Early Macedonia was a small vassal state of Persia. With the scuffle of the Greek city-states in the 4th and 5th centuries BC and the decline of Persia, Macedonia developed rapidly, although the Greek city-states also tried to suppress the Macedonian kingdom, but due to years of chaos, they have not been able to take care of it. In the 4th century BC, Philip II ascended the throne by peaceful means to depose the king, and flexibly used diplomatic means, and in 338 BC, the Macedonian army defeated the Greek coalition at the Battle of Caronia and became the dominant force in the entire Greek region. By the time Alexander the Great succeeded to the throne, it had developed into a great empire spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III, King of Macedonia, was a talented statesman and military strategist in the ancient history of the world, and the head of the four greatest military commanders in European history. He swept through the whole territory of Greece, occupied Egypt without spending a single soldier, destroyed the Persian Empire, and fought until the Indus Valley, where the four ancient civilizations occupied three of them and established a large empire of more than 5 million square kilometers.
Alexander the Great dashing equestrian statue
Alexander showed many distinctive talents from an early age. Although he is not tall, the system is well-proportioned and fit, agile, energetic, and intelligent.
In 340 BC, Philip II led an army against Byzantium, leaving Alexander in charge. At this time, the young Alexander encountered the first challenge since independence: the Medes in northern Macedonia rebelled on the occasion of Philip II's expedition. The young Alexander was not afraid of danger, and he led his own army to quell the rebellion, and captured the rebel capital all the way, while relocating new residents here. The city was named "Alexandriapolis", meaning Alexandria. Alexander was 16 years old.
Printed with gold coins of King Philip II of Macedon
Soon after, Philip II attacked Byzantium unfavorably and returned home. The Greek city-states saw the opportunity to organize allied forces to take advantage of the fire and looting against Macedonia, and Philip II once again led the army, which became Alexander's famous battle. As the commander-in-chief of the flank of the Macedonian army, he personally led his army into the Position of the Allied Greek Army, encountering the elite Theban army, which had defeated the invincible Spartans, but Alexander led his army to annihilate them all, and then returned to the division and the main force of the Macedonian army to annihilate the Greek army. At the age of 18, Alexander made great achievements.
Alexander ascended the throne at the age of 20, and Europe entered the Macedonian era. His appearance shocked the world and made it brilliant. In the early days of his reign, the country was in turmoil. But Alexander soon led his troops to suppress the rebellion, dividing the rebels' land among the dependents to regain the hearts and minds of the people; The division and weakening of relations between Persia in Greece in Asia Minor laid the foundation for the defeat of Persia.
Schematic diagram of a Macedonian infantry phalanx
At the time of the war with Persia, Alexander only relied on 40,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry, and only 30 days of rations, annihilated 70,000 Persian soldiers at the cost of 7,000 people, and drove out the Persian king Darius. Subsequently, according to the original plan, he invaded Syria and swept through the Mediterranean ports. Two months later, he had entered Egypt. At this time, the Egyptians, intimidated by Alexander's prestige, took the initiative to surrender the city and honored Alexander as pharaoh, the son of the sun god Amun, and it was at this time that he established the famous egyptian port city of Alexandria. The city has since become the capital of ancient Egypt and the largest city of ancient Greek culture, and even now it is the largest port in Egypt and the second largest city in all of Egypt. Finally, in 330 BC, Alexander invaded persepolis, the capital of the Persian Empire, and the Persian Empire collapsed. But he was not satisfied, but continued his crusade against India. The King of India submitted after his defeat. At this point, a great empire spanning three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa appeared in front of the eyes of the world.
Alexander's Empire
However, in 323 BC, Alexander died of illness in Baghdad at the age of 33. Due to the sudden death, he did not appoint any successor, and the empire was divided for control, and three states emerged: the Ptolemaic dynasty, the Macedonian kingdom, and the Seleucid kingdom. However, they still followed Alexander's policy and were called "Hellenistic states". From the founding of Alexander's Empire to the conquest of the Ptolemaic Dynasty by Rome, this period is known as the "Hellenistic Era".
In the first 30 years, the glory of the ancient Greek Empire of Alexander came to an end.