What Made Alexander the Great so great?

 

Alexander the Great is one of the most famous figures in the ancient world and this is especially the case considering that he was not only a monarch, but also a conqueror. The achievements of this individual are further enhanced because he died at the prime of his life when he was expected to have continued his massive conquests. In this paper, there will be an attempt to address the reasons behind Alexander being called the Great, and these include his ambition, his being a conqueror, and finally, his being one of the undefeated generals in history.

One of the most significant reasons behind Alexander being called the Great was that he was extremely ambitious. This is because despite having taken the Macedonian throne at the age of twenty, he was an individual who saw beyond Macedonia and Greece in general. His father, Philip, said to Alexander “….you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions. Macedonia is too small for you” (Gergel, 2004, p.5).

The result was that he was inspired to ensure that he undertook one of the biggest military projects in his age through his attempt to confront the greatest power of the time, the Persian Empire. It is this ambition that led him to achieve the greatness that has come to be associated with his from that time onwards.

Alexander the Great’s claim to greatness also came about because he was a conqueror. His conquests were among the most significant in the ancient world because they ensured that Greek or Hellenistic culture came about because of them. In addition, Alexander confronted one of the greatest military machines of the time, that of the Persian Empire, and ended up defeating it with his much lesser resources. His conquest of the Persian Empire not only brought it under his control, but it essentially brought an end to the empire that had been founded by Cyrus the Great. One of his companions is said to have commented that “The conqueror takes over the possessions of the conquered and they should be called his” (Gergel, 2004, p.50).

Another claim to fame for Alexander was that he was one of the undefeated generals of his time. His undefeated streak was a testament to his brilliant generalship and this was to such an extent that he managed to conquer the largest empire in the world at the time within a decade. The way that he led his armies to conquest, especially considering that he was always at the forefront of battle, ensured the loyalty of his soldiers, and these more often than not fought harder for him.

In conclusion, Alexander the Great was able to capture the imagination, not only of his own people, but also those of his contemporaries, to such an extent that he was able to advance his ambitions of conquest. His being undefeated was considered to have been based on his being favored by the gods, and this was the reason why he ended up being worshipped. Thus, Alexander attained his greatness because of his actions as one the greatest conquerors as well as undefeated generals in history.