Alexander the Great and the Battle of Gaugamela - 1859 Words

King Alexander at only 25 years old, his reputation already one of greatness had led his men into Asia. To his soldiers, their invasion of Persia was to fight back after half a century of devastation brought onto Greece during the Persian wars between 499 and 448 BC. Alexander’s private desire, however, was to cast a shadow on the large Persian empire by winning all its lands and bringing it under his rule. Gaugamela, named after the village it was fought by, was the decisive battle in the struggle between Alexander III and Darius II for the Persian Empire. The battle occurred in 331 BC, this battle was one of importance as it shows a significant amount of Alexander’s tactical and military genius while including examples of his great†¦show more content†¦The arrangements ended up being parallel to that of the battle of Issus. However, realizing that the Persian cavalry was moderately powerful, Alexander reinforced his wings and ordered them to lengthen if there was any risk of being out-flanked. These well designed decisions would have made a huge impact on the final outcome of the battle, this shows Alexander’s ability to adapt his tactics to suit different situations and develop ways to overcome problems that may occur. The battle turned out better than it possibly could have for Alexander, as we can see his well thought out plan coincided with the actual events of the battle and all went as he had pre-determined. Alexander initially ordered his right wing cavalry to advance on an angle, as always, to the right. Consequently forcing the Persian cavalry further left to pursue them, thus moving away from the specially cleared area Darius had so carefully arranged for them. To counteract these actions Darius ordered his men to stop moving to the left and head directly forward to attack Alexander’s right wing as intended. This arrangement worked well for Alexander as he postponed a rather dominant attack to his right wing and would haveShow MoreRelatedThe Battle Of Gaugamela By Alexander The Great1869 Words   |  8 Pages The Battle of Gaugamela SSG Hennessey, Timothy J USAICoE NCOA, Class 15-003 Alexander the Great is arguably the greatest general and military strategist to have ever lived. He never lost a battle, and before his thirtieth birthday, he had conquered from Greece to India. His military conquests paved the way for Hellinization, the spread of Greek culture, throughout the world. Though Alexander’s reign was short, he left an indelible mark on not only his kingdom but on the worldRead MoreThe Battle Against The Persian Empire1532 Words   |  7 PagesAlexander the Great is one of the most celebrated military leaders in history. 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