Alexander the Great is one of the most famous rulers and generals in world history. Despite the fact that during his lifetime he conquered half of the known world at that time, after his death the largest and most powerful empire was doomed to failure. His short, but at the same time, such a significant life for the entire history of mankind, still hides many secrets.
The life of Alexander the Great was amazing from birth. Since he was the son of the Macedonian king – Philip II – his fate was predetermined. Nevertheless, with his military achievements and conquests, he was able to surpass many predecessors, including his own father.
Here are 10 more incredible facts about the nineteenth king of Macedonia that may surprise you:
- King of Macedonia is not the only title of Alexander the Great. He was also known as King of Persia, King of Asia, and Pharaoh of Egypt. His full name is Alexander III of Macedonia.
- Already at the age of 16, Alexander the Great replaced his father on the throne when he left on business. At the age of 18, he won his first victory. At 20, he became the ruler of Macedonia. And he died at 32.
- Alexander the Great had heterochromia. This means that his eyes were of different colors – brown and blue. In addition, the king of Macedonia suffered from epilepsy.
- Alexander the Great founded about 70 cities. He called 20 of them, surprisingly, by his name. However, there is also a city that was named after the king’s favorite horse – Bucyfalus.
- By today’s standards, Alexander the Great did not have such a large army – only 15,000 soldiers. But, nevertheless, with the help of such an army, Alexander III was able to create an empire that covered about 20 million square miles.
- Alexander the Great is considered one of the most ambitious rulers. Above all, he sought to capture the entire world known at that time. Despite the fact that the conquest of India was not up to him (due to long battles and heavy military losses), Alexander the Great was never defeated.
- Alexander the Great is characterized as a very cruel and rather impulsive person. But at the same time, he had great respect for the culture of the peoples he conquered. It was thanks to Macedonian that such a concept as “Hellenism” arose.
- One of the most glorious battles of Alexander the Great is the battle against Persia. As a result, the Macedonian king’s army lost 1,000 soldiers, while the Persians lost 30,000.
- Nobody knows for sure why Alexander the Great died. According to one version, he was poisoned. However, a lot of information remains about his wake – they were so magnificent that 600,000,000 modern US dollars were spent on them.
- One of the theories of the collapse of Alexander the Great’s empire after he died is that he simply did not take care of his heir. Immediately after the death of Alexander III, disputes over the throne began, which led to the collapse of one of the greatest empires in the world.
