The Persian Empire was Greece’s neighbor to the east. This vast empire, which stretched from Egypt and the Mediterranean to India and central Asia, had dominated the ancient world for more than two centuries. It was the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the Middle East, and a longstanding enemy of Greece-with good reason. The Persians, in an attempt to expand their empire, had started a series of wars of conquest with Greece that began in about 500 B. C.E.
Before Alexander’s time, Persian kings had been great warriors, but success had made them somewhat lazy and complacent. Their vast wealth remained, but their power was waning. In 334 B. C.E., after two years of preparation, Alexander began to put into motion the plan his father had made before his death-the invasion of the Persian Empire. He was so confident victory would be swift that Alexander set out for Persia with only enough money, borrowed from the Macedonian treasury, to pay a single month’s salary to his army. He expected to meet such expenses thereafter with the riches of the Persian Empire.
Over the next three years, Alexander won three major battles against the Persians. During each of these battles he was greatly outnumbered, but through quick thinking, brilliant tactics and strategy, and bravery, he was able to exploit his enemy’s weaknesses. In both of the last two of the battles, the tide started to turn against Darius III (380-330 b. c.e.), the Great King of Persia, and he fled the battlefield. After the third battle, some of his officers murdered Darius. For some it was part of the struggle to replace him, and for others an attempt to gain favor with Alexander.
Intelligence
Gathering
There is no way of knowing what Alexander dreamed of when he was a boy, because no personal records survive. But later writers often invented stories about him that claimed his desire to rule the world burned within him almost from birth. These stories eventually became widespread and were widely believed. One such story said that even as a boy Alexander may have been planning for the war with Persia; when Persian dignitaries visited his father's court, the young prince questioned them at length about Persia's army, roads, communications, and customs.
Best known as a great warrior, Alexander also had the makings of a strong leader, although he never had a chance to rule the lands he conquered. Although many Greeks considered the Persians inferior barbarians, he believed them to be the equals of the Macedonians and honored their customs and religions.
Everywhere Alexander and his army went, they established new garrison towns. He often appointed Persians friendly to him as local rulers, or allowed existing Persian rulers to remain in charge. He also explored ways to achieve harmony and equality between his soldiers and the newly conquered Persians. One way he attempted to bring this about was by organizing a mass marriage ceremony, in which he and about 90 of his officers married Persian women.
World History
