Was Alexander the Great Trully ‘Great’

Title: Was Alexander the Great truly “Great” Date Due: 24/09/09 Date Submitted: 24/09/09 Alexander the Great, the ancient King of Macedonia is renowned for his conquests of Persia and India.

The definition of the term ‘Great’ in such a context is to be distinguished or famous, highly skilled, of official position or social status, and exceptionally outstanding. The term ‘Great’ is an appropriate entitlement for Alexander, justified in many ways by his incredible successful war accomplishments, his superior military knowledge and intellect, and his great leadership skills.Alexander the Great achieved many accomplishments, such as military successes and social advancements. During his eleven years of fighting, Alexander never lost a battle which is an incredible achievement considering the numerical advantage and dominance of his opponents. This in itself bestows greatness upon Alexander.

A fine example of a military success is the Battle of Issus, where Alexander’s army was vastly outnumbered to King Darius’ Army; approximately 40,000 warriors to 300,000 warriors.Although the Persian army had far more soldiers than Alexander’s Army, Alexander outsmarted his opponents with his tactical manoeuvres and led his army to victory. Alexander was numerically disadvantaged in many of the battles he fought, but always thrived to be the victor. Alexander the Great also achieved many social reforms, such as spreading advanced Greek political, economical, and military practices throughout the districts he conquered.Alexander the Great had a large impact on the ancient world and his contributions to the world still remain today which is another testament to his greatness.

“The torch Alexander lit for long only smouldered ... but it never has been, and never can be, quite put out. ” (W.

W. Tarn, historian and biographer of Alexander, 1948) In this quote, professor Tarn is stating that the works of Alexander the Great still exist today, a fine example being the city Alexandria, a city Alexander named after himself, which still stands today.At the time of his death, Alexander the Great ruled the largest empire of the Ancient World. In many societies, the success of the leader’s strength is measured by the length of time that the leader is remembered. Alexanders reign occurred over two-thousand years ago and is still remembered today, this is additional confirmation of his greatness.

Alexander’s superior military knowledge and his intelligence were a large contributing factor which led him to his success, and thus to being entitled as ‘Great’.Alexander was taught by his father Phillip of Macedon, and the widely recognized philosopher Aristotle. “As a youth he displayed great intelligence and charisma. These abilities were honed by his tutor, Aristotle.

” (http://www. articlesbase. com/college-and-university-articles/alexander-the-great-63498. html) From his father, Alexander learnt and mastered using, understanding, and reading military tactics, and from Aristotle’s teachings, Alexander developed logical and analytical thinking skills.With these two critical qualities, Alexander was capable to adjusting and adapting to different situations, and was assisted in making the correct decisions while under pressure which helped him outsmart and defeat his opponents. Superior intelligence and tactical knowledge are characteristics of greatness.

Greatness cannot be achieved without superior leadership. Alexander the Great was an excellent leader. He motivated his soldiers, made the correct decisions, and set the right path for his soldiers to follow. He led by example which earned him the trust and loyalty of his soldiers.He experienced the same dangers, glory, and pain as his soldiers as he fought by their side. He became connected to them and gain their respect as a true leader.

These leadership skills are testament to his greatness. “For Alexander, ‘the sheer pleasure of battles, as other pleasures are to other men, was irresistible”. (Roman Historian Arrian). Alexander set a good example and path for his soldiers to follow.

He was a great inspiration and motivational figure, and his passion for battles and success helped him and certainly played a role in helping him motivate his soldiers.Also, due to his superior military knowledge, Alexander had a very dominating battle formation which his father developed and Alexander himself perfected. One of the crucial qualities of a leader is to have intelligence of the surrounding battle field. Alexander certainly had this quality and demonstrated it through his tactical genius on many occasions in battle. Having the ability of reading the tactics of his opponents and thus counter-attacking them, Alexander could truly lead his soldiers and his empire to victory. Alexander