Historical Essay - Alexander the Great a Villain

l Historical Essay; Alexander the Great
Alexander is a figure of controversy. Depending on your point of view, he can be seen as a hero or a villain. Discuss.
Is Alexander the Great a villain or a hero?

My point of view: Villain.

Alexander had done many “great” things throughout his lifetime. But behind all of that, he was a vicious, cruel, soulless and murderous villain. He was a greedy, horrible leader. Alexander the Great was not great at all; he was a voracious and hardhearted less than a human being. He did a great deal of things that would be frowned upon today. For example, Alexander slaughtered innocent and holy men. He also treated his troops with disrespect and disregard. Furthermore, he was a reckless and negligent typical military leader.
Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. He was son of Philip II, King of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of neighbouring Epirus. He spent his childhood watching his father transforming Macedonia into a great military power, winning victory after victory on the battlefields throughout the Balkans. When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next three years of Alexander’s life Aristotle gave Alexander training in rhetoric and literature which stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which became of importance in Alexander’s later life. In 340 B.C., when Philip assembled a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16 year old son with the power to rule Macedonia in his absence as regent, which shows that even at such young age Alexander was recognized as quite capable.
Alexander was approximately 20 years old when his father King Phillip was assassinated. The murder occurred during October 336 BCE, at Aegae, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Macedon.
Throughout his lifetime, Alexander the “Great” conquered many cities, states and lands more than most kings, which influenced his recognition in present years. In that aspect, he was considered, great. He had several localities under his control. Alexander declared war on Persia in 334 B.C., defeating a Persian army near the city of Troy.
Alexander had gained control of lands along and beyond the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, into much of Central Asia.
His final conquest was in 326 B.C. when he invaded the Punjab. He arrived in Babylon in 323 B.C., and died there of a fever at the argued age of 30-34. Theories concerning his cause of death have ranged from poisoning to bacterial infection from drinking contaminated water.
To begin with, Alexander did a great deal of distasteful things. For example, while he was conquering India, he met with the Brahmins to “learn” of Hinduism, and then, after he learned what he wanted to know, he would execute the Brahmins. Also, when Alexander was fighting with King Porus of India, he would find natives of the towns, and if they resisted and attempted to flee, he would have them killed.
When Alexander was fighting with King Porus of India, he would find natives of the towns, and if they resisted and attempted to flee, he would have them killed. If they stayed and obeyed him, they would be sold into slavery in horrible, inhumanly, cruel, torturous conditions.
Additionally, Alexander was a man that did not let anything stand in his way. If something was not in his way, he would demolish it for fun. This applies to more than buildings and structures; Alexander was known for ruthlessly slaughtering entire villages. It is estimated that Alexander slaughtered over one hundred thousand innocent men, and enslaved tens of thousands of innocent women, and children. Alexander would conquer a city, claim the riches for himself, and then, sell the harmless citizens into slavery. If armies retreated during a long lost battle, Alexander would chase down the retreating armies, and massacre them. He had no regard for anybody, including his own men, who would solemnly sacrifice their lives for him.
Alexander was notorious for sending his men into battles, even when he was well aware that they were going to get butchered. When Alexander was on a conquest to defeat Persia, he did not use many military tactics. When he was drunk, he let his men burn down the Great Palace. Alexander went into many battles drunk, as a result of this, a plethora of his men died for no reason.
Arguing my point, he was also a brilliant battle tactician. He created a famous method called the “Hammer and Anvil.” During this attack Alexander would have his men hold out long spears (Hammer) as the cavalry came around the enemies back (Anvil) and the enemy would be squished between the spears and the cavalry.
In summary, Alexander the Great was a ruthless man. He did not have any regard for the innocent, or even his own warriors. He neglected, mistreated and misused his troops in inhumane ways. Alexander was a Villain with a brilliant mind; although he did conquer 70 cities and rebuilt approximately most of them.

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[ 5 ]. http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-the-great-9180468 ~ 2013