Alexander the Great becomes King
336 BC · Classical Antiquity
In 336 BCE, twenty-year-old Alexander III assumed the throne of Macedon after the assassination of his father, Philip II, by a royal bodyguard named Pausanias at the theater in Aegae. The army acclaimed Alexander as king without opposition. He moved quickly to eliminate rival claimants and secure his position, inheriting Philip's professional military force and his unfinished campaign against the Persian Empire. Over the next thirteen years, Alexander conquered territory from Greece to northwestern India.
Key Figures
Alexander the GreatPhilip II of MacedonPausanias
Locations
AegaeKingdom of Macedon
Topics
greeceancientphilosophycivilization
Connected Events — 2 Connections
Alexander's accession to the Macedonian throne provided him the military resources and legitimacy necessary to challenge Darius III directly, transforming Philip II's planned Persian campaign into Alexander's world conquest First Star formed
Alexander's inheritance of the Macedonian crown and Philip's military machine made possible the decisive defeat of the Persian Empire, ending centuries of East-West conflict and opening Asia to Hellenistic influence Formation of Planet Earth
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