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historical information
historical facts about alexander iii
» » » note
To put it simply: Alexander the Great was an asshole, but Fate/Zero has a very rosy interpretation of him. To highlight several key differences...
❖ Iskandar states that to conquer his enemies without needlessly killing or humiliating them is the ideal way of doing things, but Alexander III wasn't above giving extremely harsh treatment to his enemies. Thebes, Tyre, Gaza, and Persepolis, for example, were all looted and razed to the ground, and in the case of the first three this also involved slaughtering thousands of civilians and selling thousands more into slavery. Preserving the cities would have been more beneficial in the long term (especially in the case of Persepolis, which he had conquered months previously) and it's generally agreed that each incident was owed to letting anger over his rankled ego get the best of him.
❖ Similarly, Iskandar expresses disdain for Assassin and their tendency to sneak about, but Alexander III wasn't above using political subterfuge and conspiracy to his own advantage. He was likely involved in the assassination of his own father, had the son of his best general executed on flimsy evidence, and was generally just as good at political fuckery and sneaking about as any politician.
❖ Fate/Zero claims that his army retained their moral up until the end of his life. Historically, Alexander grew increasingly aloof, paranoid, and isolated the further they traveled into India. His increasingly arrogant behavior and adoption of Persian and Asian customs and fashions drove a huge wedge between himself and his fellow Macedonians, and he was eventually forced to give up his quest for the edge of the world before they mutinied out of sheer homesickness.
There are plenty of other examples, but these should provide a more solid idea of the differences between Iskandar in Fate and Alexander III in history. Given the slippery nature of time and how is affects Servants, it could just be that Iskandar as Waver summons him is from prior to his push past Babylon and into India, That still doesn't account for events from earlier in his life, however. The destruction of Thebes, for example, happened when he was only 20.
In short, I'll generally be favoring Fate/Zero's much kinder take on him when considering assorted historical events, particular in cases where Fate canon outright contradicts historical canon.
tl;dr Gen Urobochi, king of grimdark, decided to Alexander the Great a pretty decent guy and I'll never understand it.
❖ Iskandar states that to conquer his enemies without needlessly killing or humiliating them is the ideal way of doing things, but Alexander III wasn't above giving extremely harsh treatment to his enemies. Thebes, Tyre, Gaza, and Persepolis, for example, were all looted and razed to the ground, and in the case of the first three this also involved slaughtering thousands of civilians and selling thousands more into slavery. Preserving the cities would have been more beneficial in the long term (especially in the case of Persepolis, which he had conquered months previously) and it's generally agreed that each incident was owed to letting anger over his rankled ego get the best of him.
❖ Similarly, Iskandar expresses disdain for Assassin and their tendency to sneak about, but Alexander III wasn't above using political subterfuge and conspiracy to his own advantage. He was likely involved in the assassination of his own father, had the son of his best general executed on flimsy evidence, and was generally just as good at political fuckery and sneaking about as any politician.
❖ Fate/Zero claims that his army retained their moral up until the end of his life. Historically, Alexander grew increasingly aloof, paranoid, and isolated the further they traveled into India. His increasingly arrogant behavior and adoption of Persian and Asian customs and fashions drove a huge wedge between himself and his fellow Macedonians, and he was eventually forced to give up his quest for the edge of the world before they mutinied out of sheer homesickness.
There are plenty of other examples, but these should provide a more solid idea of the differences between Iskandar in Fate and Alexander III in history. Given the slippery nature of time and how is affects Servants, it could just be that Iskandar as Waver summons him is from prior to his push past Babylon and into India, That still doesn't account for events from earlier in his life, however. The destruction of Thebes, for example, happened when he was only 20.
In short, I'll generally be favoring Fate/Zero's much kinder take on him when considering assorted historical events, particular in cases where Fate canon outright contradicts historical canon.
tl;dr Gen Urobochi, king of grimdark, decided to Alexander the Great a pretty decent guy and I'll never understand it.
» » » tl;dr
❖ all you need to know is that alex once picked a fight with his dad, at his dad's wedding, by throwing a goblet of wine at his step-mother's uncle
» » » family
❖ Philip II of Macedon. Iskandar's father. Seven wives, seven kids. He and Iskandar had a somewhat volatile relationship, and while Iskandar generally looked up to and respected Philip their relationship was prone to periods of extreme tension, and Iskandar was generally antsy about how Philip's military actions would leave nothing for him to conquer. Philip was assassinated by his bodyguard and ex-lover when Iskandar was 20.
❖ Olympias. Iskandar's mother. As a person she was shrewd, brutal, and audacious. She was a member of a secretive Dionysian cult (that routinely took part in orgies) and was so fond of snakes that she kept them in her bed (which lead to rumors that Zeus in the form of a snake was Iskandar's actual father).
She and Alexander's relationship was generally cordial, but not without some tension. She spoiled him outrageously but also went through great pains to instill a sense of purpose and destiny in him.
❖ Cynane. Older half sister.
❖ Philip III. Older half brother.
❖ Cleopatra. Younger sister.
❖ Thessalonike. Younger half sister.
❖ Europa. Younger half sister.
❖ Caranus. Younger half brother.
❖ Olympias. Iskandar's mother. As a person she was shrewd, brutal, and audacious. She was a member of a secretive Dionysian cult (that routinely took part in orgies) and was so fond of snakes that she kept them in her bed (which lead to rumors that Zeus in the form of a snake was Iskandar's actual father).
She and Alexander's relationship was generally cordial, but not without some tension. She spoiled him outrageously but also went through great pains to instill a sense of purpose and destiny in him.
❖ Cynane. Older half sister.
❖ Philip III. Older half brother.
❖ Cleopatra. Younger sister.
❖ Thessalonike. Younger half sister.
❖ Europa. Younger half sister.
❖ Caranus. Younger half brother.
» » » friends, wives, lovers
❖ oh god there are so many
❖ why is history so long
❖ why is history so long