How significant in Alexanders campaign to become king of Asia was the battle of Gaugamela

Prior to his victory at Gaugamela, Alexander had also been successful in major battles at the river of Granicus and then at Issus. These two battles were also extremely important in Alexander’s campaign to become king of Asia, much for the same reasons as Gaugamela. Opinions differ among historians as to how the events at Granicus unfolded. The Greek historian Plutarch describes Alexander as a courageous and inspirational but somewhat rash leader who disregarded the advise of his friend and best general Parmenion by plunging into the river first and taking the fight to the enemy Persians straight away. Arrian however considers Alexander to have been more rational in this situation and writes that he took care to position his troops, with himself on the right flank, before moving across the river in more orderly fashion and flanking the enemy. The modern day historian Robin Lane Fox has also come up with his own interpretation of events. He writes that Alexander chose to camp over night on his own side of the river, before making a surprise attach upon the Persian camp before dawn. Regardless of the method used by Alexander to gain his decisive victory at Granicus we still can learn a lot about why this battle would have been useful in aiding his campaign to become king of Asia. If it was a courageous yet rash Alexander that won victory as described by Plutarch then we learn about his brilliant leadership and great relationship with his own troops, who were willing to take the immense risk in charging across a river at the heart of their enemy. If it was the more calculated Alexander that won victory as Arrian and Lane Fox believe then we can see Alexander’s amazing tactical mind on display. Both Alexander’s leadership and tactical genius were essential in aiding him to become king of Asia and his display of these qualities at Granicus and then later at Issus will have served to bolster the faith his own troops had in him, whilst instilling fear in his enemies.

Aside from Alexander’s obvious military prowess, he also possessed the vital quality of being a good administrator. Whilst making his way through Asia Alexander employed excellent administrative skills, crucially he did not replace local administration with his own Greek methods and often kept the local Persian governors called Satraps in place after his conquest of the area. This meant that Alexander was viewed by many as a liberator, someone to be welcomed and not fought. An example of this method of liberation to gain the support of locals is in Alexander’s conquest of Egypt. Here, locals welcomed Alexander as he removed Persian leaders and reinstated the Egyptian priests. Alexander showed great respect for local Egyptian customs by sacrificing to Egyptian gods and then built his most famous city of Alexandria at the delta of the Nile. By founding Alexandria, as well as many other cities throughout Asia, Alexander demonstrated the importance of the area in which his city was built. This helped to gain more support from locals, something that was crucial for Alexander, as he could not risk rebellion behind him as he went on to conquer new territories. The building of new cities also highlighted Alexander’s intentions to create a lasting Macedonian Empire as well as a lasting legacy for himself. Another of Alexander’s administrative ploys was to embrace Persian culture; Alexander began to wear a combination of Macedonian and Persian cloths. This change in dress would have greatly pleased Persians who saw Alexander accepting their local traditions, however Alexander was careful to keep his own troops on side and so wore a combination of both culture’s dress. The importance of Alexander’s administration should not be underestimated. Had Alexander have been a more despotic and ruthless conqueror then it is probable that he would have been forced to face up to constant rebellion at the hands of disgruntled Persians. Because Alexander was able to keep Persians happy, he was able to continue his campaign unhindered and also meant he was well received by a large number of potentially hostile cities.

Alexander’s combination of immense military prowess and administrative skills meant his campaign to become king of Asia went as smoothly as could be imagined. This said, it was his overwhelming defeat of Darius at Gaugamela that was most significant in him achieving his goal. Had Alexander not been successful at Gaugamela then Darius would never have been murdered and Alexander would not have become king of Asia so comfortably. Because Alexander was able to defeat Darius so convincingly he was quickly accepted as king by much of Persia and so his continued advance through Asia became all the more confortable.