Alexander+the+Great

Macedonia: ([|www.state.gov.com]) Macedonia is located in south central Europe. It shares a border with Greece to the south, Bulgaria to the east, Serbia and Kosovo to the north, and Albania to the west. The country is 80% mountainous, rising to its highest point at Mt. Korab There government is a Parliamentary democracy. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the territory of Macedonia fell under the control of the Byzantine Empire in the 6th and 7th centuries. It was during this period that large groups of Slavic people migrated to the Balkan region. The Ottoman Turks conquered the territory in the 15th century; it remained under Ottoman Turkish rule until 1912.

After more than 4 centuries of rule, Ottoman power in the region began to wane, and by the middle of the 19th century, Greece, Bulgaria, and Serbia were competing for influence in the territory. During this time, a nationalist movement emerged and grew in Macedonia. The latter half of the 19th century, continuing into the early part of the 20th century, was marked by sporadic nationalist uprisings, culminating in the Ilinden Uprising of August 2, 1903. Macedonian revolutionaries liberated the town of Krushevo and established the short-lived Republic of Krushevo, which was put down by Ottoman forces after 10 days. Following Ottoman Turkey's defeat by the allied Balkan countries--Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece--during the First Balkan War in autumn 1912, the same allies fought the Second Balkan War over the division of Macedonia. The August 1913 Treaty of Bucharest ended this conflict by dividing the territory between Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles sanctioned partitioning the geographic region of Macedonia among the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes; Bulgaria; and Greece. In the wake of the First World War, Vardar Macedonia (the present-day area of the Republic of Macedonia) was incorporated into the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.

Throughout much of the Second World War, Bulgaria and Italy occupied Macedonia. Many citizens joined partisan movements during this time and succeeded in liberating the region in late 1944. Following the war, Macedonia became one of the constituent republics of the new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under Marshall Tito. During this period, Macedonian culture and language flourished.

As communism fell throughout Eastern Europe in the late 20th century, Macedonia followed its other federation partners and declared its independence from Yugoslavia in late 1991

([]) Ancient Macedonia was home to many tribes and nations. The ancient Macedonians claimed kinship with the Illirians, Tracians, and Phrygians, but not with the Greeks. In fact, the Brygians of Macedonia are believed to be the European branch of people, who in Asia Minor were known as Phrygians.

[] Alexander brought greek culture to all the lands he conquered in 356-323 B.C .In 334-326 alexander the Great, Ruler of greece and macedonia, conquers the Persian empire.

tathav7499: Alexander The Great: [] Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. He inspired conquerors such as Hannibal the Carthaginian, the Romans Pompey and Caesar, and Napoleon. Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. He was son of Philip II, King of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of neighboring Epirus. He spent his childhood watching his father turning Macedonia into a great military power, winning many victories in a row on the battlefields throughout the Balkans. When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next three years, Aristotle trained Alexander in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which became of importance in Alexander’s later life. In 340, when Philip assembled a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16 years old son with the power to rule Macedonia in his absence as regent, which shows that even at such young age Alexander was seen as quite capable. But as the Macedonian army advanced deep into Thrace, the Thracian tribe of Maedi bordering north-eastern Macedonia rebelled and posed a danger to the country. Alexander assembled an army, led it against the rebels, and with swift action defeated the Maedi, captured their stronghold, and renamed it after himself to Alexandropolis. Two years later in 338 BC, Philip gave his son a commanding post among the senior generals as the Macedonian army invaded Greece. At the Battle of Chaeronea the Greeks were defeated and Alexander displayed his bravery by destroying the elite Greek force, the Theban Secret Band. Some ancient historians recorded that the Macedonians won the battle thanks to his bravery. not too long after the defeat of the Greeks at Chaeronea, the royal family split apart when Philip married Cleopatra, a Macedonian girl of high nobility. At the wedding banquet, Cleopatra's uncle, general Attalus, made a remark about Philip fathering a ‘legitimate’ heir, i.e., one that was of pure Macedonian blood. Alexander threw his cup at the man, blasting Attalus for calling him 'bastard child’. Philip stood up, drew his sword, and ran at Alexander, only to trip and fall on his face in his drunken stupor at which Alexander shouted: "Here is the man who was making ready to cross from Europe to Asia, and who cannot even cross from one table to another without losing his balance." After that he took his mother and ran to Epirus. Even though Alexander was allowed to return, he still felt insecure and isolated at the Macedonian court. In the spring of 336 BC, the king was assassinated by a noble named Pausanias during the wedding ceremomy in Aegae, which was the old capital of Macedonia.The reason why Pausanias puzzles both ancient and modern historians.But there is a claim that Pausanias was motivated into commiting the murder because because he was denied justice by the king because he sought support for punishing Cleopatra's uncle for earlier mistreatment. However, there are reports that Olympias and Alexander were responsilbe for the murder, by convincing the young men into commiting the murder, That might explain why Pausanias was put to death after he tried to flee the scene, instead of being captured and tried before the Macedonian assembly. King Philip was dead. Once Alexander became king, he got rid of his domestic enemies by ordering their execution. But he would have to act outside of Macedonia because the death of Philip II had caused a series of rebellions to spring up and the Illyrians, Thracians, and Greeks saw an opportunity to regain their independence. Alexander acted swiftly, forcing his way through the roads leading to Greece, even though they were blocked by the Thessalinians.

But as soon as Macedonian rule was restored in Northern Greece, he marched into Southern Greece. Alexander's swiftness surprised the Greeks, and by the end of the summer they had no other choice than to accept his authority. Thinking that the Greeks would stay calm, Alexander marched back into Macedonia and then into Thrace, and he went as far as the Danube River. He defeated the Thracians and Tribalians in a series of battles and pushed the rebels past the river. Then he went back through Macedonia and in a single week crushed the threatening Illyrians before they could receive help.

But in Greece, after rumors of Alexander's death, a big rebellion broke out that enveloped the whole nation. Infuriated, Alexander marched south for 240 miles in two weeks appearing in front of the walls of Thebes with a big Macedonian army. He let the Greeks know that it was not too late for them to change their minds, but the Thebans, confident that the city would not fall, called for all the Greeks who wished to set Greece free to join them against the Macedonians. They did not know that the Athenians and the Peloponnesians, stunned by the speed of the Macedonian king, had quickly reassessed their choices and were now waiting for the result of the battle before they made their next move.

Alexander's general Perdiccas attacked the gates, broke into the city, and Alexander followed him with the rest of the army behind Alexander to prevent the Thebans from cutting him off. The Macedonians stormed the city, killing everyone in sight. 6,000 Thebans citizens died and 30,000 more were sold as slaves. The city where Alexander's father was kept as hostage for three years, was plundered, sacked, burned, and flattened, just like Philip had done to with Methone, Olynthus, and the rest of the Greek cities in Chalcidice. Only the temples and the house of the poet Pindar were spared from destruction. This was an example to the rest of Greece, and Athens and the other city-states quickly replanned their quest for freedom.

With the conquered territories under Macedonian control, Alexander finished the last preparations for the invasion of Asia. The 22 year-old king appointed Philip's experienced general Antipater as regent in his absence to preside over the affairs of Macedonia and Greece, left him a significant force of 13,500 Macedonian soldiers to watch Greece, Thrace, Illyria, and protect Macedonia, and set out for the Hellespont (modern Dardanelles) in the spring of 334 BC.

In the Macedonian army, there were 25,000 Macedonians, 7,600 Greeks, and 7,000 Thracians and Illyrians, but the chief officers were all Macedonians, and Macedonians also commanded the foreign troops. Alexander's second in command was Philip's general Parmenio, the other commanders being Perdiccas, Craterus , Coenus, Meleager, Antigonus , and General Parmenio's son Philotas. The army soon ran into the forces of King Darius III. There were 40,000 Persians and Greeks (20,000 each) waiting for them at the crossing of the river Granicus, near the old city of Troy. These Greeks had sided with the Persians in the years following the defeat of the Greek army by Philip II at Chaeronea. It is good to note the number of Greeks on the both sides. The Greeks in the Macedonian army were mobilized by the Macedonians, and historians Peter Green and Ulrich Wilcken speak of them as hostages that would ensure the good behavior of their countrymen left behind in Greece under the watch of Antipater's Macedonian garrisons. Not surprisingly, the Greeks in Alexander's army played very insignificant roles in the approaching battles, only to be discharged when the time was right. But a far greater number of Greeks had joined the Persians, brushing away the memory of the Persian invasion of Greece 150 years ago. The ancient Greek historian Arrian cited the "//old racial rivalry between the Greeks and Macedonians//" that led to this hatred of both sides. The Macedonians defeated the Persians and drove them off. But although the Greeks held their ground and fiercely fought, the battle ended in a Macedonian victory. Most of the entire Greek force was destroyed. 18,000 Greeks perished on the banks of Granicus and the 2,000 survivors were sent to forced labor in Macedonia. According to tradition, only 120 Macedonians were killed. Alexander then led the army south across Asia Minor. Ironically, it is not the Persians but the Greek coastal cities that had given the most resistance to the Macedonians. The Greek commander Memnon and his men considerably slowed down the advance of Alexander and many Macedonians died during the long and bad sieges of the Greek cities of Halicarnassus, Miletus, and Mylasa. But in the Macedonian army was victorious over the Greeks and conquered the coast of Asia Minor. Alexander then turned northward to central Asia Minor, towards the city of Gordium.

In the fall of 333 BC, the Macedonian army ran across the Persian forces under the command of King Darius III himself at a mountain pass at Issus in northwestern Syria. 30,000 Greeks was a very big addition to Darius' army as elite fighters and were positioned directly against the Macedonian phalanx. Describing the atmosphere before a battle, the Roman historian Curtius explained how Alexander raised the morale of the Macedonians, Greeks, Illyrians, and Thracians in his army. Darius's army was bigger than Alexander's army, but the Battle of Issus ended in a big victory for Alexander. Very many Persians, Greeks, and other Asiatic soldiers were killed and Darius fled in panic before the Macedonian phalanx, leaving his mother, wife, and children behind. Alexander treated them with respect out of consideration of their royalty. In the spring of 327 BC, Alexander and his army marched into India and invaded Punjab. The biggest of Alexander's battles in India was at the river Hydaspes, against king Porus, who was one of the most powerful Indian rulers. In the summer of 326 BC, Alexander's army crossed the heavily defended river during a severe thunderstorm to take on Porus' forces. The Indians were defeated in a fierce battle, even though they fought with elephants, which the Macedonians had never seen before. Porus was caught, and like the other local rulers he had defeated, Alexander allowed him to continue to govern his territory. In this battle Alexander's horse Bucephalus was wounded and died. Alexander had ridden Bucephalus into every one of his battles in Europe and Asia, so when it died he was grief-stricken. He founded a city which he named Buckephalia, in his horse's name. The army continued advancing as far as the river Hydaspes but at this point the Macedonians refused to go farther because reports of bigger and more fierce armies ahead equipped with many elephants and chariots kept coming. General Coenus spoke on the army's behalf to the king. Reluctantly, Alexander agreed to stop here. Pretty soon, Coenus died and the army buried him with the highest honors. It was decided that the army would travel down the rivers Hydaspes and Indus so that they might reach the Indian Ocean on the southern edge of the world and from there go westward toward Persia. 1,000 ships were constructed and while the navy sailed the rivers, the army rode down along the rivers banks, stopping to attack and subdue the Indian villages along the way. One of the villages in which the army stopped was home to the Malli, who were said to be one of the most warlike people of all of the Indian tribes. Alexander was severely wounded in this attack when a Malli arrow went through his breastplate and pireced his ribcage. The Macedonians rescued him in a narrow escape from the village. But the Malli still surrendered as Alexander began to recover from the vital wound. The movement down the river resumed and the Macedonian army stopped at the mouth of the Indus River in the summer of 325 BC. Then it turned westward towards Persia.

In the spring of 324, Alexander held a great victory celebration at Susa. He and 80 of his close associates married Persian noblewomen. In addition, he legitimized previous so-called marriages between soldiers and native women and gave them rich wedding gifts, no doubt to encourage such unions.

A little while later, at Opis, he declared that 10,000 Macedonian veterans be sent home to Macedonia with General Craterus. Craterus' orders were to replace Antipater and Antipater’s to bring new reinforcements in Asia. But the army mutinied hearing this. Infuriated, Alexander pointed the main ringleaders to his bodyguards to be punished and then gave his famous speech where he reminded the Macedonians that without him and his father Philip, they would have still been leaving in fear of the nations surrounding Macedonia, instead of ruling the world. After this the Macedonians were reconciled with their king and 10,000 of them set out for Europe, leaving their children with Asian women with Alexander. Simultaneously, 30,000 Persian youth that had already been trained in Macedonian manner were recruited into the army. Alexander prayed for unity between the Macedonians and the Persians and by breeding a new army of mixed blood he hoped to create a core of a new royal army which would only be attached to him. But Alexander never saw this happen. Shortly before the beginning of the planned Arabian campaign, he contracted a high fever after attending a private party at his friend's Medius of Larisa's house. As soon as he drank from the cup he “//shrieked aloud as if smitten by a violent blow//”. The fever became stronger with each following day to the point that he was unable to move and speak. The Macedonians were allowed to file past their leader for the last time before he finally succumbed to the illness on June 7, 323 BC in the Macedonian month of Daesius. Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king and the great conqueror of Persian Empire, died at the age of 33 without designating a successor to the Macedonian Empire. alexander wore a cuirass like this one,which came from the tomb of a macedonia King. Alexander not only led the greeks ,but he admired and adopted the greek language and lifestyle.he spread greek cluture throughout culture throughout his empire.

Questions: Everybody creates 5 questions! The Macedonian government is what type of democracy? When did Macedonia declare its independence from Yugoslavia? What time period Alexander the great bring the greek culture to all the lands he conquered? In 334-326 B.C what empire does Alexander the Great conquer? After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the territory of Macedonia fell under the control of what empire? How did Alexander the Great display his bravery at the Battle of Chaeronea? What did Alexander the Great do after rumors of his death? When did Alexander leave Macedonia for the Hellespont? How did the Battle of Issus end? How old was Alexander when he died?