Battle of Gaugamela. Alexander of Macedon and Darius: Battle of Gaugamela

The battle of Gaugamela occurred in 331 BC. E. These were the last military actions between the armies of the king of Persia, Darius III and Alexander the Great. The battle took place with a significant superiority of the Persians. They were several hundred thousand people, and they fought against several tens of thousands of soldiers of the Greek-Macedonian army. At the very beginning of the confrontation Parmenion - commander of the left flank of the Macedonian army - suffered very significant losses. Alexander also commanded the right flank and committed a deceptive and absolutely unforeseen maneuver. This led the Persian king into confusion, and he left the battlefield. As a result, the Macedonian army won. What really happened? And how was the battle that was not forgotten today?

Alexander the Great

The famous military leader lived in 356-323 BC. Conquest of Alexander the Great became one of the greatest events in the history of the existence of all mankind. They are composed of epics and legends, films and scientific dissertations are written. Alexander was the ruler of Macedonia and the founder of the world Hellenistic state. Macedonian was the son of King Philip II and the daughter of the Molossian monarch of the Olympics. The child was brought up in an aristocratic spirit: he was taught mathematics, writing, playing the lyre. His teacher was Aristotle himself. Reason and fighting character Alexander already had in his youth. Also, the future ruler could boast of incredible physical strength, and it was he who managed to tame Bucefal, a horse that did not yield to anyone's training.

Here are some famous dates on the history that glorified the Macedonian king:

• Beginning of August 338 BC. E. - the army of the 16-year-old ruler defeated the Greek army;
• The spring of 335 BC. E. - a campaign that brought Alexander victory over the mountain Thracians, Illyrians and tribals;
• In the winter of 334-333 BC. E. Macedonian managed to conquer Pamphylia and Lycia.

But this is not the whole list of victories of the great commander.

Victory

All the conquests of Alexander the Great are unlikely to be described by several proposals, but some of them still worth mentioning. After in 335 BC. E. Alexander proclaimed himself king, he subordinated to his will those who dared to rebel against him: they were troops in the northern part of Macedonia. He also dealt a blow to the Illyrians and drove them back to the Danube.

Then the Macedonian uprising of the armed Greeks was suppressed. He defeated Thebes and did not spare the mighty Athenians. Soon after this, together with his huge army, the king defeated the Persian army and thereby established his will throughout Asia Minor. And the dates on the history indicate that Alexander fought and fought Darius III more than once. So, for the first time it happened in 333 BC. E. Then, crossing the Taurus, at Issus, a battle took place between the troops of the two great generals. But the victory was won by Macedon, forcing the Persian king to flee to Babylon.

The deposed ruler offered Alexander some peace conditions. But he did not accept them. He decided to conquer the countries located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In turn Macedonian subordinated to his power Illyria, then Palestine, and then Egypt. In the country of the pyramids he built Alexandria. And then there was the above-mentioned battle at Gaugamela.

Causes of battle

As already known to the reader, these events occurred in 331 BC. E. A couple of years before, Darius III was first defeated by his opponent. Then the Persian wanted peace and offered Macedon 10 thousand talents as a ransom for his captured family. In addition, the Persian king Darius was ready to give his daughter Satire for Alexander. She was supposed to have a dowry in the form of possessions from the Hellespont and up to the Euphrates. Also Darius III was ready for union and peace with his enemy.

What the Persian offered was incredibly important for Alexander, so he discussed all this with his allies. One of the associates of Macedon, Parmenion, said that he would have accepted all the conditions, being in Alexander's place. But not in the style of the commander was to go on about anyone. So he replied that he would also have accepted the offer if he had had the opportunity to be in Parmenion's place. But since he is Alexander the Great, and not someone else, he will not go to any truce.

Darius sent a letter, stating that no one had the right to command a great commander. And the Persian daughter will become the wife of Macedon only if the latter himself wishes it, because the whole family of the enemy is in his power. Alexander wrote that if Darius wants peace, then let him come to his master as his subject. After such a message, Darius III began to prepare for a real war.

Army of opponents

The battles of Alexander the Great were always bloody and brought a lot of losses to the opponents. After all, the Macedonian army was numerous. In preparation for the Battle of Gaugamela, she numbered 40,000 infantrymen and seven thousand horsemen. But the Persians had a weighty superiority in numbers. However, this did not upset Macedon, since most of the king's troops consisted of well-trained soldiers with experience. The army of Darius III numbered 250 thousand people, among whom were 30 thousand mercenaries from Greece and 12 thousand heavily armed Bactrians on horseback.

How did the Euphrates cross

The battle of Gaugamela began with the fact that, after passing Syria, the Macedonian army approached the Euphrates. The Persian army was to defend the crossing. But the Persians disappeared as soon as they saw the main forces of their opponents. Therefore, Alexander managed to easily overcome the Euphrates and continue the march to the east. Darius did not interfere with the Great. He, along with his army, expected enemies on the plain, which was perfect for deploying the army and defeating the Macedonians. The small village of Gaugamela was located next to this plain.

Tiger and the advanced army of Darius

In September, Alexander the Great approached the Tigris River (the Battle of Gaugamela, one of his many exploits, was not far off). The prisoners, who had already been seized, told that Darius would prevent the crossing of the Macedonians through this pond. But after the Great began to cross the river, there was no one on the opposite shore. The Persians were preparing to attack in a different way.

Meanwhile, the troops of Darius III perfected and perfected their weapons. So, to the hubs and tows of chariots, they attached a sharply sharpened point. It was assumed that such units should cause huge losses to the army of opponents. Infantry weapons also became more powerful.

The battle began

The right flank of Macedon went to the right, obliquely in relation to the main front line. Darius ordered his left flank to round the right flank of the enemy. The cavalry rushed to do it. Alexander, however, ordered the Greek cavalry to strike, but his soldiers suffered a fiasco. And yet Darius's plans did not materialize.

Victory of Alexander

The Battle of Gaugamela was hot. Eventually, Darius III fled with the army from the battlefield, as if he had found a cat. Despite its small army, the Macedonian was able to win thanks to its intelligence and prudence. This battle put an end to the Persian kingdom, and his lord was killed by his own close allies. Alexander the Great after such a significant battle won many more victories and expanded his holdings not by a single power.