Even after many centuries of his death Alexander the Great is still regarded as one of the greatest conquerors of the world in human history. This brave soldier died in Babylon over 2000 years ago at the age of thirty-three only.
His empire, stretching from Greece to India, disintegrated after his death. But the cities founded by him are still there. It is said that he founded about 70 cities during his short span of life.
The story goes that when Alexander was only a boy of fourteen, he tamed the wild horse Bucephalus whom nobody else had been able to control. He rode this horse in all his battles. This horse died in a battle in India. He built a town and named it after the brave horse.
Alexander’s father, Philip, became the king of Macedonia in 359 B.C. He raised his own army and planned an invasion of the great Persian Empire. But he was murdered in 336 B.C. in a palace conspiracy. After him, Alexander became the king at the age of twenty.
Alexander had received the training of warfare from his father. The great philosopher Aristotle was his intellectual mentor. After his father’s death, a serious revolt broke out in his kingdom. Alexander restored law and order in a very short time. The young Alexander attacked the Persian Empire in about 334 B.C. There he fought two battles and achieved resounding victories. He was well-trained in the tactics of warfare. He was a fearless man. After conquering Persia, he attacked Egypt. He conquered Egypt also and established a city called Alexandria at the mouth of river Nile.
When Alexander entered Asia Minor, he was shown the chariot of the ancient king Gordius and was told of a legend that whoever could untie the knot binding the chariot would rule the world. Alexander seized a sword and cut the knot. By now Alexander was the king of Macedonia, Greece, Egypt, Persia and Asia – half of the known world. For six more years his army kept on marching and conquered Afghanistan, Hindu Kush, Samarkand, Tashkent and Khyber Pass. Then he entered India.
After entering Asia he started living in luxury. He married a rich and beautiful princess, Roxana. He fought his last great battle with the brave Indian king, Porus. He won this battle but with great difficulties. Alexander hoped to reach the river Ganga, but when his soldiers reached the river Beas, they refused to go further.
They had been away from their homes for more than eight years. Alexander tried his best to persuade them but they did not move further. They marched back to their homes. Alexander developed high fever on the way and died in June 323 B.C. But though he lived to be only 33, he had built the greatest empire that civilization had yet known and he was the person who prepared the way for penetration of “Hellenistic” culture, i.e. the Greco-Macedonian culture that spread through the lands conquered by him into all parts of the known world.