Alexander the Great, a Macedonian leader and military genius (Burgan 2010), was a great general who ruled the ancient world. Alexander the Great, the kings both of Macedonia & Persia at the time, established the biggest empire in all the ancient world. Alexander the Great inspired loyalty from his men because he was charismatic and ruthless. But he died without realizing his dream, which was to unite the Greeks and Asians.
Charlemagne reigned over most of western Europe in the medieval period (Collins 2011, 2011). His mission was to unite people from diverse backgrounds into a single kingdom, then convert them. Charlemagne had a great military strategy. He was obsessed with achieving his goals, so his reign is characterized by war (Collins). Charlemagne received the title of emperor Romans in 1800 by Pope Leo III. He then played an important role to support and promote the Carolingian Renaissance. He died in 1814 despite having ensured that Christianity survived in the West.
Both Charlemagne’s and Alexander’s empires were prosperous. Alexander the Great, however, was a superior leader to Charlemagne. Alexander the Great was better educated than Charlemagne in terms of political, military and cultural matters, largely because of Aristotle. Alexander learned many basic leadership concepts from his father, who accompanied him on numerous military campaigns. After Philip’s assassination, Alexander assumed the throne aged only 20. His charismatic and brilliant leadership skills were evident.
Alexander the Great was also able to develop a more innovative and efficient winning strategy than Charlemagne. Alexander the Great, for example, established his kingdom using a military force of no more than 40,000 soldiers. In order to deal with the large numbers of his opponents, Alexander had to employ and manage effectively his army. To overcome his enemies, Alexander the Great used terrains, mobility and tactics as well as weapons like the Macedonia Phalanx. Alexander’s leadership is demonstrated in his ability to overpower his opponent even with limited numbers of troops.
Alexander the Great, unlike Charlemagne encouraged and supported those who were superior and made exceptional efforts. He would also motivate and talk to his followers in such a way as to ensure greater success for the future. He would, for example, pay special attention to certain individuals and remember the bravery of fallen and former heroes (Freeman 2011). Alexander the Great, a charismatic figurehead, recognized each individual’s contribution and inspired them to achieve greater success.
Alexander the Great was also able to create a stronger sense of group identity than Charlemagne. He developed a clever system to keep his troops engaged. He also used his oratory abilities to gain the support of his troops. His ability to manage and govern his forces has led to a very strong sense of group identity. Also, his troops were encouraged to give their best (Burgan, 2010).
