ALEXANDER the GREAT

Alexander III of Macedon was born in Pella Macedonia in 356 BC. During his youth he was tutored by the philosopher Aristotle until the age of sixteen. In 336, at the age of twenty he succeeded his father Philip II as king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon when the latter was assassinated by a royal bodyguard during a wedding celebration for his daughter Cleopatra.

Shortly after assuming the throne of Macedon, Alexander Inherited the experienced professional army which his father had created and immediately launched a campaign in the Balkans reasserting control over Thrace and parts of Illyria before marching on the city of Thebes, which after its surrender he ordered razed to the ground. 

Alexander then assumed leadership of the League of Corinth and began making plans to implement his late fathers dream of leading the united Greeks in the military conquest of the superpower of the age, the Persian Achaemenid Empire. 

In May 334 BC, Alexander crossed the Hellespont with 35,000 Infantry and 5,000 cavalry. The Persians would check his advance at the river Granicus (modern day western Turkey) and respond with 15,000 cavalry and 18,000 Infantry of which 5,000 were Greek hoplite mercenaires.

Alexander began the battle himself personally leading his elite companions against the Persian left . As the two forces collided it became apparent the Macedonians had a telling advantage over their enemy, they were fitted with body armor were as their Persian foe were lightly clad.

the Persian flank quickly began to give ground and were pushed back upon their center. The remaining Persian units positioned along the river now began to pull units back in an attempt to form a defensive line to halt the oncoming Macedonian charge. This manoeuvre however opened a large gap in the Persian lines, of which Parmenion chose to exploit by ordering the entire Greek army to lower their pikes and advance across the river in a general advance.

This created complete panic amongst the Persian ranks which began to disintegrate and flee in all directions. The Greek mercenaries watched in utter disbelief as the entire Persian army ran for their lives abandoning them to fight on alone. As Alexander approached  he ordered the Greek mercenaries to be surrounded.

Although they pleaded for mercy Alexander would have none of it, he felt personally betrayed by these fellow countrymen who had taken up arms against him. He thus gave the order for their complete destruction.

The Greek Phalanx's advanced on the mercenaries head on as the Macedonian cavalry attacked them from the rear. After a savage and bitter defence, only 1,000 mercenaries were spared and sent back as slaves to work in the silver mines of Greece. The battle of Granicus was now over, Persian losses numbered 4,000 cavalry and 1,000 infantry. Alexander's casualties were non existent with losses of 300 cavalry and 200 infantry. 

KING DARIUS

After the Persian defeat at Granicus, King Darius chose to personally take command the Persian army himself. After some tactical moves in which Darius out manoeuvred and got the better of Alexander, the Persian's positioned themselves between the Macedonian army and the Hellspont.

To find the Persians not to his front but positioned behind him was a serious threat to Alexander's supply lines and would have to be dealt with immediately. Thus Alexander ordered his army to about face and march north towards the Persian threat. In November 333 BC at the river Issus (modern day southern Turkey) Darius had assembled a large army numbering one hundred and twenty thousand men 110,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. Alexander's forces numbering forty one thousand 35,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry.

Alexander chose to start the battle by personally taking command of his elite companion cavalry and launching an attack on the Persian left flank nearest the mountains. At a crucial moment when Alexanders charge begins to falter, general Parmenio orders the Macedonian phalanxes to lower their pikes and march forward in support of there king.

It is with Parmenio's arrival that the Greek cavalry finally breaks through and smashes the Persian left wing. Alexander then orders his companions to left wheel towards Darius himself. The Persian infantry in the path of this comming charge begin to panic and scatter in all directions.

Darius is now forced to watch in horror as his entire left wing disintegrates before him. With Alexander now bearing down on his position Darius decides to leave his army to it fate and save himself by fleeing the battlefield. Upon hearing of the kings withdrawal, panic immediately spreads throughout the entire Persian army and they choose to quit the battle and follow their kings example and flee.

The defeat at Issus was a devastating blow to Persian arms, Darius had assembled the best troops from within his vast empire and had lead them to utter disaster. Persian losses were a staggering 60,000 infantry and 9,000 cavalry. Macedonian losses numbered a mere 4,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry.

After the combined Greek Macedonian victory at Issus, Alexander's army continued down the Aegean coastline towards Egypt where the Persian governor offered no resistance. With Egypt now occupied Alexander had effectively secured the Greek mainland from Persian naval attack and could now move his army into the Persian heartlands.

Alexander's march would be checked in October 331 BC on the plains of Gaugamela (modern day Iraq). The Greek army of forty seven thousand men 40,000 Infantry and 7,000 cavalry would be matched against an immense Persian army of some two hundred thousand men 180,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry. Also within King Darius' arsenal were 200 scythe bearing chariots and 15,000 Greek mercenaries.

Darius opened the battle ordering his left wing cavalry under Bessos to attack. They charged first outward to the extreme left and then slowly began to swing around behind the Macedonians in an attempt to roll up Alexander's entire right wing. The heavily outnumbered Macedonian right wing cavalry under Ariston, led a desperate charge towards the oncoming Persian assault to prevent the enemy from turning the Greek flank.

Bessos' attack however had created a dangerous gap between the Persian left flank and the cavalry, King Darius therefore ordered his Persian infantry to wheel further left to maintain contact. Alexander noticed the Persian left wing infantry formations were now beginning to thin out and assumed command of his companion cavalry and charged at the vulnerable enemy positions between the Persian left and center.

This assault quickly broke through and began rolling up the Persian left. With his flank desintegrating and no reserves left to throw in and check Alexander's coming charge, as at the battle of Issus, Darius chooses to save himself and desert his army to its fate. As at Issus once word spread of Darius' abandonment the Persian army quickly dissolved into a massed rabble fleeing in all directions.

The Battle of Gaugamela was now over, Persian losses numbered 50,000 Infantry and10,000 cavalry along with the entire force of 15,000 Greek mercenaires. Macedonian Greek casualties amounted to 4,000 Infantry and 2,000 cavalry. 

Darius was now to become a fugitive in the empire he once ruled only to be later betrayed and assassinated by Bessos, in May 330 BC in the region of Bactria (modern day Afghanistan).  Alexander found the Kings body and gave him an honorable Royal burial, using this act to legitimize his claim as the new Persian King.

After destroying the last remnants of the Persian army at Gaugamela, Alexander spent the next two years occupying the heartlands of central Asia. Continuing eastward Alexander's army eventually left Persia behind and crossed into India.

Unlike Persia, the advance through India was extremely rough going, all along Alexander's line of march the inhabitants of every city and town violently resisted his troops.

It was at the river Hydaspes that Alexander would come across the first serious opposition to his invasion. Awaiting the Macedonian's along the river stood a large Indian army more than twice their size commanded by King Porus, the most powerful man in all the Punjab.

When Alexander arrived at the battle field, Porus's army was already formed up and in battle formation. Porus had drawn up his Infantry on a wide front with both wings supported by chariots and cavalry. Porus then took up his position to the front of the main infantry line just left of center with the war elephants on his right.

Alexander placed his cavalry on his right wing and drew up his infantry phalanxes to the left of the cavalry. Alexander did not match the broad front offered by Porus, instead choosing to concentrate his army in a more densely packed formation directly across from Porus himself. 

With both armies fully deployed the two commanders now sized up one another. Alexander's army numbering sixteen thousand men 13,000 Infantry and 3,000 cavalry would face an Indian army of thirty five thousand 31,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry in addition Porus could also call upon 200 chariots and an equal number of war elephants. 

Alexander opened the battle by ordering his mounted archers forward towards the Indian left flank, Porus responded by launching his left wing chariots supported by the cavalry. The chariots were no match for the Macedonian horsemen and were quickly swept aside. The Indian cavalry in support  however collided with the Macedonian charge and a ferocious battle ensued between the two forces.

Porus then ordered his war elephants to advance upon Alexander's extreme left flank. The elephant charge easily smashed through the Macedonian Infantry driving deep into their lines. Alexander's troops had never dealt with elephants on this great a scale and they struggled to bring down the twenty ton behemoths before the great beast's could trample them down.

Alexander now lead out his elite companion cavalry to assist his right wing mounted archers. The appearance with fresh units began to turn the tide and push the Indian's back. 

Without the aid of the left flank which was still to shaken and disorganized, Parmenio ordered what was left of the Macedonian infantry phalanxes forward in a general advance. Porus's situation was now critical, not only was he facing a major attack to his front, his left wing was also falling back while on the right his forces were being cut to pieces.

With the battle seemingly going against him, Porus could have easily ordered a general withdrawal saving his army to fight another day. Instead Porus chose to play his last card by personally leading out the last of his infantry formations in one final attempt at victory. 

As the two forces collided in the center of the battle field, the Macedonian phalanxs easily ran down the unarmored Indian foot soldiers before them, impaling hundreds of the enemy on their sixteen foot pikes with each advancing step. It was in this carnage that Porus would himself  fall wounded. 

Despite horrific losses the Indian's continued to fight on in an heroic effort to protect their fallen king. But the sheer bravery of each individual soldier could not halt the Macedonian's from advancing on all fronts. 

In the center the already hard pressed Indian forces soon found themselves the only troops left on the battlefield as their left wing began to crumble and melt away at about the same time their countrymen on the right flank were swept aside and utterly destroyed as a fighting force. 

Severely weak from loss of blood Porus now chose to fight alongside his troops to the bitter end, but his officers knew that any further resistance would be futile and forcibly abducted the king and rode from the battlefield.

Alexander was astounded with the events unfolding before him, unlike his battles against the Persian's where as Darius fled the battlefield his army completely disintegrated, in Porus's withdrawal his remaining troops fought even harder and with more determination to make good their kings escape. 

Because of their stubborn refusal to surrender nor retreat and the fanatical devotion to King and country in which they bravely displayed, the Indian army at Hydaspes suffered immensely with some 20,000 dead and 5,000 taken prisoner in comparison to Macedonian losses of 3,000 men.

After the battle Alexander sent word to Porus that he wished a meeting between the two leaders to end hostilities. When Pours arrived at Alexander's camp he was extremely surprised in that he was treated not as a defeated enemy, but with the respect and honor given to royalty

Alexander set about forming a solid alliance with the man whom he respected as a great king and general. Alexander's terms were thus very generous to the defeated monarch. In the treaty Porus lost no wealth, rank, or any part of his kingdom and was allowed to keep a standing army to defend himself against his enemies. In return each man would come to the aid of the other if the situation warranted.

After Hydaspes, Alexander's men began to grow weary of the continuous battles. Survivors of the Greek - Macedonian army which had crossed the Hellspont seven years earlier 40,000 strong, had now dwindled to a mere 13,000 men. 

The continuous monsoons and fanatical resistance put up by the Indian populace throughout the country had shaken the nerves of Alexander's army to its very core. Nothing Alexander could say or do would spur his men to continue onward, the army was close to mutiny and the men demanded to return home. 

Without the support of his men Alexander was forced to concede the issue. During the long and arduous march back towards Greece the army stopped at the city of Babylon for rest and refitting, where soon after Alexander contracted a mysterious illness and died shortly after.  Alexander's vast empire did not survive his death however as civil war between his generals quickly tore it apart.