Alexander the Great was the greatest conqueror in history. He conquered most of the known world by the age of 32 and was undefeated in battle over a period of 13 years of hard campaigning across varied terrains, a feat unmatched in history! His success was so great that his men were led to believe his atrocious claim of being the son of a god! The success was as much a result of the training given by his visionary father as Alexander’s unique courage and talent!
Not easy to think mature when young, but Alexander was more than that, he was a step ahead of generals twice his age. He attacked when his opposition least expected it, he inspired his men by throwing himself into battle without protection, despite a searing hot temper he was the coolest head in battle, a deep thinker his thoughts were out of the box something that came in handy while executing his audacious plans!
The Gay Myth
Alexander is a dual-headed figure among historians. The military men call him a genius and gloat over him while the philosophers make him to be a megalomaniac. However, it’s his sexuality rather than his character that evokes much controversy! Calling Alexander as a gay person is controversial because there is no hard evidence of it and yet that belief shadows all stories about Alexander. Was he a victim of a malicious smear campaign or is he really the gay pin-up boy for the ages? On the face of it he is easily the latter, but instances cannot lead to generalizations especially in the case of people as complex as Alexander. Here’s an argument to dispel the gay myth!
An Idealist
Alexander’s tutelage under one of the greatest of Greek thinkers Aristotle kindled his intellectual curiosity. It is here that he perhaps acquired the ideal of unifying the world under one order and this continued to be the driving force behind his life. That he chose to pursue this ideal as a warrior as opposed to a philosophical evangelist was a reflection of his time. Idealists such as Alexander are a rare breed who embody greatness for them a lust for materialistic pleasures take a backseat to their ideal. It’s easy to see now that as an idealist his focus was on expanding his kingdom and not pursuing harems which could have been misconstrued as gay behavior!
Insecurity
Royalty in Ancient Greece had a blood lust for power. Alexander’s father was himself murdered in mysterious circumstances! These circumstances clearly infused fears of betrayal and treachery in him. His insecurity only grew worse with time for he became a victim of his own ideal. Upon his first major victory, over the Persian king Darius he became the master of Asia and overnight the primary target for assassination.
While regular people fall into sea of mistrust, for the master of the world well he lived in the depths of that sea!
His primary confidant was his best friend since childhood Haephastion who came to share that bond by saving Alexander’s life. Considering his unique situation it’s easy to see why Alexander shared a lot of time with Haephastion who was not only his best friend and chief confidant but also one of the foremost generals in his army. While many think of his best friend to be a gay lover, the truth simply might be that Alexander’s insecurities meant he trusted his other friends less than haephastion and therefore spent more time with his best friend! Of course, this would eventually lead his other jealous generals to mock the king in private with gay connotations – sort of like imaginary gossip at the workplace.
True Love
The distinguishing factor of any gay person is to take a wife for namesake. If Alexander was one he would have taken a bride as per Greek customs and galloped about his gay ways. But what happened was very different, he married a Persian tribal chief’s daughter who held little political significance or passed the royal grade required to be wife to a person of his standing. It was true love and quite unlike a gay person!
Final words
Alexander may have indulged in homo-sexual behavior from time to time as it was the norm for his day. Greek royalty did before him did it and so might have Alexander, however it was not a lifestyle choice as depicted in fictitious biographies meant to rake in the moolah! Overtly affectionate behavior towards people was simply Alexander as he was a uniquely benevolent character for a warlord, this at times added to his gay legend.
In the modern world ,
“Men who’ve indulged in homosexual behavior are gay”
“Leaders who go to war for conquest are tyrants”
“Crucifixion and Impalement is evil!”
Alexander was from ancient times. In his world these were merely variety, duty and necessity!
