After the fall of Persepolis in 330 B.C., Alexander the Great saw his chance to have a unified army loyal only to him. The crisis in Greece was over and he need not worry about the home front. Now Persia was within his grasp too.
He demobilized his troops paying them handsomely with the spoils of war. He hoped to rid himself of the old guard he inherited from his father, King Philip. He wanted an army he could control. Alexander had the spoils from Persepolis. He offered a bonus to any cavalryman or infantry soldier who wanted to reenlist. What he offered was hard for any sane man to refuse. Including some members of the old guard, like Cleitus the Black.
It was at this point, having been proclaimed Pharaoh, literally a God, by the Egyptians, that Alexander became a slave to his dream of being a God among men. The Egyptian’s bowed before him. He took to wearing clothing more like the people he had conquered then his own Greek men. He found the company of Persian, who bowed and flattered him, more to his liking.
From henceforth, men who had spoken their mind before kept silent if they knew what was good for them. No one dare criticize Alexander to his face. Courtiers encouraged the king’s delusions of grandeur with verbose fawning of his godly person.
Because his formerly outspoken Companions, including Cleitus, fell silent, rumors of plots and resentful behavior fueled Alexander’s growing paranoia. In 330 the process had just begun, but it built into a frenzy after each new conquest, aided by the king’s addiction to drink.
Later in 330, after the death of King Darius, Alexander’s major opponent in Persia, the Macedonian king took his troops back to Hecatompylus and gave them some time to rest. They had pursued Darius for over four long years. Naturally, the rumor arose that the campaign was over, and the army would soon return to their homes and loved ones in Greece. Alexander woke one morning to the sound of his troops loading wagons for the homeward march.
The king, with his usual charism and rhetoric, addressed his men. They were only a few days away from the capital of Persia. Once that was taken, Persian submission was a foregone conclusion. What was a few more days of march and battle to capture such a prize after all this time? His men agreed. Or at least some did.
The veterans who had come from Alexander’s father’s army were bitterly opposed. Cleitus was among those veterans.
It was during this time that Alexander thought to manipulate his men by indulging their grosser appetites. He would have feasts prepared and host drinking parties. This became a regular feature for the men. He encouraged his commanders to take their Persian concubines as legal wives. The king was losing his grip on his Greek roots and his army.
In 328 B.C. the evening began like any other with feasting and toasting to the king. The banquet was in honor of Cleitus the Black who would set out the next day to take his new post as governor of Bactria. The party degenerated quickly into an uproarious event. Alexander, egged on by his closest couriers, began to boast of his achievements. He was being compared to Heracles by his flatterers.
Cleitus could not hold his tongue any longer. “Such talk is blasphemous. You exaggerate my king. Your successes are due to the combined effort of your army over the last six years of this campaign.”
Alexander stood and began his rebuttal. He pulled his father, King Philip, the man Cleitus had trained under, into the argument. “I am more than my father. What he did was, after all, quite ordinary and commonplace.”
Cleitus, both angry and drunk, spat out, “I would rate King Philips’ victories all higher than the achievements met since his death.”
The room became divided. The old guard who had served with the former king, against the younger followers of Alexander.
Alexander called for a Greek singer to perform, presumedly to quiet the debate. However, the man poured fuel on the fire by entertaining the crowd with a malicious skit aimed at the Macedonian commanders who had recently lost a battle.
“To insult Macedonians who are far better men than those who laugh at us, even though we met with misfortune, is unacceptable,” Cleitus cried.
“To call cowardice ‘misfortune’ sounds a bit like pleading,” Alexander mumbled into his goblet of wine.
“It was my cowardice, as you call it, that saved your life at Granicus,” Cleitus stormed. “It is by the blood of Macedonians that you have risen so high – disowning Philip and claiming Ammon as your father in order to be crowned Pharaoh.”
Alexander saw red… Was this was the way he was spoken about behind his back? This was the sedition and rumors of revolt and plots against him come to life.
“Those who died are the luckiest – they never lived to see Macedonians kow-towing to Persians before they could have an audience with their own king,” Cleitus barked.
Alexander mumbled something that Cleitus could not hear over the uproar of the drunken gathering.
“You should either speak up and talk openly or not invite men to your feast who are free and will speak their minds,” Cleitus countered. “There are those among us who are not slaves or barbarians who will prostrate ourselves before you.”
Alexander sprang up, and filled with rage, seized a spear from one of his guard and ran Cleitus through, killing him instantly.
The king was later struck with remorse and took to his tent in seclusion for three days, making sacrifices to Dionysus in an attempt to divert himself of responsibility for Cleitus’ murder. Word was leaked, and later spread round, that Cleitus was justly put to death for treason.
Every man at that banquet knew the truth. Cleitus had been put to death for opposing and speaking freely against the king. His body was never put to rest. He was not dressed in his fine armor and burned in honor on a funeral pyre as was the Greek custom in order to pass on to the afterlife.
His soul was left to wander for eternity.
The ghost of Cleitus would haunt Alexander until his death in 323 B.C. After that, the troubled soul of Cleitus moved on. Sometimes ethereal, sometimes possessing another warrior’s body, eventually becoming the father of the vampire nation.
He demobilized his troops paying them handsomely with the spoils of war. He hoped to rid himself of the old guard he inherited from his father, King Philip. He wanted an army he could control. Alexander had the spoils from Persepolis. He offered a bonus to any cavalryman or infantry soldier who wanted to reenlist. What he offered was hard for any sane man to refuse. Including some members of the old guard, like Cleitus the Black.
It was at this point, having been proclaimed Pharaoh, literally a God, by the Egyptians, that Alexander became a slave to his dream of being a God among men. The Egyptian’s bowed before him. He took to wearing clothing more like the people he had conquered then his own Greek men. He found the company of Persian, who bowed and flattered him, more to his liking.
From henceforth, men who had spoken their mind before kept silent if they knew what was good for them. No one dare criticize Alexander to his face. Courtiers encouraged the king’s delusions of grandeur with verbose fawning of his godly person.
Because his formerly outspoken Companions, including Cleitus, fell silent, rumors of plots and resentful behavior fueled Alexander’s growing paranoia. In 330 the process had just begun, but it built into a frenzy after each new conquest, aided by the king’s addiction to drink.
Later in 330, after the death of King Darius, Alexander’s major opponent in Persia, the Macedonian king took his troops back to Hecatompylus and gave them some time to rest. They had pursued Darius for over four long years. Naturally, the rumor arose that the campaign was over, and the army would soon return to their homes and loved ones in Greece. Alexander woke one morning to the sound of his troops loading wagons for the homeward march.
The king, with his usual charism and rhetoric, addressed his men. They were only a few days away from the capital of Persia. Once that was taken, Persian submission was a foregone conclusion. What was a few more days of march and battle to capture such a prize after all this time? His men agreed. Or at least some did.
The veterans who had come from Alexander’s father’s army were bitterly opposed. Cleitus was among those veterans.
It was during this time that Alexander thought to manipulate his men by indulging their grosser appetites. He would have feasts prepared and host drinking parties. This became a regular feature for the men. He encouraged his commanders to take their Persian concubines as legal wives. The king was losing his grip on his Greek roots and his army.
~*~
In 328 B.C. the evening began like any other with feasting and toasting to the king. The banquet was in honor of Cleitus the Black who would set out the next day to take his new post as governor of Bactria. The party degenerated quickly into an uproarious event. Alexander, egged on by his closest couriers, began to boast of his achievements. He was being compared to Heracles by his flatterers.
Cleitus could not hold his tongue any longer. “Such talk is blasphemous. You exaggerate my king. Your successes are due to the combined effort of your army over the last six years of this campaign.”
Alexander stood and began his rebuttal. He pulled his father, King Philip, the man Cleitus had trained under, into the argument. “I am more than my father. What he did was, after all, quite ordinary and commonplace.”
Cleitus, both angry and drunk, spat out, “I would rate King Philips’ victories all higher than the achievements met since his death.”
The room became divided. The old guard who had served with the former king, against the younger followers of Alexander.
Alexander called for a Greek singer to perform, presumedly to quiet the debate. However, the man poured fuel on the fire by entertaining the crowd with a malicious skit aimed at the Macedonian commanders who had recently lost a battle.
“To insult Macedonians who are far better men than those who laugh at us, even though we met with misfortune, is unacceptable,” Cleitus cried.
“To call cowardice ‘misfortune’ sounds a bit like pleading,” Alexander mumbled into his goblet of wine.
“It was my cowardice, as you call it, that saved your life at Granicus,” Cleitus stormed. “It is by the blood of Macedonians that you have risen so high – disowning Philip and claiming Ammon as your father in order to be crowned Pharaoh.”
Alexander saw red… Was this was the way he was spoken about behind his back? This was the sedition and rumors of revolt and plots against him come to life.
“Those who died are the luckiest – they never lived to see Macedonians kow-towing to Persians before they could have an audience with their own king,” Cleitus barked.
Alexander mumbled something that Cleitus could not hear over the uproar of the drunken gathering.
“You should either speak up and talk openly or not invite men to your feast who are free and will speak their minds,” Cleitus countered. “There are those among us who are not slaves or barbarians who will prostrate ourselves before you.”
Alexander sprang up, and filled with rage, seized a spear from one of his guard and ran Cleitus through, killing him instantly.
~*~
The king was later struck with remorse and took to his tent in seclusion for three days, making sacrifices to Dionysus in an attempt to divert himself of responsibility for Cleitus’ murder. Word was leaked, and later spread round, that Cleitus was justly put to death for treason.
Every man at that banquet knew the truth. Cleitus had been put to death for opposing and speaking freely against the king. His body was never put to rest. He was not dressed in his fine armor and burned in honor on a funeral pyre as was the Greek custom in order to pass on to the afterlife.
His soul was left to wander for eternity.
The ghost of Cleitus would haunt Alexander until his death in 323 B.C. After that, the troubled soul of Cleitus moved on. Sometimes ethereal, sometimes possessing another warrior’s body, eventually becoming the father of the vampire nation.
But not before he had become Flavius Aelius, and invaded Britain in 55 B.C. with the Roman general, Emperor Julius Caesar. It was there he first came in contact with the Otherworld and the people who lived there. The creatures of The Realms.
No comments:
Post a Comment