Alexander the Great 16
"Winds of Change": The Limits of His Influence
by CTCWeb Editors
"Mountains Crumble and Cities Fall" - Jefferson Starship
Eventually, Alexander’s adoption of Persian customs drove a wedge between him and his Greek soldiers. The army believed that Alexander was becoming “too Persian” and too accustomed to the trappings of Persian luxury. Alexander’s Macedonian soldiers viewed his change from ascetic Macedonian to Persian despot as eccentric at best and insulting at worst. Plots to remove him from power sprang up.
Some of his most senior captains had to be assassinated secretly because of their participation in conspiracies against Alexander. One such man was Philotas, the commander of Alexander’s cavalry and one of the most important men in the Macedonian army. Philotas was accused of knowing but not reporting a plot against Alexander’s life. Though initially Alexander forgave Philotas, new accusations forced him to organize a trial at which Philotas was found guilty. Executioners speared or stoned him and a few others to death.
Plots against Alexander’s life may have caused him to become suspicious to a fault. Cleitus, one of Alexander’s oldest friends from Macedonia and a companion from his youth, objected to the new Persian customs. Specifically, Cleitus harbored resentment at the fact that he would have to ask Persian nobles, who had been added to Alexander’s entourage, for permission to see Alexander.
At a drinking party that lasted late into the night, Alexander and Cleitus argued and nearly came to blows. Cleitus left the party with a friend but returned later. Alexander, thinking that Cleitus had returned armed, murdered him with a spear. However, it quickly was discovered that Cleitus had not been armed; Alexander had killed his defenseless friend. The horror of that realization remained with Alexander for days, and he would not leave his tent. Despite Alexander’s remorse, the murder of Cleitus further alienated Alexander from the Macedonian soldiers.
HistoryofMacedonia.org website (http://www.HistoryofMacedonia.org)
For a larger version of this map, click here.
In 326 BCE, ever the conqueror, Alexander and his army entered India. By now, the original army that left Macedonia with Alexander had been on the move for eight years. When Alexander proposed that the army continue on to the Ganges River, the men refused. After so many years of marching, they declined to go any further. Unable to convince them to advance to what he had hoped would be the eastern-most border of his empire, Alexander was forced to turn around. Separated from Macedonia by miles, waters, mountain ranges, and years, the army was finally headed home.
