The Ambitions of Alexander III of Macedonia
Philip II is a powerful king. But he is far from a nice man. He married the daughter of his chief rival. Her name is Olympia. She is the mother of Alexander VI or Alexander the Great. as he is better known.
Philip and his wife Olympia do not get along. Philip actually hates his wife. He longs to be rid of her. But he can't do that. He can't pitch her over a cliff. It would cause Civil War in Macedonia. So he locks her up in the palace.
Alexander loves his mother. Who doesn't love their mother? Olympia uses Alexander's love in her war against her husband, Philip. Alexander grows up a boy caught in a struggle between his mother and his father. It is a lonely life for Alexander the boy.
Alexander's lesson from his childhood is that he must stand the alone and for himself. It causes Alexander to be ambitious. In addition, his mother tells Alexander he is actually the son of Zeus . As Zeus' son, he is destined for greatness.
Did Alexander, the boy, believe this story?. Possibly. Did Alexander the young man believe this story? Not likely. But as a boy, the story stirred Alexander to his core. He was determined to become the greatest man the Greeks had ever known. And he will stop at nothing to achieve that greatness.
King Philip II dies suddenly. He is assassinated. The young Alexander becomes king. There are rumors at the time that Alexander is behind the assassination of his father. Because of the rumors, Alexander must move fast to prevent civil war in Macedonia. He arrests some possible rebels. Then he buzzes the tribal chiefs by starting new conquests.
Alexander quickly proves to be a brilliant general. His Macedonian soldiers come to love him dearly. Alexander will spend most of his life among his Macedonian and Greek soldiers. Together, they will undertake the greatest conquest of its time. Alexander is ready to challenge the Persian empire.
Alexander can be a nice and charming man. He is kind.to his personal friends and he loved by his soldiers. But Alexander is also a warlike man. When his tutor, Aristotle, set him a question that Alexander had difficulty answering, he told Aristotle he could answer the question by cutting off his teacher's head. And legend, most likely a story spread among Alexander's troops, says that Alexander successfully dealt with the Gordian Knot before crossing into Anatolia.
The Gordian Knot was a famous knot created in thick rope. Supposedly, the knot is so great that it was unlikely anyone will ever undo it. Alexander decides to give it a go before crossing into Asia. He tries and tries to pull the dot apart, but with no success. Frustrated, Alexander pulls out his sword and slices through the knot. Now a prophecy said, the person who undid the Gordian knot would conquer the world. Alexander proclaims he has undone the Gordian knot. His soldiers are happy. They are certain he and they will conquer the world