Introduction
1: Macedon 370 - 359 BC - A Failing State
World View 1: 360 BC
2: Security of Macedon 359 - 354 BC
3: Defence of the Kingdom 354 - 346 BC
4: Cold War 346 - 340 BC
5: Conquest of Greece 340 - 334 BC
6: The Great Campaign 334 - 325 BC
7: The United Empire 325 - 319 BC
World View 2: 319 BC
8: Antigonos the One-Eyed 319 - 311 BC
9: The New King 311 - 306 BC
10: Antigonos' Failure 306 - 298 BC
11: New Kings for Macedon 298 - 291 BC
12: King Demetrios and his Enemies 291 - 285 BC
13: Last Chance for the Empire 285 - 281 BC
14: The New Kings, and Disaster 281 - 277 BC
15: The New World 277 - 272 BC
World View 3: 272 BC
Conclusion
In this authoritative book John Grainger explores the foundations of Alexander's empire and why it did not survive after his untimely death in 323 BC.
Dr John D Grainger is a respected historian with a particular reputation for military subjects. His recent publications include Cromwell Against the Scots and The Battle of Yorktown.
"The kingdom of Macedon had existed since the seventh century BCE,
writes military historian Grainger in his swift, certain
summary. Claiming its mythic descent from a relative of
Heracles, speaking a Greek dialect and surrounded by other
important city-states such as Chalkidike and Thessaly, Macedon was
overshadowed by the mighty Persian Empire...Grainger tracks the
long series of succession crises that ended with the ascent in 359
BCE of educated, opportunistic Philip II, who quickly killed off
all rivals and instituted a series of innovations that would render
Macedon powerful and rich. He instilled new discipline among
cavalrymen, introduced the sarissa, a longer infantry spear, and
deployed cunning, effective diplomacy. Philip's murder in 336
brought to the throne his 20-year-old son, Alexander, who
immediately embarked on a nine-year campaign to subjugate his
neighbors and the Persian Empire. The administration of his
conquests was left to ineffectual satraps, and with the death of
their charismatic leader in 323, in the absence of a designated
heir, the army fell in disarray. Power was seized by
Perdikkas, then Antipater, then Antigonos, who declared himself the
legitimate successor of Alexander after the decisive battle of
Salamis in 306. He was followed by a disastrous series of
kinds and the invasion of the Galatians in 279 BCE.
Macedonian unity was never again achieved, Grainger asserts,
because, 'Alexander's ambition was too great for his people.'
Written from the point of view of those subjugated by the
Macedonian empire over two centuries, this book offers a unique and
significant take on well-worn history." --Kirkus
This unconventional and provocative analysis presents Alexander the
Great as anything but. The Macedonian conquest was widely detested
and resisted in a Persian Empire military historian Grainger
describes not as the discordant mélange of peoples depicted in
classical Greek accounts, but as the political and economic center
of the civilized world. A hubristic dream of world conquest led
Alexander to neglect the empire he ruled. He ignored his health to
the point of contributing to his early death. He failed to provide
an heir, refused to designate an adult successor and eliminated
aspirants to that role. His inability to delegate work or
responsibility crippled his administrative system. Macedonia was
Alexander's fulcrum, but his wars left it so weakened that on his
death the kingdom imploded and devoted what energy remained to
compounding chaos in Greece. Egypt reasserted its independence and
its boundaries. The Seleucid kingdom (founded by Seleukos Nikator,
one of Alexander's lesser subordinates) eventually extended from
Anatolia to northern India. Seleukos came closest to securing
Alexander's imperial heritage. Even before Seleukos's
assassination, however, his domain proved difficult to control
without the military resources Macedonia had provided Alexander.
Alexander's life and conquests may have been extraordinary, but
their result was a failed empire whose collapse facilitated the
rise of the Roman Republic. (Feb.) --Publishers Weekly
"Alexander the Great Failure: The Collapse of the Macedonian Empire
examines the rise and fall of an empire which rested on the king's
absolute authority: when the king failed his empire crumbled.
Alexander needed an adult successor, but refused to provide one and
even killed potential candidates for the job: the foundations of
his empire and their shaky grounds are analyzed here in an
outstanding in-depth survey recommended for college-level
collections strong in early history." - Diane C. Donovan, Midwest
Book Review, January 2008
*Diane C. Donovan*
"Grainger portrays Alexander as the Hellenic version of Genghis
Khan, shredding through the delicate fabric of civilization."
Reviewed by Alexander Nazaryan in The New Criterion,
2008
Mention in Bryn Mawr Reviews 30 September 2008
*Waldemar Heckel, Universsity of Calgary*
The author's puzzling thesis is stated in his book's title:
Grainger believes that Alexander the Great was a
failure...Grainger's failure to be persuasive in his thesis is
compounded by careless book production: misprints, confused
chronology, incomprehensible maps, and an inconsistent rendering of
foreign personal and place-names into English. Better books about
Alexander are available. Summing Up: Not recommended. - E. N.
Borza, CHOICE, January 2009
*Negative*
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
