Aug 31 2008
Alexander the Great-The Early Years
There is no way I can talk about Alexander the Great in one short article. He was called Great for a reason. However, I can talk about his deeds, his life, and his conquests over through a series of posts. My friend, BlogSire, requested some information about Alexander, so I’ll do it from time to time.
Alexander was born around 356 BC, to King Philip of Macedonia. Alexander’s mother, Olympias, was a princess from a neighboring province called Epirus. She was always seen as an outsider in Philip’s court, and it was said that Alexander was fathered by the great god, Zeus, rather than Philip. Legend says that one night Philip came to his wife, only to find a serpent slithering around her. Shortly thereafter, she became pregnant with Alexander.
At the age of 13, Alexander gained a new teacher named Aristotle. The great teacher/philosopher installed a love of literature in Alexander, as well as knowledge of science and medicine. By the time Alexander was 16, he was ruling Macedonia as regent, while his father fought in distant wars. He was always seen as an intelligent and worthy replacement for his father.
Around Alexander’s 20th year, King Philip married a Macedonian woman. Her uncle remarked that the king could now produce a legitimate heir to the throne, which sent Alexander into a rage. His father, tried to attack Alexander for throwing such an outright fit, but tripped and fell due to his drunken state.
Shortly thereafter, the king was assassinated by a nobleman. Some say the young man killed the king because of the new bride’s uncle, while others say that Alexander and his mother paid the nobleman to kill the king. Either way, the nobleman was murdered almost immediately for his deeds. However, because the king was dead and had not produced a fully Macedonian heir, Alexander the Great became Alexander III, King of Macedonia.
4 Responses to “Alexander the Great-The Early Years”
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You’d think so, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Apparently, the only ones who were truly convinced of his divine birthright were his mother and himself.
This is an area I know very little about. Did Alexander’s “father” divorce his mother or have 2 wives? Interesting how the Greek mythology/ancient history in how Alexander could have been conceived in some way mirrors the Christian view of the conception of Christ where the holy spirit visited Mary. Look forward to learning more.
Thanks honey. The odd thing is that there is some speculation that King Philip did divorce Olympias, while other sources say otherwise.
I’ve noticed that there are a lot of stories about kings and heroes that mimic the stories of Christ. For example, Hercules was also thought to be the son of the Great God and a mortal woman.