Who was Alexander the Great?

There is not enough room here to fully answer this question.

Alexander was the son of Philip II, King of Macedonia. Olympias, his mother, was not Macedonian. So when Philip married a second wife, named Cleopatra, who was, it was feared that his life might be in danger. Indeed, at the wedding feast, Cleopatra's father made a comment about Philip's finally being able to have a legitimate heir. Olympias and Alexander left Macedonia and stayed away until Philip's death.

When Philip died, Alexander returned to Macedonia and secured his place on the throne by killing Cleopatra and her baby son. Almost immediately he had to go to war against the city-states that had supported his father but were unsure of him as a ruler. He conquered Athens, Thebes, and most of Greece. He then traveled to Egypt, where he was welcomed. He ordered the building of Alexandria, which became Egypt's new capital and was a center for culture and learning.

In his final campaign, Alexander went to war against the Persian Empire and defeated King Darius. Alexander is called "the Great" because it seemed that he could not lose. Wherever he went, he took the Greek language and culture with him, which we call today Hellenization, for the Greek name of Greece.

Alexander's death at age 33 is mysterious and unsolved. Some think he was poisoned; others believe he contracted an intestinal virus or other disease.

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