The Great Commanders - 101 - Alexander The Great | FULL LENGTH | MagellanTV

[Music] throughout history the technology of war has continually changed but the art of war how a commander commands has remained more or less the same nations have gone out of existence because of their failure to understand what war is all about including its diplomatic economic and social elements a great commander one way or another always seems to understand how all these forces are interrelated [Music] a strip of land on Turkey's Mediterranean coast thousands of people drive past every day without giving it a second glance but here 23 centuries ago Alexander the Great led his men to victory against an army that outnumbered him by at least 6 to 1 this the Battle of Issus changed the future of the Western world Alexander of Macedonia is perhaps the greatest commander in human history in little more than a decade he created a vast empire stretching from Greece through present-day Turkey Egypt the Middle East Afghanistan Pakistan and into India [Music] he had a persona an image a charisma if you like which somehow has come down the ages almost undimmed now in part of course he worked upon this himself he's undoubtedly a great publicist of his achievements and so forth the very fact he named so many cities Alexandria around the Empire proves that very point I think but he has a certain I don't know tremendous romantic quality and the fact of course as he dies so young with so much achieved puts it into a special category [Music] [Music] [Music] Alexander was born in 356 BC in the kingdom of Macedonia in northern Greece [Music] his father was Macedonia's King Philip the second Philip was a man-of-war whose life was spent conquering new territories and over running the city states of Greece it was during these turbulent years that Alexander's character was formed the game a day when Phillip was brought a horse named by cephalus the king and his friends went to watch the horses trial and came to the conclusion that it was wild and quite unmanageable but Alexander end up to Bucephalus took hold of the bridle and turned it towards the Sun for he'd notice the little horse of shying of the shape of his own shadow in front of him then he bolted safely onto his back his father wept for joy and when Alexander dismounted he said my boy you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambition Macedonia is too small for you the philosopher Aristotle was then paid by Philip to teach the 13 year old Alexander art literature and music after three years aged 16 he returned to the Royal Palace [Music] from one occasion some ambassadors from the king of Persia arrived in Macedon and since Philip was absent Alexander received them in his place he talked freely with them and quite won them over not only by the friendliness of his manner but also because he didn't trouble them with any childish or trivial inquiries but questioned them about the distances they traveled by Road the nature of the journey through Persia the character of the king his experience in war and the military strength of the Persians Philip now taught his son how to fight Alexander learnt quickly and together they led the army in the conquest of Greece a king such as Philip had many enemies when Alexander was only 20 his father was assassinated in an atmosphere of suspicion and recrimination Alexander became the new king they had invincible power endurance a keen intellect he was brave and adventurous and hungry for fame in arming and equipping troops he was masterly no will indeed was his power of inspiring his men of filling them with confidence doubtless in the passion of the moment Alexander sometimes it is true that he took some steps towards pomp and arrogance but after all he was young [Music] having secured his position the ambitious young King looked east to Persia the mightiest Empire on earth after months of preparation he and his army of 35,000 men set out you've got professional soldiers of the royal court you've also got the wagons raising enormous clouds of dust we've got the herds of animals being driven along food you've got the female hangers-on attach themselves to this increasingly successful army you've got the merchants the traders trying to cash in on this great economic opportunity you've got a diverse assembly of intellectuals experts who are also cashing in on the gravy train you've got the people who are measuring the roads along which they're marching you've got an official historian you've got poets you've got people interested in botany who will record the various new species of plants that they come across you've got geographers you've got people interested in mineral wealth when they come across bitumen in in in in rock this is something which they they comment on they investigate it they they set a light to it pour it on some poor unfortunate slave when he was a pleasure his first act after rising was to sacrifice to the gods after which he had breakfast the rest of the day will be spent in hunting water district justice planning military affairs who reading if you are a March which required no great haste he'd practice archery as he rode or mounting and dismounting from a moving chariot and he often hunted foxes or Birds he sat long over his wine because of his fondness for conversation and all that other times his company was delightful his manner full of charm beyond that of any prince of his age yeah when he was drinking he would sometimes become offensively arrogant not only give way to boasting but also be led on by his flatterers [Music] in Babylon the Persian king de Reyes the third had been informed of this impudent young man invading his empire but expected the nobility in the western provinces to stop him but at the river Granicus Alexander faced the army these Nobles had assembled with courage and swiftness he crushed it [Music] but Alexander faced another threat the powerful Persian fleets could easily invade Greece and Macedonia in his absence he had to destroy it as his own Navy was no match for the enemy he fought on land by occupying key ports he cut off the fleet supplies and neutralized its power Alexander was now free to head inland and seek out derailleurs Darius had used his time wisely raising troops from his many provinces and hiring mercenaries from Greece a huge force of up to 200,000 men gathered that Babylon since the future of his throne was at stake the rious decided to lead the army personally the Persian king accompanied by his wife mother children and herim set out from Babylon to confront the young Macedonian as derailleurs went north alexander headed south and brought his 35,000 men through the terrace mountains and into the fertile plains on the mediterranean coast here he replenished his stocks Alexander did live off the land he lived off the well-organized system of supplies that supported the Persian provincial capitals and Alexander has the military muscle to grab these to claim them for himself to exploit them and that's how his army is able to keep on the March but have been very difficult at some points for his army to go back on their go back on their tracks because there wouldn't have been any food he has grabbed what there was and the army is eating it he's got to go on having approached each other at the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean the two armies set up camp either side of the Amman s mountains Darius had chosen to fight on a wide-open plain where his numerical advantage could be decisive there he waited but Alexander failed to appear with winter approaching and supplies running low for his large army Darius had little choice but to break camp and go in search of his enemy Alexander began to march along the coast but unknown to both as Darius went north Alexander passed him on the other side of the mountains going south reaching the village of this's Alexander established a camp for his wounded and sick troops before moving on when the riots reached the coast he was surprised to discover that Alexander's army had already passed that point hurrying after him he arrived at disss where he had the hands of Alexander SiC troops cut off so they would never fight again then he continued south until stopping on the northern bank of the river Panera's Alexander was amazed when informed that the Persians were only a day's march behind him but unperturbed he simply turned his army around Alexander's moves and decisions before the Battle of Issus show him emerging as a great commander first of all is his total determination to force a major battle as the only way in which he is going to get the results he requires in the particular campaign and even though he is facing of course are much larger opponents but also a point before the Battle of Issus I particularly admire is the way in which he was not thrown by the sudden arrival of totally unexpected intelligence to the effect that the ryerson his army was behind him rather than in front of him now that is usually a very unfortunate circumstance to find you me operating on your lines of communication Alexander there was a kind of man who welcomed this opportunity and immediately set about to make the most of the chain situation from dawn the next day Alexander marched until he could see his formidable opposition on the horizon he was outnumbered six to one perhaps more Darius had raised a huge force of approximately 10,000 cavalry and 200,000 infantry Alexander had over 5,000 cavalry but only 30,000 infantry he was nevertheless sure that before the day was out his opponents army would have been destroyed [Music] [Music] the Battle of this's changed the course of history along this stretch of river how was Alexander able to defeat a force so much larger than his own [Music] Alexandr owed a great debt to his father for Philip had trained his young recruits to march with speed and fight with skill he created a year-round professional army without equal we've got organized armies for the very first time in history when we say for the very first time of course I'm talking about a very broad sweep of period ancient Egyptians and Hittites and others of course had armies before Alexander's day but as a certain sophistication begins to develop which is going to continue in much the same general format for the next thousand years or so from Alexander onwards there are roles for soldiers there are cavalry of there are infantry there are artillerymen finding the rudimentary artillery of their period there are supply trains all the requirements of armies rightly down to Napoleon at least our presence in Alexander's army forces our men gleaming not with gold not with multicolored clothes but with iron and bronze it was an army ready to stand its ground and follow its leader and not overloaded with numbers and baggage and army eagerly watching not just for a signal from Alexander but even further not any location suffice for their camp any food for their provisions in addition to the cavalry and frontline infantry both sides also had slingers archers and javelin throwers whose role was to weaken the enemy before the battle began in earnest but the core of an army was its infantry an Alexander had another advantage in that the Persians used the traditional method of fighting it's speaking a very defensive system where you've got heavily armed infantrymen armed with a spear and a round shield and they stand shoulder-to-shoulder and they fight using the spear overhand fighting between the darts that are left between the round shields it's very much a defensive formation the Macedonians had developed an entirely different type of formation which was essentially aggressive this the soldiers were armed with a very very long pike 20 feet long which they held in two hands under arm and because of the length of the pike the points of the first five rows of Spears all stuck out on the front of the of the Phalanx and when they charged the other side had to get beyond 15 feet of points before they could actually reach the first person in the balance and the Phalanx literally ran across them and ran them down like a tank [Music] having brought an army to the site of battle the key to success often lay in the manner in which the troops were deployed derailleurs felt confident in his numerical superiority he established his infantry in a defensive position on the edge of the steeply Bank river then masked virtually all of his 10,000 cavalry by the sea this cavalry was to launch an all-out strike across the shallow river mouths and encircle the Macedonians from behind I think de rious reckoned that he could deliver a knockout punch with his cavalry located on his right wing down by the beach that they could sweep they could sweep through the enemy cavalry opposed to them and then roll up the battle line of the Macedonians from there I think he I think that Duras thought about deploying his army and deployed it quite sensibly the fact that he didn't win the battle was because he was fighting against a man whose military genius was unsurpassed [Music] Alexandr now deployed his army despite being outnumbered the narrowness of the plane only two miles from mountain CC allowed him to form an unbroken line of troops along the entire length of the river Alexander had seen where de Reyes intended to attack and encircle him and so he sent as much cavalry as possible to strengthen that wing and hold off the Persians but to win the battle he would have to launch a successful attack of his own he saw that the Persian wing by the mountains was weak if his cavalry could break the enemy lines at this point it could make a direct assault on de rious himself the king was the heart of the army and if Alexander could kill or capture him the massive force he faced would almost certainly collapse in an ancient battle the position of Honor was always on the right hand side the cream of your army took up position on the right hand side in a phalanx the commander of the Phalanx takes up his position on the right hand side this is the position of Honor and he worked downwards in rating towards the left now during the period leading up to Alexander's conquest of Persia there had been attempts to mash up Reem on one side to break the enemy's wing on that side and this is in fact what Alexander is doing he is charging with his cavalry against one side shattering the the cohesion of the army on that side and therefore to a certain extent make it much easier for his infantry to come into action he takes a very considerable risk in this personal leadership if Alexander be killed I mean so important was his position in his arm he was irreplaceable but he realizes that to win all he must sometime to risk all that includes his person but since he only does it were very careful preparation it shows the greatness of his command you well I think we got the singer stream being authoritarian autocratic people confuse these two things they're almost the absolute opposite authoritarian personalities tend to be rigid closed-minded obsessive mean desperately inhibited particularly inhibiting their aggressive and sexual drives and so forth unimaginative conservative for the small see conventional conforming and Alexandra like most great military commanders didn't suffer from those defects of character his age give added luster to his achievements for though hardly old enough for such undertakings he was well up to them there are things generally regarded as rather unimportant but which are appreciated by soldiers the fact that he exercised with his men that he made his appearance little different from an ordinance that he had the energy of a soldier these characteristics whether they were natural or consciously cultivated and made him in the eyes of his men as much an object of affection as a war the two armies stared at one another the fields were crammed with men who had walked for weeks through strange lands to face an unknown enemy now they prepared to fight each other many battles then and now a one a loss before they begin troops have to be willing to fight and if necessary die many was scared soiled with fear it was the commander in his officers who had to encourage them before the first arrow left its bow the first stone its sling the discipline and determination of the troops could decide the outcome of this battle Alexander sent for his officers and appealed to them for confidence and courage in the coming fight remember he said to preserve discipline in the hour of danger to advance in utter silence and when the moment comes to roar out and put the fear of God into the enemy's hearts remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate our enemies are men of the centuries have lived soft and luxurious lives we have Macedonia have trained in a hard school of danger and war and one of the two men in Supreme Command they have their iose you have Alexander I think that the thing that we as soldiers most admire by Alexander is his his courage and I don't just mean by that his physical courage but his physical and his moral courage he was a very brave man he was wounded by almost every weapon of war that was available at that time he quite literally led from the front he was the first day over the wall in in his assaults on cities he endured by a deliberate act of will all the hardships which his soldiers India and he would pour away his water if his if he knew his sodas hadn't they water themselves say he was physically a very tough very driven and a very courageous man success had bred in him both a fearlessness and the belief that he was divinely blessed he sought glory and battle for he was convinced that in glory lay immortality [Music] alexander's the end of a line he's the end of a line he is the last of the great generals who actually leads a church it is something that historians even a few ancient historians have criticized is leading the charge notice the other ones who are mentioned with Alexander people like Paris Hannibal Caesar they never lead a charge they always command from behind the line so they can see what's going on and make necessary changes to compensate for where they're being defeated and where they're winning and so on this of course Alexander couldn't do [Music] there is always that element in any great general the idea that he can't fail the gods are with him and therefore he can do anything he likes and it will work this sort of supreme self-confidence I will charge him because I'm Alexander the Great and will win Greek philosophers debated whether Alexander was truly great or whether it was all down to luck and they I think they argued the toss on either side but if it was all down to luck then one might have expected to see one or two other people managing to do what Alexander did but if you look at other great commanders in antiquity someone like Hannibal comes nearest to him and he ultimately loses whereas Alexander never lost an exam to set himself incredible goals challenges competitions to be heroic and he surmounted these he achieved them Alexander faced the biggest challenge of his life from his position on the right wing at the head of his elite cavalry he looked down the ranks of his army despite the numerical odds he faced he felt confident of victory [Music] suddenly the battle began Alexander launched his attack the Persian archers an infantry buckled in the face of his fierce onslaught at the same time Darius's massive cavalry by the sea launched their assault but Alexander had sent enough reinforcements to prevent that wing from breaking as the Cavalry's had engaged the Macedonian phalanx had begun its attempt to cross the shallow river the banks and water were serious obstacles the fighting became confused and desperate [Music] the blood really flowed for the two lines were so closely into lot that they were striking each other's weapons with their own and driving their blades into their opponent's faces there was now impossible for the timid and the cowardly to remain in active foot against foot they were virtually engaging in single combat standing in the same spot until they could make further room for themselves by winning the fight only by bringing down his opponent could each man advance but exhausted as they were they were continually being met by fresh adversary and the wounded could not retire from the battle as on other occasions because the enemy were bearing down on him in front while there all men were pushing from behind Alexander having smashed the Persian wing by the hills turned towards Darius Persian infantry scattered before Alexander's charge but de rias's personal bodyguard fought almost to the last man the Persian king believing his life to be in danger turned and fled the Persian army is Alexander had predicted lost heart and turned to follow an army is at its most vulnerable in retreat and in the ensuing confusion thousands upon thousands of Persians were trampled underfoot by their own troops or cut down by Macedonians in bloody pursuit [Music] you [Music] [Music] the rias's tent which is full of many treasures luxurious furniture and lavishly dressed servants have been set aside for Alexander himself as soon as he arrived the unbuckled his armor and went to the bath saying let us wash off the sweat of battle into rias's bath no in Alexander's bath now remarked one of his companions the Conqueror takes over the possessions of the conquered and they shall be called his when Alexander entered the bathroom these are the basins the beaches the baths himselves and the caskets all made of gold and elaborately carved and notice that the whole rooms marvelously fragrant with spices and perfumes he turned to his companions and remarked so this it seems is what it is to be a king [Music] among the prisoners word arises mother wife and children they expected to be raped and killed but Alexander informed them that on the contrary they would receive the respect due to royalty then he concerned himself with his own men [Music] by order of Alexander all the dead were buried with their arms and equipment on the day after the battle and their parents and children in Macedonia were granted immunity from local taxes for his wounded he showed deep concern he visited them all and examined their wounds asking each man how in what circumstances his wound was received they're allowing him to tell his story and exaggerate as much as he pleased first of all it established him definitely as a very high-level commander it might have been lucky at this particular time purely but now he has shown himself as a commander of great flexibility and adaptability capable of defeating an enemy many times his own size it also brings out a side of him which we do not always stress and that of course is this chivalrous nature of the man in the way he treated the person royal family but that muster balance of course against the total ruthlessness with which he pursued and indeed cut down many many of the rank-and-file of the Persian army so who can say he shows a chivalrous instinct towards very important people but as far as destroying the enemy's army his main purpose that he is absolutely ruthlessly determined to achieve from a safe distance Jiraiya sent a message offering all of his empire west of the river Euphrates in return for peace advised by his leading general Parmenio to accept Alexander replied that if he were permitted but he was Alexander and would not instead he methodically continued down the coast to finish off the Persian fleet by capturing their remaining Mediterranean ports no city successfully resisted him his opponents unless they were politically valuable were either crucified or sold into slavery in northern Egypt at the mouth of the Nile he established a new port Alexandria [Music] then he headed east to pursue derailleurs he caught up with him at Gaugamela de reyes had lost many of his finest soldiers atlases and was at heart a beaten man in the ensuing battle Alexander defeated him once again there would be no further conflicts the rious was murdered by his own officers Alexander consolidated his victories by securing the loyalty of those he had defeated provincial governors kept their posts if they accepted his rule Persian soldiers were drafted into the army Babylon became his Empire's capital he encouraged his soldiers to marry Persian women he himself although he had a lifelong male companion married the rias's daughter the Masters he declared were not to feel superior to the master in contrast to previous Greeks whose attitude towards the Persians was one of contempt Alexander showed considerable respect for them he respected the Royal women whom he captured that is us treating them with great chivalry so that they adored him for the rest of their lives there as his mother committed suicide after Alexander's death but equally more importantly he exploited the Persian men whom he increasingly captured he got them onto his side he got the Persian nobility who could administer Provinces onto his side and through the nobility he would get the lesser nobility he would get the rank and file of the cavalry of the Persian infantry onto him onto his side so that he could use them to control Persia in his own interests Alexander was not content with the rias's Empire he was still only in his 20s and thirsted after further exploration and conquest his teacher Aristotle had taught Alexander that the world extended from Europe to India his ambition would not be satisfied until all this known world was under his control for the next five years he led his men ever further east fighting as much against nature as the guerrilla warfare of hostile tribes every challenge was met with innovation and tenacity Mountain strongholds were scaled using ropes rivers were crossed on inflated animal skins nothing and no one could defeat him and all the while as he ventured further from Macedonia he never failed to secure his lines of supply leaving in his path many more cities in his name in 327 BC age 29 he crossed the mountains into India [Music] alexander's veterans now felt that they had been pushed too far they were anxious to get home and enjoy their newfound wealth and status these predominantly Mediterranean soldiers had never experienced a monsoon before and were disheartened by the continuous rain he was forced to turn and march back to Babylon still Restless he began to plan new campaigns in Arabia and North Africa but in June 323 BC aged only 32 weakened by wounds fever possibly even poisoned he suddenly died he was brave and noble but he could be ruthless and tyrannical even within his own inner court those he suspected of treachery were put to death among them his leading general Parmenio and his personal historian despite this he never lost the love and loyalty of his soldiers they were willing to follow him almost to the ends of the earth Alexander's ability to inspire men is a very very important thing but he took on his father's army which was a totally professional family well-trained army with much more experience than yet and he must have relied very heavily on their experience so it is I say difficult to assess his main thing is his own personality which could make men follow him and his ability to make quick decisions it's interesting how many later commanders regard Alexander as the great example which they tried to model themselves Julius Caesar for example in particular under why that was well from in my opinion first of all is the sheer size of his achievement this huge empire carved out of a very small army all the way from Macedonia and Greece to the northwestern areas of India it is simply a boggling concept only have to look at the map to see that and secondly I'm sure Fisher commanders were fascinated by how young he was when he achieved all these great affairs Caesar I remember bemoaned the fact that he was only beginning at 40 to have his chance to make a mark upon his times whereas of course Alexander was dead before he was 33 this was also fascinating the generals of the future but at the practical level I think they admired the way he had a grip on his men the way in which he could control circumstances to a certain degree or at least mould them into making the situation to his liking after his death Alexander's Empire collapsed but his legacy proved more durable his conquests had opened the east to a flood of Western and Greek influence and the contact between cultures was to have a lasting effect on European and Asian civilization while Alexander's faults have been largely forgotten his extraordinary achievements have made him a figure of legend for over 2,000 years he has remained the first and foremost of the great commanders [Music] you [Music]

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Length: 44min 26sec (2666 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 05 2018