The Battle of Gaugamela took place in 331 BC. e. These were the last hostilities between the armies of King Darius III of Persia and Alexander the Great. The battle took place with a significant superiority of the Persians. There were several hundred thousand of them, and they fought against several tens of thousands of soldiers of the Greco-Macedonian army. At the very beginning of the confrontation, Parmenion, the commander of the left flank of the Macedonian army, suffered very significant losses. Alexander commanded the right flank and made a deceptive and completely unforeseen maneuver. This confused the Persian king and he left the battlefield. As a result, the Macedonian army won. What actually happened? And how was the battle, which is not forgotten even today?
Alexander the Great
The famous commander lived in 356-323 BC. The conquests of Alexander the Great became one of the greatest events in the history of the existence of all mankind. Epics and legends are composed about them, films are made and scientific dissertations are written. Alexander was the ruler of Macedonia and the founder of the world Hellenisticstates. Macedonian was the son of King Philip II and the daughter of the Molossian monarch Olympias. The child was brought up in an aristocratic spirit: he was taught mathematics, writing, playing the lyre. Aristotle himself was his teacher. Alexander possessed prudence and fighting character already in his youth. Also, the future ruler could boast of incredible physical strength, and it was he who managed to tame Bucephalus, a horse that could not be trained by anyone.
Let's give some famous dates in history that glorified the Macedonian king:
- early August 338 BC e. - the army of the 16-year-old ruler defeated the Greek army;
- spring 335 BC e. - a campaign that brought Alexander victory over the mountain Thracians, Illyrians and Triballians;
- winter 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 can hardly be described in a few sentences, but some of them are still worth mentioning. After in 335 BC. e. Alexander proclaimed himself king, he subjugated to his will those who dared to rebel against him: these were the troops in the northern part of Macedonia. He also de alt a blow to the Illyrians and pushed them back to the Danube.
Then the Macedonian uprising of the armed Greeks was crushed. He defeated Thebes and did not spare the mighty Athens. Shortly thereafter, together with his huge army, the king defeated the army of the Persians.and through this established his will throughout Asia Minor. And the dates in history indicate that Alexander fought with Darius III more than once and won a victory over him. So, for the first time this 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 Macedonian won, forcing the Persian king to flee to Babylon.
The defeated ruler offered Alexander some peace terms. But he did not accept them. He decided to conquer the countries located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. In turn, Macedonian subjugated Illyria, then Palestine, and then Egypt. He built Alexandria in the land of the pyramids. And then there was the aforementioned Battle of Gaugamela.
Reasons for fighting
As the reader already knows, these events took place in 331 BC. e. A couple of years earlier, Darius III had been defeated for the first time by his opponent. Then the Persian wanted peace and offered Macedonian 10,000 talents as a ransom for his captured family. In addition, the Persian king Darius was ready to give his daughter Satire for Alexander. Behind her was supposed to be a dowry in the form of possessions from the Hellespont and up to the Euphrates. Darius III was also ready for an alliance and peace with his enemy.
What the Persian was offering was incredibly important to Alexander, so he discussed it all with his allies. One of Macedonian's close associates, Parmenion, said that he would have accepted all the conditions, being in Alexander's place. But it was not in the style of the commander to go on about someoneneither was. Therefore, he replied that he would also agree to the proposal if he had the opportunity to be in the place of Parmenion. But since he is Alexander the Great, and not anyone else, there will be no truce.
Darius was sent a corresponding letter, which said that no one has the right to command the great commander. And the daughter of a Persian will become the wife of Macedonian only if the latter himself wishes it, because the entire 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.
Enemy armies
The battles of Alexander the Great have always been bloody and brought a lot of losses to the opponents. After all, the Macedonian army was numerous. In preparation for the battle at Gaugamela, she numbered 40 thousand infantrymen and seven thousand horsemen. But the Persians had a significant superiority in numbers. However, this did not upset the Macedonian, since most of the king's army consisted of well-trained warriors 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 they crossed the Euphrates
The Battle of Gaugamela began with the fact that, having passed Syria, the Macedonian army approached the Euphrates. The Persian army had to defend the crossing. But the Persians disappeared as soon as they saw the main forces of their opponents. SoAlexander managed to easily overcome the Euphrates and continue his campaign to the east. Darius did not interfere with the Great. He, along with his army, was waiting for the enemy on the plain, which was perfectly suited for deploying an army and defeating the Macedonians. The small village of Gaugamela was located next to this plain.
Tiger and Darius' Improved Army
In September, Alexander the Great approached the Tigris River (the Battle of Gaugamela, one of his many exploits, was just around the corner). The prisoners who had already been captured said that Darius would prevent the Macedonians from crossing this reservoir. But after the Great began to cross the river, there was no one on the opposite bank. The Persians prepared for the attack in a different way.
Meanwhile, the troops of Darius III improved and improved their weapons. So, they attached a sharply honed point to the hubs and drawbars of the chariots. It was assumed that such units should inflict huge losses on the enemy army. Infantry weapons have also become more powerful.
The battle has begun
Macedonsky's right flank went to the right, obliquely in relation to the main front line. Darius gave the order to his left flank to go around the right flank of the enemy. The cavalry rushed to do it. Alexander ordered the Greek cavalry to strike, but his soldiers failed. And yet Darius' plans did not materialize.
Alexander's victory
Battle ofGaugamelach was hot. Ultimately, Darius III fled with the army from the battlefield, like a naughty cat. Despite his small army, Macedonian was able to win thanks to his mind and prudence. This battle put an end to the Persian kingdom, and its ruler was killed by his own close allies. After such a significant battle, Alexander the Great won many more victories and expanded his possessions with more than one power.
