Alexander the Great

1. Alexander born 356 BC - son of one of the most powerful men in the world at the time, Phillip II of Macedonia.

2. Alexander came to throne 336 BC when his father died, inherited the most powerful military machine the world had ever seen.

3. Alexander was a military genius who inspired great loyalty in his followers and had extraordinary energy and courage.

4. His famous horse, Bucephalus, died in Alexander’s last battle.

5. Alexander put down uprisings in Thrace and Illyria when he was very young and destroyed city of Thebes when it revolted.

6. He conquered Greek states and set his sights on the Persian Empire.

7. He wanted to create an empire where Greek language was spoken, Greek currency was used and cities reflected Greek culture.

8. Alexander started one of the greatest marches in history by crossing the Hellespont at the head of his army in 334 BC.

9. He led 35,000 troops into Asia Minor to attack the Persians and won the Battle of Issus against Darius III convincingly.

10. Alexander took command of Syria and then moved on to Egypt.

11. He founded Alexandria, the greatest monument to his name.

12. He fought Darius again at Battle of Guagamela where his army were heavily outnumbered.

13. Alexander won the battle due to superior training and tactics, and his aggressive decisive command.

14. In less than five years, Alexander led his troops to victory in Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt and Mesopotamia without a single defeat.

15. By the age of twenty-five Alexander was King of Persia, Pharaoh of Egypt and leader of all the Greek city states.

16. He travelled 11,000 miles in next 8 years, founded 70 cities and created an empire that covered 3 continents and 2 million miles.

17. His journey ended after entering Afghanistan and India.

18. Alexander left Greeks behind in all the countries he conquered in order to spread their influence.

19. Alexander dies of a fever at the age of thirty-three.

20. After his death there was a power struggle and his generals carved up the Empire that Alexander had worked so hard to create.