Epic Moments in History - The 9 Lives of Alexander the Great

epic moments in history the nine lives of Alexander the Great Alexander the Great is one of the most recognized figures of antiquity famed for his military career he was a soldiers general who shared in the many trials of his army over the course of ten years and 22,000 miles many imagined him as a victim prematurely robbed of his life at the young age of 32 yet they fail to understand that it was in fact the great king who made a habit of cheating death today we will be reliving the nine lives of Alexander the Great first blood after securing macedonian hegemony in Greece Alexander crossed the Hellespont into Persian territory with approximately 50,000 soldiers he did so as the inheritor of his father's military ambitions and the Hellenistic dreams of avenging Eastern invasions from a century earlier in may of 334 BC macedonian forces clashed with those raised by the satraps of Asia Minor along the banks of the Granicus here Alexander led his forces in a swift assault across the river leading from the front with his companion cavalry a fierce struggle raged around the king in which a Persian noble delivered a strike that cracked his helmet Alexander recovered hurled his opponent to the ground and struck him through with his spear however from behind the Persian spitter Adani is now prepared to killing blow but before it could find its mark The Bodyguard cleitus struck off his arm sword and all the battle soon turned and victory was achieved paralysis in Silesia capitalizing on their triumph the Macedonians spent the following month securing Anatolia the second year of campaigning saw Alexander marched south for weeks they traveled through hundreds of miles of desert plateau mountains and volcanic wasteland before passing through the Tarsus mountains now the weary army was faced with the broiling plains of Silesia the king was so hot that he plunged naked into the sight miss River before the whole armed however the flow was fed by snowmelt and Alexander immediately went into sudden shock his body paled his muscles cramped and he became paralyzed the king was rushed to a tent but soon burned with the fever that threatened to kill him as he drifted in and out of consciousness for the next few days a Greek doctor attempted a risky remedy of oils and potions meant to purge his body the treatment finally took its effect an Alexander walked out of his tent to the deafening cheers of his army Clash of Kings in late October Alexander moved south towards a mountain path that would lead him into Syria and the heartland of the Persian Empire Harvard Darius king of kings had arrived with a vast army to crush the invaders the two men across a river by the town of Issus as at the Granicus Alexander had his troops assault rapidly while he once again led the right flank this time however the Macedonians met their match in the center and were pushed back while the left struggled to hold its own yet the thrust of the elite companions proved decisive as they poured into the rear of the Persian troops Duryodhana's war chariot alongside his Guard troops Alexander saw this as an opportunity to gain the glory of Achilles he charged recklessly receiving a wound in his thigh but slaying all before him in a scene frozen in time Duras master of Persia fled before the astonishing force of a 23 year old warrior King the ensuing rout was contagious and the great host disintegrated omens at Gaza derived rube back to the east abandoning his western provinces to Alexander over the following year the Macedonians campaigned across Syria and the Levant tyre fell after a brutal seven-month siege the resistance was matched by the fortified city of Gaza and its obstinate governor undaunted Alexander immediately set about constructing siege works one morning he witnessed a bird of prey drop a stone at his feet the omen promised that the city would also fall at his feet but that the king must not fight that day rebuking the gods Alexander rushed to the front lines almost immediately a bolt fired from atop the walls pierced his shield penetrated his armor and launched itself in his shoulder the bullheaded King attempted to fight on but collapsed unconscious from blood loss the defenders cheered only to realize the following day that he had defied the odds and survived when Gaza was eventually taken a furious Alexander had the commander lash to his chariot and pulled through the rocky desert around the city until long after he was dead swallowed by the desert in November of 332 BC the armies of Macedon crossed into Egypt seizing it without bloodshed the Kings fascination with his destiny drew him to the famed Oracle at Sea WA 300 miles to the west accompanied by guides and close companions the King traveled along the coast before turning south into an endless sea of burning desert the going was tough and supplies suit began to run out as the guides lost their way in the shifting sands all seemed hopeless until a rain storm broke above them while this gift from the gods brought a temporary reprieve from the heat they were still lost according to legend however two Ravens soon flew overhead circling the skies before heading Southwest the expedition's set off in pursuit and came to the remote Gaara oasis life was restored to the group and they were able to make the remaining journey to see WA at last Alexander ascended to the sanctuary of Aman and sought answers to his divine destiny within the closed doors of the temple assassins in 331 BC the Macedonians left Egypt thrusting their dagger deeper into the heart of the Persian Empire at Gaugamela Darius returned with overwhelming numbers only to be cast back once more in a battle that would immortalize Alexander in the annals of military history this victory cleared the way to the heartland of Persian territory in Mesopotamia with the riots fleeing east to his TAT traps in Central Asia Alexander was left to take the great cities of Babylon Susa and the capital at Persepolis virtually unopposed yet the young king could not be satisfied ever Restless and desiring of glory he set off in pursuit of Duras when robbed of this prize by the mutinous satrap who killed the great king alexander furiously chased the traitor however the army was weary from campaigning an increasingly off-put by Alexander's adoption of Persian traditions trees and his whisperers around the camp intensified in 330 BC an assassination plot was discovered by a low-level Macedonian who reported it to fellow tiss urging him to warn the king however no action was taken Alexander eventually gained word of the plot and the failure of his subordinate to report the threat the king had him flogged tortured and brought before the army for trial the troops sided with Alexander and followed us along with the conspirators were stoned to death fearing an uprising by the father Alexander immediately dispatched riders to achmet n'e and had Parmenion executed on charges of conspiracy further purges of the army were carried out as more plots were revealed in the following months the rapids with the dissenting forces within the army silenced Alexander continued his advances east for many months he fought and established settlements throughout the regions of modern Iran Afghanistan and Tajikistan before crossing the Hindukush the renegade satrap Bessus was captured but still the 27 year old king was not satisfied he campaigned relentlessly in bacteria and sogdiana before turning to india in the seventh year of the campaign the Macedonians were able to overall many minor kingdoms and even defeated King Porus and his 100 elephants at the bloody Battle of the hospice but in the 8th year of the campaign facing unending conquests at the edge of the world the army mutiny they would go no further they reluctant and deeply disappointed Alexander was now forced to head home the army sailed down the head aspis for five days until the river became narrow Swift and dangerously turbulent many of the boats were overturned or collided into one another becoming damaged or sinking entirely Alexander's own flagship was caught in the chaos the King left into the River only to be sucked into the swirling Rapids having never learned to swim he began to drown however his friends managed to jump in after him and dragged Alexander back to the shore saving his life an arrow to the chest the Macedonians recovered from their near disaster setting off once more next they would come against the feared tribe of the Mali who controlled the river ahead Alexander set off overland in an ambitious operation to strike their territories from the flank the manoeuvre forced the Indians back to their most fortified city in the following siege the king was the first to storm the Citadel clambering a ladder with three companions he left fiercely onto the battlements however the other assault troops failed to reach the top and the group was left isolated Alexander was exposed on the parapets and left to the ground below he fiercely killed several defenders before his friends joined him on the ground the molle retaliated with arrows at close range one struck a Macedonian in the face while another hit Alexander straight on penetrating his armor and puncturing a lung the two remaining soldiers took defensive positions on either side of their lord who is bleeding profusely and struggling to breathe panicked Macedonian soldiers who had lost sight of the king swarmed over the walls and came to the rescue Alexander was carried to a nearby ship for immediate treatment he remained motionless for several days many speculated he had died weary of such rumours the King finally summoned the energy to mount a horse and ride through the ranks to the amazement and booming tears of the men they got rosy in the journey south continued until they reached the Indus Delta Alexander now split his army in three with the main force accompanying him in the overland route to Persepolis this southern passage would lead through the vas Gaudreau Chien desert of modern-day Iran it was into this most inhospitable of regions that 50,000 soldiers and a vast train of camp followers would march however the accompanying fleet led by nearchus was delayed by monsoons and would never find its way back to the caravan the travelers quickly consumed their supplies and began to devour the pack animals water ran out as the days quickly in two weeks what little supplies could be gathered at the races were rapidly consumed soldiers and especially the accompanying civilians were dying by the thousands of heat stroke thirst and sickness when a small water hole was discovered by Scouts they managed to fill a single helmet which they offered to the King Alexander poured the precious water into the hot sand in full view of his army he would share their suffering and die alongside them if need be after nearly two months the emaciated army finally stumbled into Persepolis they had lost almost half the soldiers and virtually all the camp followers to the ravenous desert the Reaper it was the tenth year of the campaign Alexander had now returned to the heartland of his new empire and turned to long overdue administrative tasks he paid off debts punished disobedient governors reorganized the army and began to plan future campaigns the Knights were replete with banquets and drinking parties in true Macedonian fashion however after a particularly heavy night of festivities in June Alexander awoke with a fever the next day saw him increasingly incapacitated the King attempted to carry on his duties despite a rapidly deteriorating situation his fever burned through the night and left him exhausted for many days soon it became apparent that he was gravely ill the generals gathered by his side while men from the army fought past his bed in silent tears no one could believe that the king who had cheated death so many times before would breathe his last and yet the fever raged on Alexander just short of his 32nd birthday may have sensed the end and removed his royal apparel beckoning his closest companions to draw near according to legend when asked to whom the kingdom should go he merely replied to the strongest with that he closed his eyes one last time though death may have finally settled the score with Alexander the Great he would achieve immortality and the tales we tell to this day this video was sponsored by Simon & Schuster publishing relive history with the fantastic book Alexander the Great which formed the basis of today's video a huge thanks is owed to our supporters on patreon and the many talented researchers writers and artists who made this video possible please consider contributing to fund future content if you found this topic interesting check out these related videos about our fascinating past be sure to like them subscribe for more history and check out our description for ways to support the channel thanks for watching

Channel: Invicta

Views: 1,175,820

Rating: 4.9260159 out of 5

Keywords: Alexander the Great, Alexander the Great documentary, Alexander the Great history, Crash course Alexander the Great, The Battle of the Granicus river, The battle of Issus, the battle of gaugamela, history of alexander the great, the 9 lives of alexander the great, epic moments in history, history of macedonia, invicta documentary, total war rome 2, total war alexander the great, alexander the great movie, alexander the great vs, invicta history, batz battles, historia civilis

Id: VLABw0f4Ais

Length: 13min 43sec (823 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 04 2017