Alexander was born in 356 B.C. Philip, who was the brother of King Perdiccas III of Macedonia, in northern Greece, fathered him. Alexander’s mother was Philip’s wife, Olympias, daughter of King Neoptolemus I of Epirus, in modern Albania. Alexander had a younger sister, named Cleopatra, not to be confused with the famous Egyptian queen. Alexander’s parents, unfortunately enough for him, loathed each other. In keeping with the tradition of Macedonians, Philip had numerous lesser wives and children--all whom Olympias regarded with contempt and animosity. When one of these lesser wives gave birth to a mentally retarded son, Philip Arrideaeus, rumors told that Olympias had c

In his last years, Alexander became more and more volatile, which was encouraged by his heavy drinking. One thesis states that he underwent an alcohol-induced character metamorphosis late in his life, and “even as he performed one epic deed after another, this superb warrior began to exhibit a disturbing personal transformation…during the last seven years of Alexander’s life, he became increasingly unpredictable, sporadically violent, megalomania cal, and suspicious of friends as well as enemies..” Alexander pronounced himself a god, and had even more of his subordinates put to death. As a result of one binge at Babylon in 323, he became ill and died ten days later; Alexander the Great was thirty-three years old.

aused his disability with poison. Olympias was a conniving, devious woman; she told Alexander that Philip was not his real father, although this was not true—Philip certainly believed Alexander was his son. He made sure that the boy was well educated and trained. Alexander was educated during his early teenage years by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle. Although they later differed on political issues such as Alexander’s decision to deplete the importance of the city-state, the famous philosopher performed his duty—preparing the young boy for undertaking campaigns against the Persian Empire, as well as inculcating in him a love of learning so vital to Hellenic (Greek) culture.

By the time he finally reached Susa, the administrative capital of the Persian Empire, in 324, Alexander the Great had indeed established a sprawling and formidable empire. He founded numerous cities bearing his name and had infused Asia with the dynamic Hellenic culture, which would influence the region for centuries to come. In addition, he now attempted greater racial intermixing, which led to another near-complete break from his fellow Macedonians.

When Alexander was three years old, in 359 B.C., King Perdiccas died. His young son Amyntas was expected to succeed him, with Philip as

Some topics in this essay:
Macedonia Philip, Macedonians Alexander, Macedonians Greeks, Macedonians Persians, Conqueror Alexander, European Asian, Persian Empire, Alexander Philip, Eastern Mediterranean, League Corinth, lesser wives, king perdiccas, asia minor, persian empire, persian army,