Alexander may have been the greatest commander of all time. He had a huge empire by the time he was 30 years old. An empire is a group of countries ruled by one person.

Alexander was born in 356 B.C. (over 2,300 years ago) in Macedon. That was in the northern Greece. His father, Philip, was the king. When Alexander was 13, he got a tutor to further his education. His tutor was Aristotle.

King Philip wanted to build an empire. He went off to war when Alexander was 16. He left Alexander in charge. Some people tried to revolt. Alexander beat them down. After that, he helped his father build the empire. They took over the rest of Greece, except for Sparta. Then they decided to take over Persia.

Philip was murdered when Alexander was 20. Alexander became king. He took over Persia. Stories say, he undid the famous Gordian Knot. It was an impossible knot. Alexander just cut through it with his sword. After taking over Persia, Alexander conquered Egypt. He then went on to what is now Afghanistan and northern India.

Alexander went to Babylon in 323 B.C. While there, he got sick and died. He may have been poisoned. He may have had a disease like typhoid.

When he was alive, Alexander named cities after himself. He brought Greek customs to many parts of the world. He brought foreign customs back to Greece. Alexander wanted to be called a god. Many people did not like that.