World RulersAlexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Genghis KhanThis paper will explore the lives of three of the most well knownrulers in human history, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, andGenghis Khan. This will first consist of an examination of thepersonalities and gifts of each of these rulers. Details of the courseand extent of the conquests and achievements of each individual willfollow this. The lasting contributions made by these three men willthen be noted. The first ruler under consideration is Alexander theGreat. He was the son of Philip II , King of Macedonia, and his wifeOlympia, in the year 356 B.C. (^Alexander^). He was a student ofAristotle, and gained interests in the areas of philosophy, medicine,and scientific investigation (^Alexander^). Aristotle took great carein providing Alexander with a very structured and disciplined education(Williams 7-9). However, Alexander^s father, Philip II, would notallow Alexander to form the habits of a ...view middle of the document...
The following is an account of the words of Arrian, anacquaintance of Alexander. He spoke these words Alexander^s death onJune 13, 323 B.C.:Let him who would vilify Alexander, not select a few blameworthy acts,but sum up all his great deeds and qualities, and then consider who andwhat he himself is who would thus abuse the man who attained thepinnacle of human felicity^who was the undisputed monarch of bothcontinents^and whose name has pervaded the whole of the earth^ My ownopinion, therefore, I will profess, that not without especial purposeof the deity such a man was given to the world, to whom none has everyet been equal (Williams 409). The date of Julius Caesar^s birth is indispute. The probable date was July 12 or 13, 100 B.C. (David 12).His father was Gaius Caesar, who died when Julius was only sixteen.His mother was Aurelia, who was a noble woman, and it seems certainthat he owed much to her (David 12). In 84 B.C., Caesar marriedCornelia, a daughter of Lucius Cornelius Cinna (^Caesar^). Caesar isnoted for his great energy, intellect, and physical state (^Caesar^).Caesar showed generosity to his opponents after he defeated them,however this did not necessarily make him endeared to them (^Caesar^).He won the devotion of his soldiers by the victories that he led themthrough (^Caesar^). He was a man of great intellect and used this inbattle as an excellent strategist. This was made evident in hisdefeat of the Gauls (David 86-89). This same intellect assisted him inbecoming a great politician of his time. He also prepared his sevenbooks on the Gallic War for publication in 51 B.C., wrote his books onthe civil war, and his Anticato (^Caesar^). Genghis Khan was a warriorand a ruler of genius who, starting from obscure and insignificantbeginnings, brought all the nomadic tribes of Mongolia under the ruleof himself and his family in a rigidly disciplined military state(^Genghis Khan^, Britannica).Works Cited"Alexander the Great." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1998 ed."Caesar." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1998 ed.David, Peter. Julius Caesar. New York; Cromwell-Collier Press. 1968."Genghis Kahn." Collier^Òs Encyclopedia. 1968 ed."Genghis Kahn." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1998 ed.Williams, John. The Life of Alexander the Great. New York; A. L. Burt Company.1902.
