Alexander The Great

Birth

356 BCE

In 356 BC, Alexander was born

Alexander was taught

343 BCE

In 343 BCE, Philip hires the Greek philosopher Aristotle to tutor Alexander.

Joining the army

340 BCE

At age 16, Alexander finishes studying under Aristotle and joins his father's army.

Attack against the Thebans

338 BCE

In August 338 BCE, the Macedonians meet the Athenians and Thebans in battle at Chaeronea. Alexander leads the attack against the Thebans, while his father leads the attack against the Athenians.

Becoming King

336 BCE

One of Philip's bodyguards assassinates him in the theater of Agae. Alexander becomes king of Macedonia at the age of 20.

Rebellion

335 BCE

The Thracians and Illyrians rise up in rebellion. This inspires the Greek city-state of Thebes to rebel, and Alexander quickly besieges the city and razes it to the ground.

Alexander departs for Asia

334 BCE

Alexander plans his campaign against the Persians, hoping to fulfill his father's dream of conquering the empire.

Macedonians and Persians fight

334 BCE

Alexander leads the Macedonian army against the Persians at the Granicus river.

Gordian Knot

333 BCE

He solves the puzzle of the Gordian knot, which held together the yoke and pole of a wagon once belonging to King Midas. Stories foretold that whoever solved the puzzle would rule all Asia.

Conquered Egypt

332 BCE

After conquering Syria, Alexander sweeps south and easily conquers Egypt after besieging Gaza.

Conquered Babylon

331 BCE

Alexander and Darius, king of the Persians, meet at Gaugamela in a decisive battle. Alexander's military skills overwhelm Darius, who orders his men to flee, and the Macedonians are victorious.

Alexander accidentally kills one of his closest companions

328 BCE

Suffering from the tensions of warfare and command, Alexander becomes drunk at a banquet in the fall of 328 BCE. He and his close companion Cleitus, who saved his life at the battle of Granicus, fall into an argument. Alexander accidentally stabs Cleitus with a spear.

Marriage

327 BCE

After conquering eastern Iran and capturing Prince Oxyartes, Alexander marries Roxane, the prince's daughter.

Defeating King Porus

326 BCE

Hoping to add even more territory to his empire, Alexander and his troops cross the Hindu Kush into northern India. They defeat King Porus, leader of a kingdom east of the Hydaspes River, after figuring out how to attack Porus' war elephants. After several months in India, however, Alexander's army refuses to go any farther, and he is forced to return to Babylon. He spends the next few years trying to consolidate power in his empire.

Death

323 BCE

Before he can set out on his new campaign, Alexander falls ill with a sudden fever. According to legend, he leaves his empire to "the strongest" of his commanders, but after his death, his empire falls into disorder.