Alexander of Macedonia is one of the greatest leaders to ever live. He has made some great contributions to his time and to our time as well. Alexander's life and accomplishments have been intriguing to both historians and students for hundreds of years. That is why I choose this topic, I wanted to learn and understand his way of life.
             Alexander was the son of Philip II of Macedonia and Olympias. Olympias was the orphaned daughter of the king of Epirus, and was a descendant of Achilles. Philip and Olympias were married in 357 B.C. Philip ruled Macedonia from 359-336 B.C. He came to power just after the Macedonians had suffered defeat at the hands of the Illyrians. Philip sought to unify and strengthen all of Macedonia. Philip has been credited with beginning the practice of allowing the sons of nobles to be educated in the court of the king. This practice further aided Philip's quest to strengthen his alliances by creating the natural loyalty that was felt by the sons of Philip. In 338 B.C. Philip led his forces into battle against the Athenian and Theban armies. Although he was greatly outnumbered, he managed to overpower his opposition with the use of phalanxes. Following his victory, Sparta was the only Greek State not under Macedonian rule.
             The following year, Philip outlined his plan for ruling all of the Greek States. He established a series of bureaucracies that would be stable and loyal to him. Then, with the support of all of Greece, he declared war on Persia. That spring Philip sent
             Attalus with 10,000 troops into Asia Minor to begin liberating Greek cities. Just before Philip was to join the invasion of Asia, he was assassinated.
             Alexander was born in 356 B.C. Some historians say he was born on the same day that the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus burned to the ground. That temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Both Olympias and Philip saw potential in their son Alexander, and arranged fo...