Alexander lll of Macedon, later styled ‘the Great’, came to the Macedonian throne at the age of twenty, upon the assassination of his father Phillip in 330 BC. Phillip had done much to unify and strengthen Macedonia and to extend its power southwards; his successes culminated in the battle of Chaeronea in 338, where he smashed Athenian and Theban resistance to his domination of the Greek mainland.
Alexander III the Great, the King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. He was inspiration for later conquerors such as Hannibal the Carthaginian, the Romans Pompey and Caesar, and Napoleon. 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 neighboring Epirus.
