Special Forces of Alexander the Great

[Music] formidable companions and the devastating macedonian phallanx epitomized the conquests of Alexander yet there were many other units in Alexander's army besides his mighty Macedonians many of which specialized in performing roles critical to some of Alexander's greatest military triumphs in this episode we will have an in-depth look at these units the Macedonian army was lacking in terms of light infantry having very few archers and skirmishes instead Alexander's greatest light infantry came from outside his home region one such unit were the agree onions hailing from the upper strimmin valley the angry anyons were a peony and tribe with a prestigious history the Thracians illyrians and peony ins were all famed for their versatility and skill as light infantry but the agree on Ian's stood out above the rest this was in no small part due to their homelands terrain it's rugged mountainous landscape ensured these hardened warriors were well suited to traversing and fighting on even the most unforgiving terrain where speed and mobility triumphed above all else Philip recognized their skill and had incorporated units of a griot nians into his reformed army to serve as versatile light infantry a complement to the heavier Macedonian footmen Alexander would continue promoting Macedonian friendship with the agree on Ian's even marrying his half-sister Kenan a to the agree on Ian King Landorus in return he received the best light infantry the agree on Ian's could offer to swell the ranks of his forces and an elite agree on Ian's contingent would accompany Alexander to Asia each agree on ian was equipped in a similar style to the pail test their panoply consisted of a Phrygian helmet and very light body armor while javelins called long k were their primary weapon alongside javelins each a curry onion warrior also carried a peltor shield as well as either a sword or spear for close combat as with all light infantry mobility was the key to the Arianny instead leanness in battles Alexander would place them on the right side of the infantry line to cover his prestigious right flank furthermore on any lightning marches undertaken by Alexander through harsh terrain the Agra aliens were included not only was their expertise at both traversing and fighting in mountainous areas unmatched throughout the entirety of Alexander's army but their light armor meant they were ideal troops to accompany Alexander across desert terrain consequently they were regularly assigned for special missions where mobility was key it was the agry aliens for instance that Alexander tasked with defeating a numerically superior Persian force situated on foothills to the right of Alexander's force during the Battle of Issus although vastly outnumbered the agree on Ian's easily overwhelmed their Persian counterparts as they excelled at fighting in this terrain the agree anyons were a critical part of his army throughout his campaign and he reinforced them with units from their homeland whenever possible alongside the egri anyons Alexander also had archers organized into companies of 500 men he had two battalions of bowmen in his army at the beginning of his campaign although some Macedonians appear to have served as archers the most notable contingent was that comprised of cretins situated in the southern Aegean the island of Crete was famous for its archers rough terrain dominated the islands landscape rendering phalanx warfare useless rather than embraced the habla tradition of mainland Greece the Cretans prioritized the bow as their weapon of choice on the battlefield their self bows were likely made from either you or sea would the best available on the island each [ __ ] was also equipped with both a sword and a small bronze peltor shield to give them more protection if it came to hand-to-hand fighting as the mainland Greeks regarded archery with disdain the Cretan soon became some of the most feared archers in the Hellenic world for many years before the rise of Macedon Greek armies had recruited these bowmen as mercenaries to complement their armies Alexander was no different and his Cretan soon became the elite company in his archer regiment in battle Alexander would usually deploy most of his archers to fight alongside the elite agree on Ian's on his right flank together they acted as agile skirmishes who would cover that side of the Macedonian line yet on occasion Alexander positioned his cretins away from the rest of his archers on the left flank where they were tasked with doing an identical job like the agree on Ian's Alexander's Archer Corps were highly mobile and followed Alexander on various special missions through harsh terrain at the Persian gates in these adverse mountains for instance the archers accompanied Alexander's Elite Force up a narrow mountain pass that bypassed the Persian defense descending on the Persian camp from behind they slaughtered the unsuspecting versions later Alexander would upgrade his Archer Corps just as with the Cretans in Europe the Persians were renowned for their archery in Asia and their composite bows outdistanced the Cretan self bows recognizing this Alexander incorporated many Persian archers into his army as he progressed Eastwood's by 326 BC he had expanded the Archer Corps so significantly that they were now divided into multiple regiments or 1,000 men or kill er Keys Alexander evidently saw his Archer contingents as one of the most crucial parts of his light infantry yet for the Cretans it appears Alexander did not always use them solely as archers as evidence survives that certain cretins also served as long-distance runners or hemorrhoid remaining messengers were a critical part of Alexander's communication system while on campaign and long-distance runners had long being used for this purpose in both Greek and Persian armies most famously the Athenian fie deputies following the Battle of Marathon thanks to creats uneven terrain long distance training races occurred regularly during any Cretans military education many were thus adept endurance runners although Alexander's companion Cavill have come to epitomize his conquests they were not the only elite shot cavalry force in his army among Alexander's body of horsemen was another equally prestigious unit the Thessalian Cavalry similar to Macedonia the region of Thessaly had a unique equine history its topography consisted of extensive plains ideal for grazing horses consequently the horses bred in Thessaly became famed in antiquity for both their speed and endurance and were considered the best in Greece it is no surprise that's the famed steed of Alexander Lucca phallus was from Thessaly embracing their region's suitability for rearing quality horses the Thessaly in cavalry quickly gained a reputation as the best in Greece until the time of Philips reforms upon gaining military control of Thessaly in circa 344 BC Philip thus incorporated units of Thessaly and cavalry into his reformed Macedonian army ten years later Alexander brought 1800 of them into Asia with his invasion force with 200 further fessor leaders arriving as reinforcements soon after in total the largest allied cavalry force in his army almost equaling the size of his elite Macedonian companions although similar in many respects Alexander's Thessaly and squadrons would be distinguished from the companions by their iconic purple cloak this rope was designed so that's two corners of the robe hung down both in front and behind the wearer and was iconic to the Thessaly and nobility when his horse galloped a horseman wearing this cloak would be flanked by what looked like purple wings as the cloak waived up loosely behind him thus giving the cloak the nickname Thessalian wings aside from their iconic cloak the arms and armor of Alexander's Dessalines were very similar to the elite companions their panoply consisted of a linen caress and terror gaze as well as a bee Ocean helmet and metal Greaves they carried a curved slashing sword called a coppice although this was their secondary weapon traditionally the fsla and cavalry had been primarily equipped with two short Spears one would be thrown as a javelin while the cavalry Minh would then use the other as either a second chaplain or short spear depending on the situation yet by the time the thessalian cavalry contingents had been incorporated into first phillips and then Alexander's Macedonian army it appears this weaponry had changed by 334 BC their main armament was a large called a system similar to that carried by the companions as it was the perfect weapon for the Thessalians famous formation the rhomboid first developed by the tyrant Jason of pherae just prior to the rise of Macedon the rhomboid formation was flexible as its shape allowed the formation to change direction without losing its cohesiveness to lead the others in the new expert cavalry men were placed on the sides of this formation while the very best positioned themselves at the angle points to lead the others when changing direction the squadron leader the iliac would be placed at the top point while a squadron closer and or aghast would place himself at the rear point those positioned on the right and left points were called flank guards or play go4 lackeys when fighting in this formation contemporaries described them as unstoppable its flexibility especially was useful for when the thessalians were tasked with holding ground against an enemy cavalry attack something Alexander was sure to appreciate and take advantage of Alexander structured his Thessaly in cavalry very similarly to his companions they were formed into elay squadrons of 200 men each based on the various districts of Thessaly each squadron was commanded by an iliac like the Royal squadron of the companions one of the Thessalians squadrons the far salient squadron was more powerful than the rest it consisted of three hundred men and the best of the Thessaly and cavalry at the Battle of Gaugamela for instance the faster Li and squadron acted as Parmenion 's personal bodyguard on the left wing such was their quality keen to ensure his control over the vessel Ian's Alexander appointed a Macedonian officer called Philip as' as the overriding commander or hip hug of the squadrons in each of his three major battles against the Persians the Thessalians would play a critical role Alexander would place them on the left flank of his army the counterparts to himself and his companions on the right there the Thessalians would hold off superior Persian forces long enough for Alexander to deal the critical blow with his phalanx and companions it was the Thessalians who were tasked with fending off the Persian Army's formidable cavalry contingents during the Battle of esis thanks to both their quality and their use of the rhomboid formation the outnumbered facili and held off the Persian cavalry long enough for Alexander to route the rest of the force thus saving the day Alexander would recognize the critical role his Tessa Lions had played in his victory and he thus gave them the lion's share of the Spoils in Darius's abandoned baggage-train FIFA Celine's would not remain with Alexander for all his campaigning by 330 BC Alexander had captured the key Persian administrative capitals Babylon Sousa persopolis and X putana and he Julie disbanded all his allied Greek contingents including professor Lyons a few did stay on as mercenaries yet within a year Alexander had them disbanded - following the departure of his Thessaly ins from his expedition Alexander added another specialized cavalry force the hippo toxa tai or horse archers recruited mostly from the nomads - in Central Asia who were specialists at horse archery this 1,000 strong contingent of horse archers was devastatingly effective lightly armored and swiftly moving they acted as a mobile screen in front of Alexander's army peppering their foe with volleys of arrows and keeping them preoccupied while Alexander advanced his fallon's forwards it is also likely that this unit replaced the Macedonian light cavalry as the main scouting force in Alexander's army although Alexander's Macedonians formed the nucleus of his army for the entirety of his campaigns they were not the only units Alexander relied heavily upon during his conquests the agree on Ian's Cretans vessel Ian's Persians and daje all served similarly critical roles for the Macedonian King at various times throughout his campaign [Music] [Applause] our series on the evolution of the armies will continue so make sure that you are subscribed to our channel and have pressed the bell icon to be notified of our videos we would like to express our gratitude to our patreon supporters and YouTube sponsors who make the creation of our videos possible this is the kings and Generals Channel and we will catch you on the next one

Channel: Kings and Generals

Views: 1,085,607

Keywords: alexander the great, persian empire, history documentary, epic history, epic history tv, ancient warfare, total war, military history, battle of gaugamela, ancient history, macedonian empire, history channel, historia civilis, kings and generals, history lesson, documentary film, full documentary, world history, animated documentary, decisive battles, extra credits history, ancient battle, war - topic, armies and tactics, roman empire, cretan archers

Id: pdwplYV9ilM

Length: 15min 21sec (921 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 13 2018