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ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Introduction

1. Alexander III of Macedon (July 356 – June 323 BC), commonly

known as Alexander the Great was a Greek king of Macedonia in
Northern Greece which was considered as a barbarian by the southern Greek
city states. From an early age, Alexander, displayed tremendous military
talent and was appointed as a commander in his father's army at the
age of eighteen. Action and glory, rather than pleasure and wealth,
were what Alexander wanted from life. Fame was his passion.
When he heard of the conquests of his father, King Philip of
Macedonia, Alexander was not happy about the additional wealth
and power that he would inherit, but instead was sad that there
would be less left for him to conquer. Alexander often lamented to
his friends that the way things were going, nothing would be left for
him to do once he became king.

2. Alexander wanted a kingdom involved in trouble and war, where

he would have an ample field to exercise his courage and make his
mark on history.

3. The main feature of the career of this great conqueror is that he

undertook an almost ceaseless invasion of about 22,000 miles with
his army, with an intention of conquering the then known world,
starting from Macedonia, up to Indian subcontinent and back to
Babylon. This longest military march in the history was through
mountains, jungles and deserts; neglecting any heat, cold, rain,
storm, big rivers or any elaborate defence of enemy, on foot or on
horseback, within a time span of only 12 years.

4. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mold of

Achilles, and features prominently in the history and myth of Greek
and non-Greek cultures. He became the measure against which
generals, even to this day, compare themselves; military academies
throughout the world still teach his tactical exploits. Alexander died
in Babylon in 323 BC, before realizing a series of planned campaigns
that would have begun with an invasion of Arabia.

Aim

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5. The aim of this presentation is to analyse the leadership

qualities of a great leader Alexander the great with a view to
drawing appropriate lessons from his mil career.

Scope

6. The presentation will be unfolded in following scope:

a. Early Life.

b. Regency and Ascent of Macedon.

c. King of Macedon.
d. Important Battles Fought by Alexander.
e. Analysis of Battlefield Performance.
f. Significant Leadership Qualities.
g. Weakness of the Leader.
h. Lessons appropriate for Bangladesh army.

Early Life

7. Alexander was born on 20 (or 21) July 356 BC] in Pella, the
capital of the Kingdom of Macedon. He was the son of Philip II, the
King of Macedon. His mother was Philip's fourth wife Olympias, the
daughter of Neoptolemus I, the king of the northern Greek state of
Epirus. Although Philip had either seven or eight wives, Olympias
was his principal wife for a time. On the day Alexander was born,
Philip received news that his general Parmenion had defeated the
combined Illyrian and Paeonian armies, and that his horses had won
at the Olympic Games. It was also said that on this day, the Temple
of Artemis in Ephesus—one of the Seven Wonders of the World —
burnt down. He spent his childhood watching his father transforming
Macedonia into a great military power, winning victory after victory
on the battlefields throughout the Balkans.

8. When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to

be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next three years Aristotle
gave Alexander training in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his
interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which became of
importance in Alexander’s later life. It was like a boarding school for
Alexander and many of the pupils who learned by Alexander's side

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would become his friends and future generals, and are often
referred to as the 'Companions'.

Regency and Ascent of Macedon

9. When Alexander became sixteen years old, Philip, the king,

departed to wage war against Byzantium, and Alexander was left in
charge as regent of the kingdom. During Philip's absence, the
Thracian Maedi revolted against Macedonian rule. Alexander
responded quickly; he crushed the Maedi insurgence, driving them
from their territory, colonised it with Greeks, and founded a city
named Alexandropolis.

10. After Philip's return from Byzantium, he dispatched Alexander

with a small force to subdue certain revolts in southern Thrace.
During another campaign against the Greek city of Perinthus,
Alexander is reported to have saved his father's life. Philip joined
Alexander with his army in 338 BC, and they marched south through
Thermopylae, which they took after a stubborn resistance from its
Theban garrison. As Philip marched south, he was blocked near
Chaeronea, Boeotia by the forces of Athens and Thebes. During the
ensuing Battle of Chaeronea, Philip commanded the right, and
Alexander the left wing, accompanied by a group of Philip's trusted
generals. According to the ancient sources, the two sides fought
bitterly for a long time and won the battle over Athenians and
Thebans.

11. After the victory at Chaeronea, Philip and Alexander marched

unopposed into the Peloponnese welcomed by all cities; however,
when they reached Sparta, they were refused, and they simply left.
At Corinth, Philip established a "Hellenic Alliance" (modelled on the
old anti-Persian alliance of the Greco-Persian Wars), with the
exception of Sparta. After returning to Pella, Philip fell in love with
and married Cleopatra Eurydice, the niece of one of his generals,
Attalus.

King of Macedon

12. In 336 BC, while attending the wedding of his daughter Philip
was assassinated (killed for political motive) by the captain of his
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bodyguard, Pausanias. Alexander was proclaimed king by the

Macedonian army and by the Macedonian noblemen at the age of
20.

13. Alexander began his reign by having his potential rivals to the
throne murdered. News of Philip's death roused many states into
revolt, including Thebes, Athens, Thessaly, and the Thracian tribes
to the north of Macedon. When news of the revolts in Greece
reached Alexander, he responded quickly. Though his advisors
advised him to use diplomacy, Alexander mustered the Macedonian
cavalry of 3,000 men and rode south towards Thessaly and defeated
them with his innovative tactic. Alexander was given the title
Hegemon. Before moving to Asia Alexander tackled all the revolts
with his power and new art of fighting.

Important Battles Fought by Alexander

14. The Battle of Granicus.

a. With the conquered territories firmly in Macedonian
control, Alexander completed the final preparations for the
invasion of Asia. The 22 year-old king appointed Philip's
experienced general Antipater as regent in his absence to
preside over the affairs of Macedonia and Greece, left him a
significant force of 13,500 Macedonian soldiers to watch
Greece, Thrace, Illyria, and protect Macedonia, and set out for
the Hellespont (modern Dardanelles) in the spring of 334 BC.

b. In the army of Alexander there were 25,000

Macedonians, 7,600 Greeks, and 7,000 Thracians and Illyrians,
but the chief officers were all Macedonians, Alexander's second
in command was Philip's general Parmenio, The army soon
encountered the forces of King Darius III. There were 40,000
Persians and 20,000 Greeks waiting for them at the crossing of
the river Granicus, near the ancient city of Troy.

c. The Macedonians defeated the Persians and put them to

flight and although the Greeks held their ground and fiercely
fought, the battle ended in Macedonian victory. Almost the
entire Greek force was annihilated. 18,000 Greeks perished on
the banks of Granicus and the 2,000 survivors were sent to

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forced labor in Macedonia. The Macedonians lost only 120 men

according to tradition.

d. It is important to note the number of Greeks on the both

sides. Which didn’t create any problem for Alexander.

15. The Campaigns in Asia Minor.

a. Alexander then led the army south across Asia Minor in

334 BC. Ironically, it is not the Persians but the Greek coastal
cities which gave the greatest resistance to the Macedonians.
The Greek commander Memnon and his men considerably slow
down the advance of Alexander and many Macedonians died
during the long and difficult sieges of the Greek cities of
Halicarnassus, Miletus, Mylasa. But at the end the Macedonian
army defeated the enemy and conquered the coast of Asia
Minor. Alexander then turned northward to central Asia Minor,
to the city of Gordium.

b. After his victory, Alexander rolled through Asia Minor,

detouring to Gordium to meet up with his general Parmenio.
Gordium was a town in Galatia, the ancient capital of the
Phrygians. In the town was a wagon tied to a post. It was a
very ordinary post and a very ordinary wagon with one
exception: the yoke was fastened to the pole with a complex of
knots so thoroughly tangled that it was impossible to unravel.
The legend was the anyone who could loose the knot would be
the conqueror of Asia.

c. Alexander the Great naturally had to try his hand at this

fabled knot, since he was in town anyway. He had announced
his intention of conquering Asia, and to leave Gordium without
testing the knot was unthinkable. So, he and some of his men,
and a large crowd of locals, all made their way to the acropolis
and the wagon.The Gordian Knot was an especially difficult one
in that there were no loose ends showing. Alexander tried for a
while but was copmletely stumped. His attendants were
concerned, for failure here would make poor propaganda.

d. At last, Alexander cried out "What difference does it make

how I loose it?" He pulled out his sword and cut the knot
through. Thus did Alexander reveal that he was the one
prophesied. It was a lovely play on words, for the Greek word
was luein, which can mean "untie" but can also mean "sunder"
or "resolve."
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e. From that story of Alexander came a phrase that is still

used occasionally. To "cut the Gordian knot" means to slice
through a problem that appears hopelessly complex by some
simply, bold stroke.But the true test would come when he
faced not a provincial but an imperial Persian army.

16. The Battle of Issus.

a. The Persian Empire's military machine was powerful and

ponderous. In the autumn of 333 BC, Alexander’s army
encountered the Persian forces under the command of King
Darius III again, at a mountain pass at Issus in north western
Syria. When Darius finally came to meet him, Alexander was
already in southern Turkey. The situation for the Greeks was
serious. They were still in the mountains, trying to find a safe
passage to the sea. Darius managed to get in between and
Alexander had to fight his way through.

b. 30,000 Greeks faced 100,000 Persians across a small river

called the Pinarus, near the town of Issus. Fighting across a
river is always difficult, for the attacker has to wade through
the water and climb the opposite bank before ever engaging
the defender. Parmenio led the Greek left and had a hard fight
of it. Alexander personally led the right, which held the
Macedonian cavalry. The battle was still very much at issue
when Alexander led a charge straight at Darius himself.

c. Seeing Alexander cutting his way through the Persians,

obviously making for the king himself, Darius panicked and
fled. Once the king was seen abandoning the field -- he was
easy to spot in his golden chariot -- the Persian army
collapsed. Darius's army greatly outnumbered the
Macedonians, but the Battle of Issus ended in a big victory for
Alexander. Ten's of thousands of Persians, Greeks, and other
Asiatic soldiers were killed and king Darius fled in panic before
the Macedonian phalanx.

d. Issus marked the beginning of the end of Persian power

in the Mediterranean. After Issus, Alexander knew he could
bring Darius down; he began to dream of replacing him as
King of Kings.
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17. The Sieges of Tyre and Gaza.

a. The victory at Issus opened the road for Syria and

Phoenicia. In early 332, Alexander sent general Parmenio to
occupy the Syrian cities and himself marched down the
Phoenician coast where he received the surrender of all major
cities except the island city of Tyre.

b. A very difficult seven-month siege of the city followed. In

an enormous effort, the Macedonians began building a mole
that would connect the island-city with the coast. Tons of
rocks and wood were poured into the water strip separating
the island from the coast.

c. But its construction and the attacks from the city walls
cost Alexander many of his bravest Macedonians. Although
seriously tempted to lift the siege and continue marching on
Egypt, Alexander did not abandon the project and continued
the siege, surrounding the island with ships and blasting the
city walls with catapults. When the walls finally gave in, the
Macedonians poured their anger over the city defenders -
7,000 people were killed, 30,000 were sold as slaves.

d. He continued marching south toward Egypt but was again

held up by resistance at Gaza. The Macedonians put the city
under a siege which lasted two months, after which the
scenario of Tyre was repeated. With the fall of Gaza, the whole
Eastern Mediterranean coast was now secured and firmly in
the hands of the Macedonians.

18. Alexander in Egypt.

a. Alexander entered Egypt in the beginning of 331 BC. When

he arrived in Egypt, The Persian satrap surrendered and the
Egyptians as liberators welcomed the Macedonians for they
had despised living under Persian rule for almost two
centuries.The Egyptians were glad to be rid of the Persians,
who forced Persian gods and customs upon them, and to
welcome the Greeks, who liberated them and restored their
liberties - provided, of course, that they become allies of
Alexander.
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b. While in Egypt, Alexander took another of his detours that

became legendary. He visited the shrine of Zeus Ammon, a
site sacred to Egyptians and Greeks alike, at the oasis of
Siwah, well into the desert in Libya. There, while visiting the
Egyptian priests, he was proclaimed a god by the Egyptians—
an honor he did not decline. He submitted to the Egyptian
ceremonies, even going so far as to wear Egyptian dress.

c. This incident did not sit well with some of Alexander's

pragmatic and traditional veterans. They knew he was no god.
Alexander reassured them that he was merely bowing to local
customs, but not everyone was convinced by this.

d. Before leaving Egypt Alexander ordered that a city be

designed and founded in his name at the mouth of river Nile,
as trading and military Macedonian outpost. He never lived to
see it built, but Alexandria would become a major economic
and cultural centre in the Mediterranean world not only during
the Macedonian rule in Egypt but centuries after.

19. The Battle of Gaugamela.

a. At Tyre, Alexander received reinforcements from Europe,

reorganized his forces, and started for Babylon. He conquered
the lands between rivers Tigris and Euphrates and found the
Persian army at the plains of Gaugamela, near modern Irbil in
Iraq, which according to the exaggerated accounts of antiquity
was said to number a million men.

B. The Macedonians spotted the lights from the Persian

campfires and encouraged Alexander to lead his attack under
cover of darkness. But he refused to take advantage of the
situation because he wanted to defeat Darius in an equally
matched battle so that the Persian king would never again
dare to raise an army against him.

c. The two armies met on the battlefield the next morning,

October 1, 331 BC. At the beginning of the battle the Persian
forces split and separated the two Macedonians wings. The
wing of general Parmenio appeared to be backing down, but
Alexander's cavalry rode straight after Darius and forced again
his flight like he did at Issus. Darius fled to Ecbatana in Media,
and Alexander occupied Babylon, the imperial capital Susa,
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and the Persian capital Persepolis, and was henceforth

proclaimed king of Asia.

20. The March on India.

a. In the spring of 327 BC, Alexander and his army marched

into India invading Punjab. The greatest of Alexander's battles
in India was at the river Hydaspes, against king Porus, one of
the most powerful Indian rulers.

b. In the summer of 326 BC, Alexander's army crossed the

heavily defended river during a violent thunderstorm to meet
Porus' forces. The Indians were defeated in a fierce battle.
Porus was captured and like the other local rulers he had
defeated, Alexander allowed him to continue to govern his
territory.

Analysis of Battlefield Performance

21. Founder of 70 Cities. Alexander founded some 70 cities

within his empire, more than 13 of them named Alexandria.

22. A Diplomat Ruler. To win the support of the Persian

aristocracy Alexander appointed many Persians as provincial
governors in his new empire. He married the Persian princess and
adopted the Persian dress for ceremonies, gave orders for Persians
to be enlisted in the army, and encouraged the Macedonians to
marry Persian women. In Egypt he did the same to win the heart of
the people rather than ruling them.

23. Used An Excellent System of Recruitment. He used to

fill the gaps in his army by recruits from home or enlistment of
natives, and transform the latter into excellent soldiers. Starting
from home with thirty-five thousand men, he had in the Indian
campaigns no less than one hundred and thirty five thousand, and
their deeds proved the stuff that was in them.

24. First to Evolve Art of War.

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a. Alexander by his deeds created a methodical system of

warfare from which we may learn lesson today. His movements
were always made on a well conceived, maturely-digested
plan; and this he kept in view to the end, putting aside all
minor considerations for the main object, but never loosing
sight of these.

b. His rapidity was unparalleled. But he never advanced,

despite his speed, without securing flanks and rear, and
properly garrisoning the country on which he based.

c. He kept well concentrated; his division of forces was

always warranted by conditions, and always with a view of
again concentrating.

d. Napoleon said of him, “to guess at the intentions of the

enemy; to hide from him both your own intentions and opinion;
to mislead him by feigned manoeuvres; to invoke ruse, as well
as digested schemes, so as to fight under the best conditions.
– this is, and always was, the art of war.”

25. The Great Cavalry General. Alexander is above all others

the pattern of a cavalry general. Perhaps no parallel can be found to
such able, persistent and effective handling of horse as was done by
him in the battle of against Puru.

26. Used a Very Mobile Artillery. Alexander used a very mobile

form of artillery. Only the more necessary parts of the catapults and
ballistics were carried with him. Wherever there were timbers, the
rough framework could be put together in a few hours. He had
mountain batteries, which could be carried even on the backs of
men where pack animals could not go.

27. First Use of Pontoons. Probably he was the first man to

use something resembling a pontoon bridge, in the campaigns to
India, while crossing the river Indus. He did it by cutting the boats
into two, or, in case of the thirty oared galleys, in three parts, and
conveying them on wagons.

28. The first Use of Encirclement Tactics. Alexander's army

crossed a heavily defended river during a violent thunderstorm to
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meet Porus' forces. The Indians were defeated in a fierce battle,

even though they fought with elephants, which the Macedonians
had never seen before. Probably he was the first general to show the
tactics of encircling the enemy from rear and flank and destroy them
using the cavalry arm in this battle.

Significant Leadership Qualities.

29. Extra Ordinary Physical Qualities. Alexander possessed

uncommon qualities of body, head and heart. He was active, and
able to endure heat and cold, hunger and thrust, trial and fatigue
even beyond the stoutest. His strength and courage were altogether
exceptional. “That the soul of this king was fashioned on a
superhuman pattern.”

30. Great Organizer. As an organizer of an army he was

unapproached; as a leader, unapproachable in rousing the ambition
and courage of his men, and in quelling their fears by his own
fearlessness. “He was invincible to those things which terrify others,
his bravery did not only excel that of other kings, but even that of
those who have no other virtue.”

31. Setting Personal Example. He frequently marched on

foot with his troops rather than make use of horse or chariot. He
participated in all battles physically and always led the battle
positioning himself at the front.

32. Keen Analysist of Enemy. Alexander always saw where

his enemy’s strength and weakness lay, he took prompt advantage
of them. He utilized his victories to the full extent, and pursued with
a vigour which no other has ever reached. Roman historian, Arrion
wrote about him: “he was quick to recognize what had to be done,
while others were still back by uncertainty. From observation of
facts, he was most successful in conjecturing what was likely to
happen. In danger he relieved the fear of his men by his own
freedom of fear. Thereafter he did quickly and boldly what had to be
done, even when he was uncertain of the result.”

33. Dynamic Leadership. Alexander had different dimension

of thinking and executing the plans. Only because of his dynamic
leadership he could win the then kwon world within a very short
span of life.
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34. Great Strategist. Alexander wanted to establish the

Greek empire and rule the country. Once he marched toward Asia
he brought the Demographists, Historians, and Botanists with him.
After winning over a country he used to recruit the people in his
army. Against the Persians he chose the strategy of attrition to
teach them a good lesson so that in future they never rise up
against the Greek Empire.

35. Tactical Superiority. It is mentionable that Alexander

won all the battles in his life and in all cases his opponent was
superior in terms of manpower and resources. But its the tactical
superiority of Alexander over his opponents that triggered his
success. He adopted different tactics in different grounds and
against different enemies.

36. Strong Willpower and Courage. Alexander had long

cherished desire to conquer the whole world since his childhood. He
was extraordinary courageous and ruthless in taking any decision
and executing them. He used to face the opponents from the front in
day light rather than attacking at night to with a view to destroying
them into peace meal. His strong willpower and courage helped his
under commands to keep the impetus in the battlefield.

37. Vision. Alexander became great due to his vision which was
to unify the Greece, take revenge over the Persians and conquer the
world gradually. To fulfil his vision he prepared himself from the
childhood. The young Alexander was always a great patron of the
arts and of learning. He enjoyed and encouraged hunting and the
martial arts, except for boxing. He was taught under great
philosopher Aristotle. Alexander wanted to reduce the cultural
variations between the Greeks and Persians. His aim was to cross
these two cultures so that these two countries remain together in
future.

Weakness of the Leader

38. Ordering Execution. Like many of the kings, Once he

ascended on the Macedonian throne, Alexander cleared all of his
domestic enemies by ordering their execution. Afterwards he
executed general Parmenio only out of misbelieve. Parmenio was a
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veteran, proven solder of Philip's guard, a men who played a major

part in leading the Macedonian armies and rising the country to a
world power. But the death of the old general did not sit well with
every Macedonian in the army. He also killed the nephew of
Aristotle, his great teacher on a charge of conspiracy. By ordering
the executions he made some people his enemy within his palace.

39. Mass Killing. It is reported that, at times Alexander used to

take revenge by mass killing and destruction. When Alexander
attacked Thebes, he ordered all structures destroyed except
temples and the home of the poet Pindar. The Macedonians
stormed the city, killing everyone in sight, women and children
included. 6,000 Thebans citizens died and 30,000 more were sold
as slaves. Even after capturing Tyre his army killed 7000 people and
sold 30,000 people as slaves.

40. Too Much Dependency on his Best Friend. Alexander used

to believe his best friend blindly. In some cases he ignored the
suggestions of his senior counsellors and faced troubles.

41. Too Much Drinking. Alexander used to drink too much. It is

assumed that Alexander was died for over drinking in an ceremony
after returning from India. Many a times he lost his control over
himself and faced troubles for over drinking.

42. Ruthlessness. Though Alexander became famous because

of his courage, vision, strategy and conquering the then known
world but he was ruthless, brutal and merciless. He used to kill those
who created hindrance on his way. He never compromised with his
opinion and thoughts to anyone. He faced no of mutinies and he
faced those by killing rather than diplomacy. Often he is compared
with Hitler.

Lessons Appropriate for the commanders of Banladesh

Army.

43. Setting personal example. Every commander must set

personal example of good physical standard, courage and will to
work together to build confidence among the soldiers the way
Alexander did.

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44. Cross culture. In Chittagong Hill trucks cross culture

between Bengali and tribal people will reduce the prolonged
problem in many ways the way Alexander crossed the culture
between the Greeks and the Persians.

45. Emphasising on River Line Defence. Alexander’s campaign

to India has proved that it is really difficult to invade any country
where there are numbers of rivers. Bangladesh is called the land of
rivers. So we must be master on river Line defence. We should also
formulate our own tactics on how to best use these rivers.

46. Aiming to destroy the Command channel. In most of

the battles Alexander directly attacked on the commander from
suitable location and forced him to leave the battle field. For doing
so the opponent troops fled from battle field in fear and ultimate
victory went for Alexander. So in the battle field our main target
should be to kill the commanders. For that we can use the snipers.

47. Going Close to the Troops and the People. Alexander

used to mixed up with the troops and boost their moral frequently.
Many a times his troops denied to resume advance but great leader
Alexander motivated them, walked on foot with the troops and stood
beside them in times of their sorrows and sufferings. So as an army
commander we must stand beside our troops to win their heart. That
will help us to have better command and control.

48. Pressing hard the Troops to Maintain the Momentum.

Many a times Alexander had to face the mutiny among the troops.
But he faced those strongly. He identified the problematic
characters and removed them from army. So in our command level
if any under command is demotivated we must identify him, try to
rectify him if not through him out of army to keep a healthy
atmosphere in Army.

Conclusion

49. Alexander alone has the record of uniform success with no

failure. With marvellous courage, endurance, intelligence and skill
he completed the conquest of the entire then known world,
marching twenty two thousand miles in his twelve years’ campaigns.
And all these before he was thirty- two. There is no other instance in
the world’s history, it has been observed, of a small nation
overrunning the earth.

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