Everyone knows him as a great commander and a fearless warrior. But is it true that the growth of Alexander the Great was small, and he himself had a slim physique?
short biography
The future king was born in 356 BC. e. in the family of Argeadov. Alexander the Great spent his years of his life in his native Macedonia, leaving it only for the duration of his studies. Ancient legends say that the beginning of this dynasty was laid by Heracles himself. In addition to him, there was another child in the family - Philip, who was recognized as demented and was not allowed to the throne. Their mother was the Olympics, and the father of the illustrious Macedonian king Philip II.
Childhood and teachers
Alexander spent his childhood under the influence of a domineering mother. She set him up against his father as best she could, so the relationship between him and his parent was ambiguous: on the one hand, he admired the warlike father, on the other, he despised him for his act. Philip II divorced his mother to marry Cleopatra. Parents threw all their strength into raising and educating their only normal son and future ruler. His teachers were such personalities as Leonid - he taught the boy survival in the harsh time of the war. Lysimachus taught the young heir rhetoric and ethics. But the main influence, of course, was Aristotle. The philosopher put his knowledge of politics, medicine, literature, poetics. It was his influence that played a role in the formation of the future commander and conqueror. Aristotle himself gave an excellent characterization to Alexander the Great, his most famous student. A comprehensively developed young ruler received a good education, which greatly helped him in future conquests.
Characteristic of Alexander the Great
The willful and imperious character of the future king adopted from his father. The height of Alexander the Great was only 150 cm. This did not prevent him from becoming a great conqueror. One can judge personal qualities by one historical fact. Somehow they brought his father to show his horse. You could buy such a stately horse for 13 talents. At that time it was a lot of money. Not a single person succeeded in curbing this horse - he was simply uncontrollable and did not allow a single rider to approach him. Alexander easily jumped on a horse and sped off on it as if nothing had happened. At that time, the boy was only 10 years old. Since then, he became a faithful companion of the young king and went down in history under the name Bucephalus. In honor of him, the great commander even named the city.
Alexander's violent temper could not always be carried by his so-called companions. So he called the students with whom he comprehended science in his young years. Perhaps because of his growth, Alexander the Great did not like jousting, preferring to spend his free time at feasts. Another reason could be his illness - epilepsy. Regular seizures caused a lot of trouble both to the king himself and his entourage. He was less severely disposed towards women than his teacher Aristotle. He did not consider the beautiful half of humanity to be secondary after men. And it should be noted that, despite his growth, Alexander the Great was a success among women. In his harem, there were about 360 concubines. Also, the great commander had three official wives.
Personal life
The first wife of Alexander was the beautiful Roxanne, who at that time was only 14 years old. When the Macedonian army crushed the fortress in Bactria, the girl was captured by the Macedonian king. Despite the fact that she was a legitimate prey and the owner could take it by force, her fate was different. Blinded by the beauty of Roxanne, the commander takes her into a lawful wife, and soon she gives birth to his son Alexander. One of the concubines also gave him an heir - Hercules. Both did not even live to adulthood. Three years later, Tsar Alexander of Macedon marries two more women. Both of them were daughters of rulers, and these marriages were politically advantageous. But jealous Roxanne still could not come to terms with her rivals and killed one of them after her husband’s death.
Unverified Data
Opinion about Alexander's bisexuality still haunts historians. It is believed that he was in a sexual relationship with Hephaestion, his closest friend. In those days, it was in the order of things, and relatives did not worry about this. A problem could arise if the future ruler refused to marry and acquire offspring. Alexander turned out well in this regard, and his inclinations remain only speculations.
Conquest
About what Alexander the Great was, can be judged by his affairs. Despite the fact that more than two thousand years have passed since the day of his death, no one was able to achieve even part of his conquests. Military academies still use his tactical schemes in the classroom. All historians of the world recognize his right to be considered the greatest conqueror in the history of mankind.
Ascension to the throne
Young Alexander became the ruler much earlier than he expected. His father was killed during a wedding celebration. The young king first discovered the conspiracy and executed all those responsible for the death of his parent. When rumors about the death of Philip reached neighboring states, the enemies immediately tried to take advantage of the situation. They naively believed that young Alexander would not be able to control the military power of his state as famously as his father. The new lord quickly took everything into his own hands and restored order in Athens and Thebes. He does not intend to lose the land that his father so earned for the empire. He was going to multiply them and make his country a great and invincible power.
Victories followed one after another. First, he went to Thebes, where a rebellion was already brewing, reinforced by rumors of the death of a young commander. The Greeks did not support their neighbors, and the city was taken by storm. In order to avoid the fate of the Thebans and escape from captivity, they themselves handed over to Alexander the politicians who openly expressed dissatisfaction with his power. Having established order in Greece and Athens, the king returns home, where he is preparing for a new campaign.
Great conqueror
This time his eyes turned to Syria, Egypt and Asia Minor. These lands were of strategic importance. In two months he managed to conquer Egypt. Residents of the cities welcomed the new king with shouts of joy - they had a hard time under the rule of the tyrannical Darius. The latter tried several times to appease Alexander and offered him a peace treaty. But the young commander rejected the offer twice.
Syria and Asia Minor were conquered over the year, and Persia, Central Asia and India were listed next. Almost all the years of his life, Alexander the Great spent on the battlefield. The countries he planned to capture surrendered under the onslaught of the might of his army. Not a single military leader of that time could guess his tactics. He was able to expertly outwit the enemy and trap him. Nobody has managed to surpass him in military affairs so far.