Download Alexander the Great – Introduction

ALEXANDER
THE
GREAT
Part 1: Introduction
“I am persuaded that there is no nation, city or people then in being where his
name did not reach; for which reason, whatever origin he might boast of, or claim
to himself, there seems to me to have been some divine hand presiding over
both his birth and his actions, inasmuch as no mortal on earth either excelled or
equalled him.”
- Alexander’s biographer Arrian
Alexander the Great – Introduction
Parents:
Born:
Describe the relationship between Alexander’s parents:
Teachers:
Heroic Ancestors:
The Persian Empire
Greece had been invaded twice by the Persians:
1. ______ BC. King ________ was defeated at _______________ .
2. ______ BC. King ________ attacked. Athens was sacked and its temples were
_________ and __________ . Athens then won a major naval victory at ________.
The Persian invasions were a motive for Philip and Alexander’s _____________________
against the Persians.
Leadership Conflict
Athens, Sparta and Thebes were the leading Greek states during the 5th c. BC. Being the
leading state meant you had financial and cultural control and superiority in Eastern
Europe. These three states were often in conflict with each other competing for leadership,
for example 470-430 BC Athens takes the lead, 404-387 BC Sparta takes the lead.
At 387-8 BC the Greek states were invaded by Persia once again (first invasion took place
in 480-470 BC). This time Persia won. The Persian king Artaxerxes (also called the Great
King) forced the Greek states of central and southern Greece (Thessaly, Thebes, Athens
and Sparta) to accept "The King's Peace". According to this:
a. Persia had supreme control over all the Greek people (the people of Hellas)
b. The states of Central and southern Greece were permitted to have their own
government and a political system of their choice.
c. Central and southern states were answerable to Persia and had to contribute money
and armies to Persia on demand.
d. The Greek states of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and Nth Greece (eg. Thrace) were
forced to accept more strict terms eg Thrace had to accept a Persian satrap.
Macedonia and the Macedonian People
The Greek part of Macedonia stretched between the rivers Haliacmon and Axius.
But the Macedonian kings had invaded parts of Illyria in the West and Peonia in the North
and enlarged their kingdom. The capital of Macedonia at first was Aegae, later Pella.
Ethnic Origins of Macedonian People
The Macedonian population was a mixture of Greek Macedonian (Lowlanders) and
barbaric people ie foreigners such as Illyrian and Peonian people (Highlanders).
Greeks and Macedonians
To the Greeks, all non-Greeks were ‘barbarians’, different and in some ways inferior.
However, the term ‘barbarian’ was often applied to the Macedonians by other Greeks,
especially the Athenians under Demosthenes (a leader in Athens and outspoken critic of
Philip and Alexander).
Macedonia
‘Pro-Greek’ aspects
-
-
Of Greek descent
Spoke a Greek dialect
The upper-classes were
Hellenised to some degree.
(eg. They participated in the
Olympic Games)
Under Philip, all nobility and
army spoke proper Greek. The
nobility gained a classical
Greek education.
‘Anti-Greek’ aspects
-
-
Many cultural and political
differences from other Greeks
Little culture in Macedonia –
preferred hunting and drinking to
philosophy and the Arts
Politically ‘backward’ – had an
absolute monarch rather than
democracy
Philip II (reign 359-336 BC)
Philip's aims and policies
Philip's ultimate aim was to increase Macedonia’s territory in the
north and the south.
Many of the states he wished to take over e.g. the Greek states to
the south of Macedonia, were controlled by Persia therefore Philip
expected opposition from Persia. His main concern was that he did
not match the military strength of Persia.
He therefore planned to take over the Greek states quickly, unite them under his rule and
then convince them to fight Persia, their common enemy.
How did Philip convince the Greeks to fight with him against Persia?
He used the pretext that they were fighting a religious war of revenge; the Greeks
(including Macedonians) would join forces to fight the Persians who had overtaken them
and had destroyed and desecrated their temples.
Philip’s Conquest of Greece
Philip united Greece by a combination of conquest and diplomacy.
He started by uniting Macedonian tribes and conquering neighbouring Paeonia, Thrace
and Thessaly. From the rich mineral mines in Trace, he made enough money to turn his
army into full-time professionals.
He began Hellenizing Macedonia. He brought tutors like Aristotle from the south in an
effort to teach Macedonian young noblemen Greek literature, ideas, customs and beliefs.
Greek became the official language of the army and the administration
Initially he avoided war with the Greeks hoping they would accept
Macedonian leadership. But in Athens a demagogue (political
leader) called Demosthenes (right) preached against the
uncivilized state of Macedonia and the evil nature of Philip. He
therefore convinced Athens and other Greek states to raise an
allied army against Macedonia.
Under Philip’s leadership
and with the expert
Thessalian cavalry in
support, Philip moved
southward. He met the
combined armies of Thebes
and Athens at Chaeroneia in
338BC. Chaeroneia was
Alexander’s first full scale
battle, aged 18.
After winning that battle, Philip set up the League of
Corinth. This was a supposedly voluntary
organisation with representatives from all Greek
States except Sparta. Through the League, Philip as
Hegemon (leader) controlled almost all of Greece.
The Murder of Philip
THE MACEDONIAN ROYAL FAMILY
Philip II
→
married
Ruled 359-336 BC
↓
Alexander III (The Great)
Cleopatra
m. her uncle, Alexander (Epirus)
Ruled 336-323 BC
↓
Married
_________________________________
↓
Olympias
Princess from Epirus
Descended from
Achilles
↓
↓
←
↓
Roxane
Barsine
Parysatis
Bactrian
princess
At 327 BC
Eldest
daughter
of the Persian
king Darius
At 324 BC
Eldest
daughter
of Artaxerxes III,
a Persian king.
At 324 BC
Who Are These People?
Philip Arrhidaeus
Cleopatra
Attalus
Pausanias of Orestis
Pausanias
Pixodarus
Lyncestis brothers
Achilles
The Murder
When?
Where?
Who?
Why?
How?
What happened to the murderer?
Alexander and Philip
Alexander and Philip did not always see eye to eye. Relations between them were strained for the
following reasons:
1. The ill-feeling between Olympias and Philip. Alexander was caught in the middle,
loyal to both at different times.
2. Philip’s relationship with Attalus’ young niece Eurydice/Cleopatra. This was a threat
to Alexander, because if there was a son from this marriage, his right to succession
may be threatened, especially as Eurydice/Cleopatra was a full-blooded Macedonian.
[Read about and summarise the incident at the wedding of Philip and Eurydice – Artus p14 & 15]
3. The Pixodarus affair.
[Find out what this was about – summarise from Artus p15]
The Murder of Philip
(Artus p14-19)
The facts: In 336BC, on the eve of his invasion of Persia, Philip attended a wedding between
his daughter Cleopatra and Olympias’ brother Alexander of Epirus. As he was walking into the
theatre where the wedding was held, he was fatally stabbed by a man called Pausanias.
Why?
For each of the theories below, note down evidence for and against.
1. Pausanias was a jealous ex-lover (the lone-assassin theory).
2. Alexander and/or Olympais put Pausanias up to it.
3. There was a conspiracy against Philip involving the Lyncestis brothers (a notable
Macedonian family).
4. Antipater, a leading politician in Macedonia, organised the killing.
5. Demosthenes of Athens paid Pausanias to do it.
6. The Persian King Darius III paid Pausanias to do it.
ALEXANDER AFTER THE MURDER OF PHILIP
PHILIP’S
ACHIEVEMENTS
(ALEXANDER’s
INHERITANCE)
Alexander’s FIRST MOVES
After Alexander was proclaimed King, he had a number of immediate
problems to solve, first inside Macedonia, then in the rest of Greece:
1. He killed all rivals to the throne. Note down why each of the following were killed:
 2 of the 3 Lyncestian brothers (see Artus, pg.16)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
 Amyntas (son of Philip’s elder brother).
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
 Attalus. (uncle of Philip’s wife Cleopatra/Eurydice)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Alexander’s FIRST MOVES (cont’d)
2. All Greece was in revolt. He first went south, where he outwitted the Thessalians to gain
their support. Athens and the other southern states acclaimed him as Philip’s successor.
3. He then needed to go north, to deal with revolts in Illyria.
4. While in the north, there were rumours that he had been killed. Thebes again revolted,
with support from Athens.
5. Alexander laid siege to Thebes and defeated it.
The Sack of Thebes
This is considered to be one of Alexander’s first ‘Acts of Cruelty’. Use Hamilton (p.48-49) to note:
• The reasons why Thebes decided to revolt
• What happened before Alexander attacked the city.
• What happened at the end of the battle.
• How and why the League of Corinth dealt with Thebes.
• Why Hamilton calls this “a calculated act of terrorism”. (Is this fair?)