Alexander the Great Case

Alan Fildes and Joann Fletcher wrote the book Alexander the Great, Son of the Gods in order to tell the tale of Alexander III’s amazing accomplishments and how he became the greatest conqueror of his time. In less than two decades the young king managed to create the most expansive empire the world had ever seen. By maintaining a strong, well trained military, always out-witting his enemies, and gaining respect from the countries people, he conquered Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Persia, lands in which until then, had never been conquered. All without a single defeat, Alexander III became perhaps the greatest conqueror of all time.

Alexander III was much different than other leaders, which made him a much greater conqueror. He showed his bravery and strength as a leader and a ruler by fighting along with his men on the front line. During the invasion of Asia Minor, when he was advised that assault on such difficult terrain, the Granicus River, would be detrimental idea, he decided anyway to charge through the river towards the highly equipped Persian army awaiting him. Although outnumbered, Alexander managed to find weakness in his enemy’s infantry and the Persians were easily defeated. Despite his enemy’s superior numbers, Alexander marched his army throughout Asia without defeat and finally claimed Asia Minor as his own. His triumph was significant because it not only had never been done by any other man, but it also proved that unlike other leaders, he was able to lead his army to what seemed to be impossible victories.

Throughout his life, Alexander continued to set himself apart from other leaders as a master conqueror. Seen as a savior and liberator, he quickly was offered the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Rather than making the mistake of trying to change Egyptian customs and force them to practice his own native traditions like other rulers, Alexander gained the respect of the Egyptians by upholding all the traditional practices of a pharaoh such as making offerings to the gods and restoring Egypt’s religious centers. Other rulers would have tried to completely take over the country and would most likely be unsuccessful, similar to the Persian rule prior to Alexander who showed very little respect for Egyptian culture, resulting in multiple rebellions. Because Alexander respected the customs and traditions of Egyptian culture, without