Comparison Between Alexander The Great and Julius Caesar

Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were both leaders of ancient civilizations. Alexander was born in 356 B.C. and he became the leader of Greece at age 20. He ruled from 336 BC to 323 BC. Caesar was born in 100 BC and he became the leader of Rome at age 32. He declared himself dictator for life until he was stabbed by several Roman senators in 46 BC, just one year later. Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were both very successful leaders with interesting lives and important roles in history.

Alexander and Caesar were the best leaders of their time. Alexander showed from a young age that he was an intelligent person and he had courage. At just 12 years old, he tamed the wild horse Bucephalus, and at age 16, when his father went to war, he lead Macedonia. Caesar showed leadership not as early in life as Alexander did, but when he was 16, his father died and he had to become the head of the family. Alexander was a smart leader who led by example, and he was eventually able to conquer Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Gaza, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia and Bactria, and he extended his own empire as far as Taxila, India. He had plans to conquer Arabia and go farther but he died before he was able to carry out his plans. Caesar was a great leader with a nicer way of leading. He was more friendly with his men than other leaders, for example, he referred to them as comrades instead of soldiers and he tried to get to know all of them personally. This helped him gain support and it made his comrades feel like they’re cared for instead of people he just throws into combat. He was also very skilled speaker, which is very important for a leader, and he was able to gain lots of followers. Caesar celebrated his victories by ordering triumphs to help his people stay happy and motivated.

After 15 years of battles, Alexander the Great never lost one. His reign ended when he died of malaria in Babylon (present-day Iraq) on June 13, 323 BC. He was 32 years old at his time of death. Rhoxana, one of Alexander’s wifes, gave birth to his son a few months later. If Alexander had not died from malaria, he would have most likely lead Greece to many more victories for the years to come. After his death, many civil wars fought within Greece ended up destroying the empire. Julius Caesar’s reign ended when he was assassinated by several Roman senators stabbing him to death on March 15, 44 BC. He was 55 years old when he died. He was killed because he declared himself dictator for life and some of the Roman senators knew that it could go wrong in many ways, for example he could overthrow the Republic and establish a monarchy.

Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were both mainly virtuous leaders. They both led their civilizations to great success and they were loved by many. They made many great changes to their civilizations. Although they were both virtuous, Alexander could be seen as more virtuous than Caesar because Caesar declared himself dictator for life. Most people agreed with his decision to become dictator for life because he was a good leader at the time, but this broke the Roman tradition of the consul leading with a dictator only needing to lead when needed, and Caesar failed to see the political impact this would have on Rome, and it cost him his life. The senate knew that a lifelong dictator of Rome could lead to some problems, so they killed him.

Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were both very important and influential leaders. Both of these leaders were very intelligent people who knew how to lead a civilization. Learning about both of these leaders and knowing the lessons of their stories can help us improve our experience in society and it gives us an example of great leadership.