From Alexander to The Great

Alexander the Great not only conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire, but also many nations in Central Asia and parts of ancient northwest India. In ten years of campaigning, he did not lose a single battle. He became the richest man in the world, and was regarded by many as a god.

Despite this, none of his men, indeed, no ancient Macedonian, ever called him ‘the Great.’ So, where did this title come from? What was Greatness when it came to a king? What role might a monk in his cell during the age of Charlemagne might have played in its story? And is it appropriate for us today to still…