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Alexander The Great: The Battle Of The Hydaspes

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Alexander the Great was born on the 20th of July 356 B.C in Macedonia and is one of the greatest military commanders of all time. From a young age, he was tutored by the infamous Aristotle, which is perhaps what gave rise to his greatness. He was king of Macedonia from 336-323 B.C and throughout this period, he achieved many magnificent victories. He succeeded in defeating the Persians and then went on to conquer many territories in Asia Minor and then on into India. In this essay, I will be discussing one of his battles and this is the Battle of the Hydaspes. I will first explain how he succeeded in crossing this monstrous river and then how he defeated Porus and his army. As Alexander moved further into Indian Territory, he faced …show more content…

However, upon reaching the island, they realised that had made a terrible mistake, possibly due to the low visibility due to the monsoon rains. They had landed on a different island and would have to cross on to a different section of the river. Because of the storm, the level of water in the river had risen and the men had to build a ford. From my reading of Plutarch, the men then proceeded to cross the river in their full armour with the water up to their chests. Once they reached the shore, they were attacked by Porus’ son who had 2,000 cavalries and 200 chariots. The chariots were however rendered useless in the thick muddy ground. Alexander attacked them with his companion cavalry, killing 400 of them and the rest of them fleeing. Porus’s son was killed in the …show more content…

In my opinion, this is one of alexanders finest moments as it shows not only how well he was able to command an army but also how he could overcome some very big obstacles. Indeed, after the battle, we see how fair Alexander he restored Porus’ kingdom to him. However, this episode did come with some near fatal consequences for alexander as his men no longer wanted to advance into India and instead wanted to turn home. However, Alexander could persuade them to continue on to more great

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