Alexander
The army of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was the most powerful in the world as the Greeks knew it. Developments in warfare from the fifth to the fourth century BC that he inherited, adopted and introduced made his army successful. His father, Philip II had developed a powerful and well disciplined army as king of Macedon. When Philip died in 336 Alexander took charge of the army. Alexander's continued training of the powerful army and his tactical brilliance as a leader made his army the most powerful of the Greek World. His use of a flexible phalanx, of cavalry, and of lighter armour and a longer spear for his infantry caused Alexander and his army to reign supreme. Alexander's leadership instilled high morale in his troops and maintained a disciplined and well trained military. Philip and Alexander saw the military as their primary concern as king. They were constantly training their soldiers and improving the weaker areas of their army. For instance, when Philip was building his armed forces he already had a strong cavalry, so he worked on training his infantry and improving their equipment. After the efforts of Philip, Alexander inherited a disciplined and well trained army. He maintained a high morale by
The developments of warfare from the fifth to the fourth century BC that he adopted, inherited and introduced made his army the most powerful of the Greek World. Macedonian sarissas were gripped and thrust and no one could get near the men who held them. "1 500 Thracians soon lay dead on the field" (Wepman p44) and Alexander had secured an important victory. (Wepman p44, 76, 77, 78)The sarissa was a deadly weapon that Alexander's infantry used successfully. The superior equipment and training of the Macedonian infantry gave Alexander the stability in battle he needed to use his cavalry. (Middleton) The superior equipment and training of his infantry is why "the Macedonian phalanx was the most powerful military machine the world had ever seen. They also formed a phalanx with speed and flexibility that had never been seen in a phalanx before. The infantry would then advance while the Companions turned inwards to strike at the enemy centre. Through intensive training Philip formed a cavalry that had a devastating effect on most armies it faced. Philip created a cavalry that was extremely well drilled and a powerful force on the battlefield. He would not have been successful in his battles if it had not been for his tactical brilliance. htmlBrewer) Alexander was the most successful war leader in ancient Greece. The Macedonian infantry was armed with a smaller shield and the sarissa, which measured sixteen feet (five metres) in length. He had his tight phalanx in the centre.
Common topics in this essay:
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Persian Peloponnesian,
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Brewer Alexander,
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