In the year 356 BC, the Persian Empire still stood strong and seemed as if it would last another hundred years. However, on the 20th of July a sign was sent that brought the men of Asia great fear. While Alexander of Macedon was being born, a fire was raging in the great temple of Diana at Ephesus. This boy’s life would forever be entwined with those of the Persian Empire’s.
The conquest of Persia was not preordained and those living within its vast empire could never foresee its fall, but on closer inspection there appears to be cracks in its facade. Repeated revolts drained its coffers and defeat to the Greeks finally contained their hunger for more land. A series of royal executions and infighting further weakened the empire at a time when it needed to recover.
If Persia was so weak then why could the Greeks not take advantage of it before? The Greeks had a strong identity of individualism. Each polis wished to have the right to self-rule, but that did not stop the formation of leagues. The imperialistic ideals of Athens and Sparta caused the Greek world to be split into two large competing alliances. Decades of fighting at a stalemate weakened the allies of both poleis’ and allowed for other states to rise: Thebes and Macedon. The Greeks would not be able to conquer an empire without someone to unify them first.
If the Greek people couldn’t do it, then it fell into the lap of their northern neighbors the Macedonians. A young Philip II spent his early life in Thebes learning how to fight from one of the most preeminent generals of the day, Epaminondas. His aptitude for military matters allowed him to restructure the Macedonian military and lead it to victory against all those Philip wished to subjugate. Wars in Illyria and Greece created a trained army with an experienced officer corps. With a big showdown between Persia and Macedon looking inevitable, Phillip is assassinated leaving his legacy uncertain.
Alexander, a young prince, inherited the throne and the world was looking at what he would do. He was not only able to defeat the Illyrian and Greek rebels, but also prepare his kingdom for the biggest conquest yet in history. From the banks of the Aegean to the door step of India, Alexander destroyed his opponents through superior tactics. The only thing that could stop his desire to conquer was his own soldiers refusal to keep following him.
The Alexander Mosaic. Digital image. Commons.Wikimedia.org. N.p., 11 Jan. 2005. Web. 28 Mar. 2015. <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BattleofIssus333BC-mosaic-detail1.jpg>.