Why was Alexander III of Macedon called “Great”? The answer seems relatively simple. Alexander conquered territories, founded empires and died young, at the height of his power. However, he was also overly ambitious and pushed his men to their limits in his quest for immortality, while killing thousands along the way. Alexander is neither worthy nor unworthy of his title of “Great”. Born in 356 BC to Macedonian King Philip II and his wife Olympias, Alexander the Great spent much of his childhood learning to be a leader and claiming the title of greatest military leader the world has ever known. never known. “My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambition. Macedonia is too small for you. This quote from King Philip proves that Alexander's parents were the encouragement that later influenced his behavior (Clode, G 2010). As such, the hypothesis that "Alexander deserves the title 'great' is only partially true and will be proven throughout this speech by critically evaluating his leadership and military status. King Philip II of Macedon built a powerful army and used it to bring all of Greece under his rule. After his assassination in 336 BC, Philip's 20-year-old son Alexander inherited the throne. Marching east from Greece, Alexander and his 47,000 men first encountered the Persians along the banks of the Granicus River, near the site of Troy, in 334 BC. The Battle of Granicus was the first major victory against the Persians and the first meeting between Alexander the Great and the Persian king Darius III. (Fritz, M, Unknown). Alexander the Great fought the Battle of Issus shortly after the Battle of Granicus. Although Alexander was vastly outnumbered by Darius... middle of paper ... he had his honor in this battle when he waited until daylight before beginning the attack. Alexander and his troops were outnumbered and at a disadvantage, but he remained victorious. If Alexander had not demonstrated integrity, his army would not have respected and followed him as a military leader. Alexander, king of Macedon, died in 323 BC after spending his last thirteen years conquering much of the well-known world. It was suspected that he was weak from previous injuries when he contracted a fever and died during the night while in Babylon. From this speech it was determined that Alexander deserved the title "Great" in his military command, but that in terms of his political acumen he was not worthy of it. He was a competent strategist, but his poor leadership skills affected his entire empire. Overall, Alexander III of Macedon partly deserves his title of "Great.’