire would finally be brought to an finish past a bright military and political strategist, Alexander the Slap-up.

Alexander Iii was born in 356 B.C. in the small-scale Kingdom of Macedonia. Tutored in his youth by Aristotle and trained for battle by his father, Philip Two, Alexander the Great grew to become a powerful imperialist. His undermanned defeat of the Persian King Darius Iii at the Battle of Gaugamela is seen as one of the decisive turning points of human history, unseating the Persians as the greatest power in the ancient globe and spreading Hellenistic culture across a vast new empire.

Alexander owed a tremendous debt to his male parent for leaving him a earth-course army led by experienced and loyal generals. But it was Alexander'southward genius as a leader and battleground strategist that secured his victory confronting an imposing adversary deep in enemy territory.

Philip II Left Alexander the Slap-up a Trigger-happy Regular army

Macedonian Army developed by Philip II — The Macedonian Phalanx, a rectangular infantry formation, was adult past Philip II of Macedon and used past his son Alexander the Great to conquer other armies.

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The Macedonians weren't ever a strength to be reckoned with. The celebrated centers of Greek power were the city-states of Athens, Sparta and Thebes to the s, whose leaders regarded the Macedonians as barbarians. It was Alexander'south begetter, Philip, who single-handedly transformed the Macedonian army into one of the most feared fighting machines in the aboriginal world.

Philip reorganized all of Macedonian club around a professional ground forces and raised aristocracy fighting forces of infantry, cavalry, javelin throwers and archers. Aloof young men would kickoff their armed services training at vii years old and graduate to officers at 18. The highest positions were in the Royal Companion Cavalry, the king's own personal squadron, and in the Royal Hypaspists, an aristocracy 500-man infantry unit that surrounded the male monarch in battle.

Weaponry also got an upgrade under Philip. Gone was the shorter "dory" or Greek wooden spear (seven feet long), and in its place was the much longer sarissa, an 18- to 22-pes hunting spear with an iron tip that could puncture heavy armor and impale charging cavalry horses.

Backed by his shiny new army, Philip marched south in 338 B.C. and defeated an all-star alliance of Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea. The boxing served equally a coming-out party for eighteen-yr-sometime Alexander, who bravely led the Macedonian cavalry charge that broke through the Athenian ranks and secured victory for the upstart kingdom.

With the Greek mainland subdued under Macedonian rule, Philip turned his well-oiled army E toward the Persian Empire, a far greater prize. Simply soon after crossing the Hellespont into Persian territory, Philip was assassinated, making immature Alexander the new rex and commander-in-master of the Macedonian forces.

"Every bit soon as Alexander came to the throne, he openly stated that he would deport on his father'due south plans," says Graham Wrightson, a history professor at South Dakota Land University and writer of Combined Artillery Warfare in Aboriginal Greece. But before Alexander could push into Persia, he had to take care of business back dwelling house.

The Greek city-states of Athens and Thebes weren't thrilled to be under the pollex of "barbarian" kings, especially since it infringed on their democratic ethics. Immediately subsequently Alexander was made king, Thebes rose up to challenge his authority—a big mistake. Non only did the Macedonian army easily crush the Thebian rebellion, says Wrightson, "but Alexander razed Thebes to the basis and sold the entire city into slavery, except for one firm owned by the descendants of his favorite poet."

Alexander Used Political Campaigns to Rule Greece

Alexander the Great conquers the Persian Empire — A Roman mosaic of Alexander the Great.

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Always the savvy strategist, Alexander knew that he couldn't rule the Greek mainland by fear and brute force alone. So equally he turned his attending back to Persia, Alexander framed his campaign against the Achaemenid Empire as a patriotic retaliation for Persia's failed invasion of the Greek mainland a century earlier. That disharmonize featured the famous Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan warriors made a heroic concluding stand against tens of thousands of Persian invaders.

"Alexander creates a propaganda campaign that the Macedonians are invading Persia on behalf of the Greeks, even though Macedon wasn't function of Greece and didn't fight on the side of Hellenic republic in the original Greco-Persian wars," says Wrightson. "He's invading Persia to punish the Persians retroactively for daring to invade Hellenic republic in the kickoff identify."

Whether motivated by Greek pride or the spoils of regal conquest, Alexander picked up where his father left off and marched into Persia in 334 BC, where his army of 50,000 would exist tested confronting the largest and best-trained fighting force in the known world.

It'south estimated that King Darius Three of Persia was in command of a total of ii.5 million soldiers spread across his vast empire. At the heart of the Persian army were the "Immortals," an aristocracy regiment of 10,000 infantrymen whose numbers never changed. When a man was killed, another rose to take his place. The Western farsi cavalry and archers were also legendary, as were the scythe chariots which cut down enemy infantry with their razor-precipitous wheel hubs.

Whorl to Go on

Western farsi Empire Was Already in Pass up

Darius III of the Persian Empire — Darius Three, Male monarch of Persia.

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Merely there were also signs that the Persian Empire was already in decline. After suffering humiliating dorsum-to-back defeats in Hellenic republic in the 5th-century B.C., Persia stopped expanding. In the century leading upwardly to Alexander's reign, Persia was furthered weakened by a civil war and other internal rebellions. Darius notwithstanding allowable a massive army, merely Persia was receding on the earth stage while Macedon had the momentum of an ascendant armed services super power.

After quickly dispatching a minor regional army near the boondocks of Granicus, Alexander had his offset real test against Darius and his Persian Royal Army well-nigh the coastal urban center of Issus. Darius' strategy was to cutting off Alexander's supply lines from behind and force the Macedonian troops to plow around and confront off. Just Darius botched the location of the battle, which concluded up beingness a narrow strip of land betwixt a ridge and the body of water that neutralized his numbers advantage.

At Issus, Alexander debuted the battle strategy that would assure him victory subsequently victory during his remarkable reign of conquest. Knowing he would be outmatched in manpower, Alexander relied on speed and distraction. He would draw enemy troops toward one flank, then wait for a momentary gap to open up in the heart of the enemy lines for a caput-first cavalry charge.

Simply as he did with his begetter at Chaeronea, Alexander personally led the Macedonian cavalry accuse at Issus, which cut right to the heart of the Persian defenses, only as planned. A stunned Darius reportedly hopped on his horse and fled, with the rest of his army shut behind.

The ii armies wouldn't meet again for another two years. In the interim, Darius regrouped and called in reinforcements from the East, while Alexander marched his army South into Egypt. When Alexander returned to Persia from his Egyptian conquests, Darius tried to delay the inevitable clash as long every bit possible, eventually deciding that if at that place was going to exist a rematch, it would be on Daruis' terms.

Darius and his generals chose a battle site near the boondocks of Gaugamela. It was a broad, apartment valley that, unlike Issus, would allow the Persians to take full advantage of their lopsided numbers, an estimated 250,000 Persian troops facing off against Alexander's fifty,000.

"Darius even flattened the ground and then that his scythe chariots could charge at the Macedonians," says Wrightson.

Alexander the Neat's Complicated Battle Program

The Battle of Issus: Alexander the Great conquers Darius III of the Persian Empire — The Battle of Issus, in which Alexander the Smashing secured a decisive victory over Darius III of Persia.

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Merely Alexander volition not be outplayed. He camped the Macedonian ground forces in the hills above the battle site to fuel up and rest while he drew upwards a game program. The Persians, fearing a night assault, remained in ready formation all nighttime, anxiously awaiting a charge that never came.

At dawn, the Macedonians took the battlefield. True to his strategy, Alexander's army advanced in a line with the 2 flanks drawn back like a bow. And then he ordered the unabridged Macedonian line to march quickly to the right.

Darius, fearing he was about to be overlapped on his left side, sent in v,000 of his all-time cavalry. Alexander counter-struck with a regiment of 1,500 mercenaries tasked with holding the right-paw position. Darius grew frustrated with the lack of progress, and so he sent in another 10,000 cavalry, almost his entire left flank. Alexander responded with what'south known equally his "pawn cede" of several grand troops destined to dice as a ready for the final move.

At this point, Darius ordered a full-frontal charge on the rest of the Macedonian army, but it took time for his orders to reach his left flank. This created just enough slack in the Farsi line for Alexander to strike.

"Just as Darius begins the accuse, the Macedonians launch a devastating cavalry assault that goes correct into the gap cunningly created by Alexander's tactics," says Wrightson.

As Alexander and his aristocracy Royal Companion Cavalry raced into the heart of the Persian defenses, they were momentarily surrounded by the enemy, just the experienced Macedonian sarissa regiments fought their way through. According to legend, Alexander killed Darius' chariot driver and about captured the Western farsi king earlier he fled in one case again on horseback.

Days later, with Alexander'due south cavalry in hot pursuit, Darius was killed by his own cousin, who delivered the fallen king's head to Alexander as a tribute. Appalled past the treasonous deed, Alexander had the man tortured and executed before declaring himself the undisputed king of Macedonia, Greece, and now Persia.

The reign of Alexander the Great was short-lived. After subduing all of the Persian Empire, his army marched east and got as far as India before turning dorsum home to Macedon. Just he never fabricated it home. At only 32 years erstwhile, Alexander died in Persia in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar 2 in Babylon from a sudden and mysterious disease.