Alexander Empire
From Alternative History
Alexander the Great died at age 86 and unified most the known world including Rome Republic, Southern Gaul, Hispania, and Carthage. He solidified the political structures and undertook transportation constructions to cement the Hellenistic Empire that spanned from Atlantic Ocean to Indian Ocean. The fusion of Greek and Persian cultures was more successful than that in the OTL. His success resulted in almost two millenniums of an imperial dynastic system (similar to that in China) in a unified Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia.
The unified political and cultural system strengthened the Empire to resist threats and rebellions. Economy was more active because trading was protected within the empire. However, the unipolar structure also diminished regional diversity and damped cultural development.
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[edit] Conquests of the east
As per OTL, Alexander the Great spent his early life unifying Greece, invading Persia, and generally conquering. Upon reaching India, during which time his troops mutninied and refused to go on, Alexander returned to Babylon to solidify control of his new empire. By 322 B.C., Alexander had solidified his empire and refurbished his forces. He, once again, led an army into India. This time, the army was made of mainly Eastern Persian forces, and thus they did not feel so far from their homes. Alexander successfully conquered all of India, winning the battle of the Yamuna River, and turned India into a province of the greater Macedonian Empire.
As with Persia, Alexander used his extensive lootings and other resources to construct great capitals from which his soldiers ruled in his name. Alexander also incorporated many captured Indian War Elephants into his forces, using their tactics to his advantage. In 314 B.C., Alexander continued march forward as it was his dream to get all the way to the Greater Outer Sea. He gathered a large army this was made up of thousands of Indians and eastern Persians, the Indians were skilled with survivng in the jungle and mountains. Alexander turned to the north invading the lands of the Proto-tibetan tribes crushing tribe after tribe and some did not even offer ressitance to the invader. Alexander now turned to the the jungles of what is now "Burma" and just like the Tibetan's met little oppostion except from some native tribal peoples. The Campaign was very successful due to the fact that Alexander was unstoppble aganist the mainly because they did not no about the successive warfare of the west. Soon Alexander was at the Greater Outer Sea. Alexander helped to develope the native tribes and their lifestyle, which helped Alexander to win them. Now he turned to the Arabian Peninsula overrunning it.
[edit] Conquests of the west
When Alexander the Great had conquered most of Asia, he controlled all he cared to rule, and would have been content to let his empire stay the way it was. However, in 315 B.C. a tribe of barbarians from Europe to the north raided and burned the Macedonian capital, Alexander's birthplace. Accordingly, in 313 B.C. an army under Alexander's command ventured into the unknown forests of Europe. Alexander's army was unable to make much progress tracking down elusive barbarians and Alexander was forced to return to Macedon, defeated.
Following the advice of Medius, the former king of Babylon, Alexander proceeded to spend lavishly to build cities in northern Macedon, thus "civilizing" southern Europe. His efforts were mostly successful, because, although barbarian raids still occured, they could not get close enough to attack core Macedonian cities. For the next 13 years, Alexander rested from continuous warfare and took the time to improve the defenses of his empire and eliminate the barbarian threat.
Alexander the Great's Macedonian empire finally began to expand once more in 299 B.C., when he visited Rome and the romans welcomed him emperor. Soon, he started adding its territory it had- Europe, Greenland, Russia, Central Asia, Mongolia, Manchuria, Korea, and Japan.
In 290 B.C. Alexander once again sailed his army into another country. This time he attacked Spain. The Spanish empire had little in the way of conventional troops, but with assistance from Gothic and Vandal tribes they maintained a guerilla warfare throughout the Pyrenees Mountain Range. This guerilla warfare continued until 288 B.C. when Macedonian troops from northern Italy defeated the European tribes in the area to the northeast of the mountains, thus cutting off the supply lines for the guerillas.
At this point, Alexander the Great had achieved his goal of controlling every port into the Mediterranean Sea, so he at first resisted attacking outside his borders, and concentrated instead of fortifying and securing his new empire. However, by 284 B.C. barbarian raids had gotten so bad, at one point threatening Pella itself, that Alexander mounted a campaign against northern Europe. In order to counter the guerilla tactics of the indigenous residents, Alexander built a network of forts throughout Gaul that quickly grew into small towns, thus urbanizing the area. The Gallic tribes saw the wonders of Alexander's empire and many tribes peacefully joined and provided soldiers to assist Macedon. Finally, in 279 B.C. all of Gaul to the Rhine river, as well as southeastern Europe to the Dnister river were under Macedonian control.
By the time Alexander had conquered all of this territory, he was 77 years old and in no shape to continue campaigning. Alexander returned to his capital at Pella and allowed his troops, under Hephaestion, to continue across the Rhine and into Briton without him. Although his troops were victorious, their performance in battle suffered without their general, and Alexander decided against future conquests. In 276 B.C., at the age of 80, Alexander the Great turned his empire over to his son, Alexander IV, then 39 years old. Alexander lived for 6 more years before dying in 270 B.C., as the creator of the greatest empire the world had ever seen.
[edit] Alexander's Dynasty
By installing his son on the throne, Alexander the Great ensured that his empire would endure and even expand. Alexander IV conquered the Celts in Briton, and expanded the Hellenistic empire until it controlled all of OTL modern Germany. Future heirs expanded on this empire until, by AD 19, it spanned from the Western border of Russia, south to Nubia, west to the Atlantic, and east to India. For the next 200 years the empire held steady, but the appearence of the Mongols in Asia created severe strains on the empire. Although the Mongols were defeated by AD 242, the empire had been badly shaken.
[edit] From Alexander Dynasty to Roman Empire
By AD 245, the first Latin emperor, Caesareaus, became emperor. During his reign, he invaded China, and overthrown the Han Dynasty. he also invaded the last lands of India, Pacific Islands, Australia, Arabia, and the Nile Valley and eastern Africa, and invaded Southeast Asia. He also invaded Northern Africa and turn the Sahara, into a fertile grassland. Under him, he rebuilt Persepolis and became the capital.
