Conquests of Alexander and Julius Caesar - Essay Example

History Introduction: History is replete with exploits of conquests and rulers responsible for these conquests. Among the ancient rulers two s stand out one a Greek in Alexander the Great, and the other a Roman in Julius Caesar. Of the two Alexander is more, as he extended Greek influence into vast areas at a very young age. Alexander lived well before and for Julius Caesar he was a ruler to be respected for his exploits. Caesar conquests are comparable to Alexander, but are not equal, for Alexander and his Greek army were capable of taking on armies of the enemy with and coming out victorious with the minimal of losses to themselves. Alexander thus was a far better war tactician than Caesar. However when comparing merits as a ruler, it is not just war exploits and successes that need to be considered, but the issue of what was done for their people, and were the people better off under their rule and subsequent to their rule. Conquests of Alexander and Julius Caesar: At the age of twenty Alexander succeeded his father King Phillip as King of Macedonia. He spent the next few years consolidating his power among the Greek nations, and by 334 BC was ready to set out to conquer the world, though handicapped with a small army, no navy, and lacking in the means to finance his dreams. Still he crossed over into Asia Minor to begin the conquest of the Persian Empire. He conquered Asia Minor and at Syria met the forces of the Persian King Darius and defeated them. Darius fled to Mesopotamia. Alexander took Palestine an Egypt and then turned his eyes on Mesopotamia. He soon conquered Mesopotamia. The vast lands and wealth of the great Persian Empire was all his now. He then turned his attention to Afghanistan and India. He gained Afghanistan and a hold on the north-western parts of India, At this point he had to turn back, as his army had become restless with so many years of fighting away from home. His eastward thrust thus ended in 327 BC, just seven years after he had set out. There is no doubt that no ruler ever has achieved so much in conquests in so limited a period of time (Alexander the Great). The driving force behind Alexander’s dreams of conquering the world is a much debated topic. The debate remains on whether wanting to spread Greek civilization or whether it was his megalomania that was the cause. However there is agreement in that his conquests and the speed at which they were executed remain with a parallel in history. However, the same speed with which the conquests were seen in the collapse of his empire after his death. In that sense his conquests did nothing to enhance the security of the people of Greece. (Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) In comparison Caesar success in conquests pale. He is most known for his campaigns in Spain, Gaul, and Britain where he expanded the reach of Rome, and then his battles against Pompeii for gaining control of Rome. Still his actions are credited with providing security to Rome for the following five centuries. He is also credited for being responsible for the spread of Roman laws, customs and languages in Europe. Roman emperors and leaders wore his name as a title, as a mark of respect to this famous son of Rome. Comparison as Rulers: Alexander was a warrior king. Alexander was excellent in battle tactics, and equipped with the valor to lead his men to victory. Thus conquests came easy to him. As an individual he was believed to be a tyrant and a bully with fits of uncompromising violence. He was also known to drink and become unstable. He displayed no statesman like qualities nor has he left back anything to remember him in terms of administration of his country. His conquests did in no way strengthen or make Greece more secure from her enemies. It may be claimed that he died young without an opportunity to display these quality, but that is something we will never know, and the only strong memory of Alexander is steeped in his conquests. In comparison Julius Caesar has left for posterity his own testaments that show him as an intelligent individual endowed with the qualities of a statesman. Unlike Alexander his conquests were responsible for providing security not just in his time, but for centuries to come, as h left behind for his successor a skilled and capable army, with the organization and motivation to protect Rome. His other bequeaths to the nation come from his statesman qualities. In a similar manner to the minimal time Alexander spent in Greece, so too with Caesar, who spent little time at Rome. Still he achieved a lot in reforming the nation. He was the first to realize that days of Rome as a city-state were numbered, and Rome had to become an Empire providing for the areas under its control. For this purpose he expanded the ruling Senate from 600 to 900 to provide for representation from the provinces. Measures to prevent provincial extortion were initiated. As a solution to the debt problems that plagued Rome, he initiated economic reforms by lowering interest rates, canceling some of the war debts, and increasing liquidity. These economic reforms were the cause of economic boom in the time of Augustus Caesar and the subsequent three hundred years of monetary stability that the Empire witnessed. Public works were initiated to beautify Roma and to make it a cultural center. One of the most famous of Caesars reforms was the reorganization of the calendar, which had become unwieldy. He increased the number of days in the year 46 BC, and then adjusted the length of each year to be 365 days, with every fourth year as a leap year. This calendar of his was used for fifteen centuries till Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 made minor adjustments to this calendar to give us its current. We are however reminded year of Julius Caesar in July, as the month is named after him. Conclusion: Julius Caesar proves to be the better ruler than Alexander, though he may not be as famous for Alexander in terms of conquests. Alexander left his people only the memory of his far reaching conquests and nothing else, whereas the campaigns of Caesar left Rome secure for centuries to follow, and his reforms provided for more prosperity to the people during his time and for many centuries to follow. He has left his mark even to our days in the calendar that we follow, with the month of July named after him. Thus Julius Caesar was by far the better ruler than Alexander. Literary References Alexander the Great. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from, Hellenistic Greece. Web site: http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/ALEX.HTM Alexander the Great (356-323 BC). Retrieved April 16, 2007, from, www.in2greece.com Web site: http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/history/ancient/alexander.htm Julius Caesar: Reforms (47-44 BCE). 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from Web site: http://www.fenrir.dk/history/index.php?title=Julius_Caesar_:_Reforms_%2847_-_44_BCE%29 Lendering, Jona. Gaius Julius Caesar. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from, Web site: http://www.livius.org/caa-can/caesar/caesar04.html Read More