Alexander III, better known as Alexander the Great, was a very confident young man and son of Philip II. He was born in Pella, the capital of Macedonia in the year 356 BC. Although the life he led was rather short, he accomplished numerous feats and was a military genius. His efforts have earned him not only the respect of his army and people, but of countless others over the centuries. Alexander the Great's existence had a significant impact on history and spread knowledge across ancient civilizations as he conquered more and more territory. The Hellenistic people are the direct result of his influence. If it had not been for his mother, Olympias, Alexander may never have become king. She was considered angry and spiteful, but to her son she was nothing but uplifting. His constant ego boosts, telling Alexander that he was descended from the Gods and so on, had convinced him that he was better than everyone. In fact, historians consider him narcissistic. As a boy, Alexander was described as polite, intelligent and courageous. Aristotle taught him at the Temple of the Nymphs in Meiza until he was sixteen. Aristotle's textbook was the Homeric poem “The Iliad,” which the young Macedonian had learned by heart. Everyone seemed to notice that Alexander was destined for greatness; in fact the ambassadors despised his title by stating that he was "great" while the king was only "rich". The would-be conqueror did not see his father all that often as he spent most of his time on the battlefield, but Alexander demonstrated his daring and cunning to his father by proving that his feisty new horse was in fact tame. He observed that the animal was simply afraid of the new environment and even more so of its own shadow. Impressed by his action...... middle of paper ...... emerging from a long life of battles, Alexander put an end to his conquests and everyone was freed from the fighting and could return home. Ironically, although Alexander was a strong man in the prime of his life and was undeniably respected and feared by many, he met an untimely death. He was struck by a disease that was widespread at the time, today known as malaria or swamp fever, then known only as yellow fever. There is no known cure for the deadly disease and the king, not being as divine as he believed, took no exception to the consequences. He died at the tender age of thirty-three, after twelve days of suffering. His legacy lives on in modern-day history books. He is considered bright, courageous and ambitious among other things. His name will endure and echo in future history classes, and to like him or hate him, you must respect him.