What Killed Alexander the Great?
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- čas přidán 12. 05. 2024
- Alexander the Great forged one of the largest empires of ancient history. But his early death, aged 32, ensured that it came crashing down within decades of his passing. In many ways, the story of this extraordinary conqueror’s early demise is more fascinating than that of his life.
Over the years, lots of legendary stories became closely entwined with Alexander’s early death, written centuries after his passing by those eager to mythologise his story with an abundance of romantic, wondrous tales. So what’s the fact and what’s the fiction? Did Alexander die of illness? Or was it murder? And did he really leave his empire ‘to the strongest’.
History Hit’s Tristan Hughes tells the story of Alexander the Great’s final days and addresses some of the myths around his passing. He also examines the aftermath of Alexander’s death and how this conqueror’s corpse ultimately ended up in Egypt.
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#historyhit #alexanderthegreat #ancienthistory
00:00 Introduction
00:51 Who Was Alexander the Great?
03:27 Alexander's Future Plans
05:55 The Last Days of Alexander the Great
11:16 What Did Alexander the Great Die Of?
14:54 Did Alexander Leave a Will?
16:27 The Babylon Crisis
23:07 Alexander the Great's Funeral Carriage
25:55 The Heist
29:45 Where Was Alexander the Great Buried?
He was my age when he died. And I haven't even conquered my own house.
Make your bed 😂
Same
Julius Caesar said the same thing
Find a statue of Alexander and weep and you may yet find that glory
I have lived more than twice his age…so, there is that…
Looking at the successors, their abilities and huge egos it becomes clear that Alexander must have been an extraordinary personality to have been able to lead them with as few rebellions as we saw. This probably impresses me even more than his military record.
Very good point. When you evaluate their actions after he died. Yeah it becomes obvious he was more than just a nepo baby who inherited a great army. He really must have been a very strong, capable leader very good point
This is an extraordinarily good point, it can be very difficult to lead those who want to lead themselves.
You guys should do one on Philip, about him coming to power, and then expanding Macedon and the military reforms he implemented
Make a documentary about Alexander the Great family after Alexander's death, including wife,mother,sister,children, and brother
Great video and very interesting ... thanks for posting.
21:31 As a retired clinician, I strongly assume someone in a coma, theoretically, for week in an arid climate and without being provided redehydration would very likely be dead from dehydration and hypothermia from the cool desert nights.
Alexander was Macedonian, not Greek.
@@sap4596anachronistic observation.
@@sap4596 The following was copied from BBC's website: Macedonia has long existed as a northern region in Greece that includes second city Thessaloniki. Perform due diligence to prevent expressing oneself unwisely.
@@juancana457 The following is a fact: Greece is a relatively new country from 1830, the what they call Macedonia region is even newer, 1930s. They can name they regions like they want, like any other country. But ethnicity is a different thing. Perform due diligence to prevent expressing oneself unwisely.
@@sap4596you're still chatting shite
If Alexander the Great lived longer, would he have conquered more, eventually been defeated, or consolidated what he already had conquered? Also, would his empire have survived longer if he had an adult son to succeed him?
Interesting points🤔👍🏼
He wouldn't have consolidated anything, because he had no interest in governing, only in fighting. If he had an adult son to succeed him, that might have been a different story. As for conquering more territory, the only places left to go were Europe and North Africa. I can't see the Macedonian phalanx working very well in dense forest against people like the Gauls and Visigoths. I don't know enough about North Africa at that time period to give a useful opinion.
Alexander had unfulfilled plans that were read allowed by Perdikkas to the royal army after his death. This was done so they could be safely discarded by the successors after his death, though some doubt the authenticity of the documents themselves. They included the building of grand temples dedicated to himself and Hephaistion, conquering the african coast all the way to the pillars of herakles (straits of Gibraltar), the massive expansion of the royal fleet so it could support this campaign (this had already began under Kleitos the White and Krateros in Cilicia when Alexander died), a mixture of ethinic populations and racial groups, doubtless the founding of more cities, and more immediately the conquest of the Arabian coast. The Achaemenids were an ailing super power when Alexander invaded. If he had gone west, I am almost certain he would have eventually lost his winning streak. Rome was slowly rising at this time, as well as Carthage. If he did have an adult son I rate the empire would have lasted much longer in an intact state, but the threat of collapse was never faraway as the near mutinies at Opis and on the banks of the Beas demonstrate. This is because the army placed an almost divine reverence upon the house of the Argeads. It is also important to keep in mind that the things that forced Macedon - and in turn its kings - to become great had been largely resolved (having a chip on your shoulder, fiscal challenges, and turbulent internal politics).
I agree with the fighting, but i think he was alienating his core leaders, i think he would have ended up assasinated if actually that isnt what happened (obviously no evidence, but not impossible
Well Alexander was driven by .... demons - there is nobody in history really to compare. He was conquering not only the known world - but also he built new cities anywhere, founded numerous places which seems to be impossible from today´s perspective
If anyone has not yet heard Alexander the Great’s speech to his men when they wanted to disband. Then I highly suggest finding the time to listen to it. It’ll make you feel like you can conquer the world and more.
always excellent from Tristan
Mary Renault wrote a wonderful novel about Alexander, called “The Persian Boy”.
We don't even know what Jane Austen died from, and she was in an English speaking country just a couple of centuries ago.
Racist
@@joshuataylor3550what’s racist about that? Moron
Yep, people just "took a fever" and died. It's easy to take modern medicine for granted. A few pills might have saved Alexander.
If you haven't already, I'd love a video about the cult of Alexander in the Hellenistic era
People take credit from Alexander because of King Philip. While I think there is some merit that Philip provided a strong foundation for his heir to succeed, I think Alexander the Great rose to the occasion and purpose that he was "destined" for
I enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
Really great video!
Omg I love your videos I'm aiming to be a classical historian just like you. Thank you for sharing such precious knowledge about one of the greatest man in history
Great video
"Tyrant they yell so easily, I laugh, no tyrant ever gave back so much."
Are you talking about Putin the Great?
@@Miodrag.Vukomanovic You're right, he is a great tyrant.
@@liamobrien4985 He's great at nothing but being a tyrant.
@@guntertorfs6486 That's my point mate.
@@liamobrien4985 I know : just seconding it.
I always enjoy hearing about Alexander from Tristan Hughes; another excellent video!
@16:55 I would be curious to know the source that claims Stateira was murdered by Roxana and also how this source compares to Plutarch's account of her dying in childbirth. The Netflix series relies on Plurarch heavily even though he's writing some 4 centuries later. I would love to see a video with Tristan evaluating the Netflix series and critiquing its sources!
If I recall correctly what I read once, there were 2 women called Stateira: 1. Darius' wife who allegedly died in childbirth long after his husband's defeat and death (idk which source this comes from) and 2. Darius' daughter who went to marry Alexander and supposedly got murdered by Roxana following his death.
(I havent yet watched the Netflix series so i'm not sure how much timeline it covers to know if it got mixed up or not, but i agree on wanting an evaluation/critique to see)
What would you guys say to, doing a comprehensive, if not moderately so, video on Pyrrhus of Epirus..?
I would be very pleased to see this..
I think he was an absolutely fascinating character, and very much lost if not completely forgotten, hero and conqueror of historic renown and proportion...?!
Really good, thank you. For all these years I thought I knew about Alexander and I never knew he was married! I knew he had ‘ companions’ amongst his soldiers but not the wife bit and not a child/ children bit! We really do learn something every day. What happened to his children . Ooh, I’ve been to Saqquara! I didn’t trip over him 🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺
Excellent documentary! Many thanks. ❤
I know its a small thing but thank you for using the historically recorded last words of Caesar in the Greek rather than the Shakeksperean. 10:39
Hang on - the ancient romans did not talk English? :)
@bavariancarenthusiast2722 no, they didn't. ;)
But my actual point was the use of the Greek phrase translated as "and you child", while Shakespeare has him use a similar phrase in Latin translated as "you too, Brutus".
Caesar wrote his auto-bigraphies in simplistic Latin, but this was the language of the commoners and Middle class. Caesar was very much upper class and would therefore have used Greek to show his intelect and status.
Much the same way the nobility in England used to use French and later Latin over the common tongue of English.
Great video thankyou
Thanks this was very interesting.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🎁🕯🌟🕯🎁
And all the diseases, infections, war wounds, and physical exhaustion from nonstop war
Excellent, but the audio is a bit distorted.
One possible explanation that Alexander's soldier's revelled against him on the borders of India is as follow.
After battle agsinst Porus caused heavy losses to his army. Porus was a small regional kind. The real power was with King Nanda of Maghad, present day Patna. He had huge army and Alexander's generals were not prepared fight him after suffering heavy losses at the hands of smaller King Porus.
Thanks!
8:04 who is that artwork by? I tried to reverse image search and didn't find any hits
It was an informative and wonderful historical coverage video👍🏻🙏. about Aleksandra great. His deathly circumstances . Aleksandra comrade Generals organized Salukis empire from hindokush to Asian minor territory .which was a powerful central government in Mesopotamia ,Syria, and Asian minor. But it was fragmented separated warlord castles 🏰 in Persia and central Asian territory...thank you ( history Hit) channel
What is the Saluki empire? Do you mean the Seljuk empire of the Turks???
By the time he reached India his with allied troops Alexander's army must have been massive! Still his battles there at the Hydapsis turned the soldiers against any further campaigning Eastward. His desire & drive to military campaigning was enormous! And his officers & soldiers were probably beginning to believe Alexander was a little yoo hoo in the head!😅 In Oliver Stones movie about Alexander he portrays his death as a result of his officer class & nobility poisoning Alexander because of his obsession with continuing expansion & the military campaigns it would require. I think Stones portrayal is a fair possibility. Or either Malaria. Or just a combination of infections from his wore out body. Alexander had a fair amount of battle wounds. Its not surprising he died at 32. What is surprising is that he made it to 32!
Alexander reached the western banks of the river Indus. On the other side of the river was the mighty kingdom of the Nanda Dynasty. Alexander's soldiers refused to become 'cannon fodder' under the giant feet of the elephants in the Indian army.
Anyways, Alexander had to satisfy himself attacking the petty kings along the Indus.
Now in India the rule then was no fighting in the night (something like the Geneva convention of today). But Alexander had no such rules. He attacked in the night and killed the king. The queen came out in defense and had thrown that spear from atop an elephant which punctured his lung.
Wounded Alexander tried to return back by the sea route. But died en route or some time after reaching land.
Thats the history which no western history book will tell.
@@shanch4055 Utter bullocks, the Macedonians were not afraid of Indian armies beyond the river, they were tired of the Indian weather, terrain and diseases. No, Alexander had his lungs punctured when besieging a town, he was the first to climb the walls and was hit by an arrow.
do you have any idea how long that guy partied?....
Could it be possible that Alexander died from sepsis or parircardial or brain abscess with an origin from an impacted wisdom tooth? Is there any reference you have seen to a facial or neck swelling? Some of the descriptions I have read of his pre-mortem course, if they contained a description of such swelling, would read like a chart from a couple of patients I have seen over the past forty years as an Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon.
This is a much more interesting video than the title would lead you to believe
Agreed. Much better than a lame video with a misleading/catchy title
καταπληκτικό..well done!
I would love to learn more about Alexander the Great
Why do you type sheet just to hear yourself talk? You're watching a video learning about him right now aren't you?
The Iron Maiden song was not far wrong was it…Great explanation from HH as always
..Somewhere in time..
Shoutout to Tristan Hughes
probably his body is under a carpark ...
A different tale than every other historian I've heard.
I’m no historian but I think the statues at Saquarra could have been a red herring. If control of Alexander’s body was paramount , I’d say it was shifted . The Potolomys ruled Egypt for a long time after he died and I’m sure they all would have been aware of the power of his body. Perhaps, like cleopatra’s tomb, under the sea when the coast line shifted ( earthquake I think). Perhaps he even got his wish finally and was quietly buried at the Oasis. Thanks, best I’ve ever heard. Oh, back in 2012 , just when the Arab Spring was happening and the threat of Isis was very real ( they’d destroyed historical buildings in Syria I think), there was an announcement that they had found both cleopatras tomb and Alexander’s. Nothing since because of the isis threat. That’s what I heard anyway. 🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺
That was excellent. No wonder I'm a Sub. Now proving such with my fat thumb up.
Take a shot every time he says Alexander
I always thought it was the esteemed James Bissonette who killed him
I think it was either Kelly Moneymaker or Spinning Three Plates.
Who is this guy, and where did he come across this history? This has never been mentioned in any of the other documentaries in detail.
Maybe some type of Staff infection from all of the injuries he had
From his extremes in the way he treated conquered peoples, as well as from the written record of his drinking, I think he was a serious alcoholic. His liver was probably trashed even by this stage, so any illness or lingering injury (even if not major) could have caused his liver to shut down.
He drank wine and started choking his last breath. Poison imo
Aspiration pneumonia.
If Philip was not assassinated, how do you think the Persia war would have been with him and not Alexander at his head ?
You say he controlled this empire, I've always wondered how that is possible, logistically and realistically?
In a way, Alexander was lucky to win in Persia. The other wars were rather small. The reason why he turned back from the Indus area was that he was injured in one of the fights and his mercenaries didn't want to fight any more. I wonder if he was as great as Genghis Khan.
He died of a broken heart.
I didn't know he had a favorite dog, awesome!
Malaria? Pneumonia? Typhoid? Could have been made worse by alcoholism and or chest wounds.
Some sort of poison?
meningitis/encephalitis?
To be fair, if my father was a King, skilled politician and general who ensured i was educated by Aristotle, who also left me the most skilled and best equipped, professional, army of its time. And my neighbouring city states had recently finished tearing themselves apart in decades long wars, and my vanguard was already making inroads in Asia Minor. Given all of this i reckon i could probably make it into work on time, at least a couple of days a week.
Son: “Can we have Simon Whistler?”
Mom: “We have Simon Whistler at home”
Simon Whistler at home:
So how was Alexander killed, then? Wasn’t that the title!
Any one can inherit a great army but be a useless leader and commander and cause the collapse or near failure of a kingdom by weakness and incompetence. Alexander on the other hand not only realised his father's dream to liberate the greek cities in persia but he also inspired great loyalty from his army and incalculable strategic intelligence and prowess both on the battlefield and politically. He was not merely a warlord. He was a man of his times and attempted to retain intact most of the kingdoms that he conquered but dealt harshly and mercilessly with betrayal and rebellion. Testament to this were the marriages of his senior officers to Persian women in order to cement bonds and increase the strength of his armies through even more loyalty from new concripts from the occupied lands. His ingenuity and achievements through his short reign not only arguably shaped western society but also remains to this day again arguably unequaled. Even Julius Caesar stood in awe of Alexander's achievements. Other genuinely disorganized hordes and vandals have swept through Asia and Europe but they have very rarely laid an almost everlasting foundation for future thought and civilisation. Even though his empire fell apart after his death his influence in those area, Egypt, Greece and the Greco Indian empires lasted for eons. Again as I said he was a man of his times in terms of the inevitable brutality of that era but there was also mercy and integration. So in my humble opinion, a student of Aristotle always leading from the front shoulder to shoulder with his men made him a king greater than the likes of others who came after him and most certainly not just a warlord.
*The Humidity*
The Baktrians who got him hooked on that 80 proof wine.
Tough to know what killed him. Possibly alcohol induced pancreatitis or a ruptured gastric ulcer given the oblast after heavy drinking and eating. Typhus or another food borne illness is also possible.
I’m 27 and whenever I see my Uncle he asks what I’ve been up to before saying “you know Alexander the Great had created an empire by your age”
Alexander liked to live life on the edge in the fastlane, He lived like Larry
@@DJay137the greatest man that ever lived
Yeah but was he as happy ?
The symptoms sounds like sepsis
Malaria is number one suspect as he was campaigning in India at monsoon time.
Indian king porus defeated him !
If Alexander’s tomb is ever found, a lot of the questions may be answered.
Lead poison from the metal cups ..he wasn't the first ...A True Visionary Leader ...💔...
Bless you then
There is a story that Caligula visited his tomb in Egypt and stole his armour from his corpse ..but Caligula was know for bs
Fascinating film. It's shocking how aggressive, destructive, and greedy mankind can be.
Now that there are over 15,000 nuclear warheads, located in at least 11 counties across the world, I wonder how things will turn out for us.
If anyone is interested you should read Peter Green’s Alexander of Macedon. One of the most brilliant and exhaustive biographies on The Conqueror I’ve ever read.
7:07
I ask you, how is it possible for one country to have more names. Greece, Helen, Macedonia or fourth name
Whats up with this guys shirt?
Bucephalus Horse Grave filled with Diamonds and Gold still not found -------------------- ( buried near Jalalpur Sharif Punjab region Pakistan country )
Three hundred twenty three. Smh just say it. Saying “three two three” repeatedly really grated on me.
Alexander's general's at the time of his death were wealthy men .But they certainly were very ambitious. None were nearly as talented as history shows.
If, is troubling word but what if he lived.
The first question was, was he greek or Macedonian ?
He was both. As were all citizens of their respective city states.
He was a Macedonian Greek, as opposed to an Athenian or Spartan Greek
@DimitriMetaxas ok just for you to know
Macedonian was Kingdom
Not a city state like ancient greek
Did you know that ?
It is completely different from ancient city states
Now, how is he greek and Macedonian
Can you explain that to me when mother was from Barbarian blood and father was a barbarian king how athina was considered him before he conquered the city stats
@JohnnyTravel68
Macedonian was kingdom
Athina was with some other stats
Was callth city states
Tow different things
Macedonia was never part of city stats
Macedonia was a kingdom
What is your contention exactly? They spoke Greek, worshiped Greek gods, and spread Hellenistic culture around the known world. Olympias was a Greek princess from Epirus. Alexander was tutored by Aristotle and was a keen student of Greek philosophy. There were no countries back in ancient times just a common culture.
Hmm conquered a huge empire. Ran a huge army. Went into battle himself (that should be brought back for any politician declaring war.) And died too young, at 33 too young to be president of the US.
Maybe pancreatitis
Ouch.
I had gallstones that led into pancreatitis. Very very very painful few days in the hospital
@@marshalmichelney-bc8qn I did not know it could come over like that. My pancreatitis was more in line with what Alexander was doing, but now it is even more plausible that he might have suffered from these attacks and responded to them like most men in his age and just drunk further..
@eshaibraheem4218 Yes, it does hurt, but it's unfortunately also an illness that subsides in pain the more you get it. By my third time as a patient, I hardly had any pain, but I knew the symptoms, so I let myself undergo the detox, and after that, I had no more urge to do this kind of harm to my body again.
@citizenVader So sorry you suffered, but glad you are more healthy now. Interesting that the pain diminishes with each bout. I'll be thinking of Alexander in a different way from now on.
Syphilis
My biggest crush!!
A punctured lung is a big deal. How could it have healed back then? It would have required a chest tube to hep it reinflate.
I thought this was a video about how Alexander died, not a brief history lesson on Macedonian culture and arms.
the west has always had excellent storytellers. and the world has to listen to them. the english ensures it.
Anyone else feel like they have a crush on teacher? 😅😍
Being mortal
How do u explain a death none of us were there for??
Syphilis from crushing so much poon
I've had hang overs I thought I was gonna die The only to survive it. So yes it could be possible
I bet his body was destroyed at some point. Because he was a symbol of power, and the first famous human being on the globe, the worst people would seek out his grave, and there would be constant conflict and death. Shame he died. Or there would have been Pax Alexandria.
Not Greek!
Wasn't Bulgarian that's for sure. Skopje wasn't even part of the Ancient Macedonian kingdom....The world knows this.
I think his injury by arrow in lung had not healed and he was still being doctored for this, in what ever manner they had at the time, some medicines being poison in heavy doses by todays knowledge, then the malaria and such all weakened him continuously unto death.
Malaria weakened his liver, along with heavy drinking as was customary.
What killed him? Ambition.
Greed. Many a good leader has been killed as a result of greed and over ambition.
I challenge you to find his tomb!
El matador with a lethal right hand
Do you think he was poisoned?