Common questions about Alexander the Great

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When was Alexander the Great born and where?

Alexander the Great was born on the 20th of July 356 BC in Pella, the capital of the Kingdom of Macedon. He was the son of Philip II and Olympias, and his birth was surrounded by myths suggesting divine parentage from Zeus.

Who was the tutor of Alexander the Great and what did he study?

Aristotle served as the tutor of Alexander the Great, teaching him medicine, philosophy, morals, and logic at the Temple of the Nymphs at Mieza. Alexander also developed a lifelong passion for Homer's Iliad and carried an annotated copy of the epic on all his campaigns.

How did Alexander the Great become king of Macedon?

Alexander the Great became king of Macedon on the 25th of October 336 BC after his father Philip II was assassinated by Pausanias during the wedding of Philip's daughter Cleopatra. He was proclaimed king at the age of twenty and immediately eliminated rivals to secure his succession.

What were the major battles fought by Alexander the Great?

Alexander the Great fought major battles including the Battle of the Granicus, the Battle of Issus, the Battle of Gaugamela, and the Battle of the Hydaspes River against King Porus. These victories shattered the Achaemenid Empire and expanded his conquests to the Indian subcontinent.

When and how did Alexander the Great die?

Alexander the Great died on either the 10th or the 11th of June 323 BC in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon at the age of thirty-two. The circumstances of his death remain debated, with theories ranging from fever to poisoning, and his body was placed in a gold anthropoid sarcophagus filled with honey.