Alexander the Great was a real person. He was born in Macedonia (in the mountains north of Greec) in 356 BC. His father was King Phillip II. When Alexander was 18, his father was assassinated and Alexander became king. He invaded the Persian empire and defeated the emperor Darius at the Battle of Gaugamela.
Darius ran away from the battlefield and Alexander chased after him to make him surrender.Darius' mother was called Sisygambis and she welcomed Alexander as her son because she thought Darius had acted like a coward.
Alexander marched east capturing kingdoms as he went. He was never defeated in battle. In Bactria he came to King Oxyartes' fortress. After he had taken the fortress he was invited to a feast where he met the king's daughter, Roxane. Alexander fell in love with Roxane and they got married.
Alexander carried on marching east until he came to India. But his men were tired by then and they wanted to go home. So Alexander built a fleet of boats and they sailed down the Indus River and then back to Persia.
Alexander the Great died when he was 32 years old. His vast empire was split up between his friends. It was a huge achievement for the boy from Macedonia to conquer so much of the world. It makes you wonder what might have happened if he had lived for longer.
