Alexander the Great lived only thirty-two years, but his dizzying career as a commander still amazes historians. The greatness of Alexander lies not only in his achievements but also in the symbolic meaning that they left for further history. Alexander is a magnetic historical figure, which was later followed by politicians and, first of all, military leaders, for example, Napoleon Bonaparte himself. Having begun to study military skills as a child, the son of the Macedonian king Phillip Alexander in a short time, built himself a career as a formidable commander. A remarkable story is that once when young Alexander managed to tame a mad horse, his father exclaimed that Macedonia alone would not be enough for his son, which could shape the ambitious vision of a future land invader. The legend of Alexander is further reinforced by his military track record in which there is not a single defeat.
Alexander acquired the greatest historical significance not only as an outstanding commander but also as a person who managed to significantly reduce the influence of the Persian Empire on the geopolitical map of that time. Alexander the Great destroyed the Persian Empire, conquering their lands up to Egypt, and continuing to march with his soldiers further into the Indian lands. Alexander’s pursuit of the Persian king Darius also entered historical legends – his desire to overtake and punish Darius forced him to chase him at an unprecedented amount of distance (Briant 2021, 850-855). There is a possibility that the numerous military victories of the Macedonians are associated not only with his outstanding strategic skills but also with the technical advantage in the weapons with which his soldiers were equipped. Alexander was focused on capturing as much land as possible and less on building real new states on these lands. The consequences of Alexander’s expansion were devastating for the people they captured, but Alexander’s empire was based solely on his authority. Therefore, after the death of the king, his kingdom fell apart into three parts of a single Hellenic empire – this unity could not be supported by anyone else.
Alexander’s innovative influence lies in the fact that having appropriated the Persian territories, he also borrowed from them the form of government of an absolutist-monarchical nature. He pioneered the introduction of patriarchal control into Greco-Roman political systems, which is why he was a role model for many Roman rulers in the future. Despite the destructive actions of Alexander, he also built cities, which he usually called the same – Alexandria. Alexandrian Egypt was a pillar of culture at the time, and the Library of Alexandria was probably the largest storehouse of knowledge in the world at that time. By imposing the Greek language on all the occupied territories, Alexander, unexpectedly for everyone, allowed the inhabitants of these countries to communicate in a single dialect. Through this, in the countries of the future Hellenic empire, the possibility of trade interaction and closer integration appeared.
Thus, the greatness of Alexander lies in the enormous influence exerted by his achievements on the thinking of historical figures of the future. But also Alexander, probably unwittingly, reformatted the image in which the then world lived – a violent change in the geopolitical map gave rise to new historical and economic ties. Fighting and conquering new territories in the name of glory, Alexander the Great destroyed many of the distinctions between countries, state systems, and ethnic groups, which eventually formed a new picture of the world. It is in the grandiose influence of Alexander on the world long after his death that his significance for modern perception lies. Alexander’s story is almost mythological and inspires many ambitious statesmen, and this is still constantly rebuilding the picture of the world around us.
Reference
Briant, Pierre. 2021. From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire. Penn State University Press.