Background

Alexander III of Macedon accomplished a lot by an early age. By age 18, he had already won battles. He was crowned king of Macedon when he was 20. He ruled over the Greek peninsula. He destroyed the mighty Persian Empire. In fact, Alexander conquered all the lands between Egypt and India. He did all this before his death at age 32. History remembers him as Alexander the Great.

Formation

Alexander’s father was Phillip II of Macedon. Phillip conquered Greek city-states and united them. He passed on his kingdom to his son. Alexander decided to attack Persia, an old enemy. The Persian Empire was an ancient power to the east of the city-states.

Alexander conquered everything from the Mediterranean Sea to India. He did this in just 12 years (334–323 BCE). His influence lasted for centuries.

Administration

Alexander ruled over the “Macedonian Empire.” It is sometimes also called “Alexander’s Empire.” It was held together by one man. This was not a good thing. Alexander’s empire crumbled soon after his death.

The Persians had large networks of roads connecting their empire. Ironically, this helped Alexander to conquer it. Alexander’s armies used the Persians’ roads.

Alexander was careful not to destroy the Persian Empire. He kept Persian elites, or important people, in positions of power. This ensured that there was a smooth transition.

Religion and culture

Alexander hoped to spread Greek culture across the world. He built new cities with Greek architecture. He built schools to spread Greek ideas. Greek became the common language of elite culture in Western Asia.

Alexander was also tolerant of local customs. He supported Persian and Egyptian temples. He encouraged his men to marry Persian women. Greeks integrated into the culture and traditions of those they conquered.

Trade

Alexander founded many cities. They became important points for trading goods. One city was Alexandria in Egypt. It was part of a large trade network connecting Asia and the Mediterranean.

He turned Persian gold and silver into coins. Some elites became very rich and spent this money. These coins led to more trade and economic progress.

Women in society

Women saw an increase in their power. However, they were still mostly valued for marriage and motherhood.

Wealthy women could take part in local politics. There were more educational opportunities for women. This was particularly true for upper- class women. Also, non-Greek women seemed to have more freedom than Greek women.

Decline and fall

Alexander’s successes would also be his downfall. His soldiers did not wish to continue fighting. They refused to continue after conquering land in India. Alexander was forced to turn around.

Alexander the Great died of a sudden illness in 323 BCE. His empire was divided into kingdoms ruled by his generals. They continued to spread Greek culture and religion.