Alexander's homeland was the country of Macedon, north of central Greece. In the early fourth century B.C., Macedon, also known as Macedonia, was a backward, relatively weak kingdom overshadowed by the prosperous and powerful city-states to the south, such as Thebes, Sparta, and Athens. Inheriting the throne in 359 B.C., Philip II, the greatest Grecian general of the time, established control over most of Greece, uniting the fiercely independent citystates under a common desire for revenge on the Persian Empire. Before Philip could put this plan into action, however, he was assassinated, and in 336 B.C. his twenty-year-old son Alexander became king.

Well-educated, well-trained in military matters, and already experienced in commanding cavalry in battle, Alexander quickly established control by eliminating rivals. Krensky's biography chronicles his victories over the Thracians, the Celts, and the Thebans; his subsequent defeat of Darius II, emperor of Persia, in 331 B.C...