So, I've got a new timeline cooking up, and it's a concept that has interested me for a very long time, and that concept is the survival of Alexander the Great. He was 32 at the time of his OTL death, and I'm assuming he lives 30 more years. Difficult, given what Alexander put his own body through, but justifiable. (Ptolemy I Soter, Alexander's most trusted general, was born around 12 years before Alexander, and lived to 283 BC dying at the age of 84.)
I'm working on what I know of Alexander: He was a conqueror, he was a man that never rested. He wanted to go to the mouth of the Ganges until his men mutinied. So had he lived for 30 more years, you could easily bet that he would be spending most of those 30 years on campaign.
Now, there's some conflict with regards to what Alexander was preparing to do when he arrived in Babylon in 323 BC. One source claims that he was preparing to conquer Arabia. (Strabo, Geography 16.1.11) Another source says the same thing. (Arrian of Nicomedia, Abanasis 7.19) Another source however goes on to say that he was preparing a grand fleet for eventually conquering Carthage (along with her Iberian holdings) and Sicily. (Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica, 18.4.1-6)
All of these were, of course, written very long after the fact, and could very well be entirely conjectural. Or not.
Another thing that grabs my attention is that in the very same time period, India was going through radical changes. The Nanda Dynasty was in its death throes, its king hated and his hold on the throne tenuous. Indeed, according to Plutarch, Chandragupta Maurya actually met Alexander while he was in India as a boy, and would later remark that had Alexander continued he would have easily overthrown the hated Nanda king.
Chandragupta however was unable to do anything at the time, and would have to wait until after the death of Alexander to invade the Indian Hellenic satrapies in order to create enough of a power base for himself to take on Dhana Nanda.
A few questions thus have arisen in my head with regards to how to BEGIN this Timeline. (Beginning's always the trickiest part.)
1) What is the more likely next target for Alexander? Arabia, or something further west?
2) Who truly hated Alexander? I know Cassander, son of Antipater (regent of Macedonia), was famed for despising Alexander's memory after his death. It was even rumored that Cassander had poisoned Alexander (though most research seems to indicate that Alexander was NOT poisoned). Was there anyone else who truly despised the great conqueror?
3) Who loved Alexander? Who would have done anything for him? That is to say, who was loyal?
4) Would Chandragupta Maurya dared move against Alexander's empire while he was still alive? Or was it Alexander's death that gave Chandragupta Maurya the opportunity to attack and subsequently gave him the power base to destroy the apparently hated Nandas?
5) If Chandragupta had not overthrown the Nanda, what would the effect on India be?
6) Would the Carthaginians, the Romans, or the Arabs realistically be able to stand a chance against Alexander?
"As Befits a King" is the working title right now, although I'm open to suggestions.
I'm working on what I know of Alexander: He was a conqueror, he was a man that never rested. He wanted to go to the mouth of the Ganges until his men mutinied. So had he lived for 30 more years, you could easily bet that he would be spending most of those 30 years on campaign.
Now, there's some conflict with regards to what Alexander was preparing to do when he arrived in Babylon in 323 BC. One source claims that he was preparing to conquer Arabia. (Strabo, Geography 16.1.11) Another source says the same thing. (Arrian of Nicomedia, Abanasis 7.19) Another source however goes on to say that he was preparing a grand fleet for eventually conquering Carthage (along with her Iberian holdings) and Sicily. (Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica, 18.4.1-6)
All of these were, of course, written very long after the fact, and could very well be entirely conjectural. Or not.
Another thing that grabs my attention is that in the very same time period, India was going through radical changes. The Nanda Dynasty was in its death throes, its king hated and his hold on the throne tenuous. Indeed, according to Plutarch, Chandragupta Maurya actually met Alexander while he was in India as a boy, and would later remark that had Alexander continued he would have easily overthrown the hated Nanda king.
Chandragupta however was unable to do anything at the time, and would have to wait until after the death of Alexander to invade the Indian Hellenic satrapies in order to create enough of a power base for himself to take on Dhana Nanda.
A few questions thus have arisen in my head with regards to how to BEGIN this Timeline. (Beginning's always the trickiest part.)
1) What is the more likely next target for Alexander? Arabia, or something further west?
2) Who truly hated Alexander? I know Cassander, son of Antipater (regent of Macedonia), was famed for despising Alexander's memory after his death. It was even rumored that Cassander had poisoned Alexander (though most research seems to indicate that Alexander was NOT poisoned). Was there anyone else who truly despised the great conqueror?
3) Who loved Alexander? Who would have done anything for him? That is to say, who was loyal?
4) Would Chandragupta Maurya dared move against Alexander's empire while he was still alive? Or was it Alexander's death that gave Chandragupta Maurya the opportunity to attack and subsequently gave him the power base to destroy the apparently hated Nandas?
5) If Chandragupta had not overthrown the Nanda, what would the effect on India be?
6) Would the Carthaginians, the Romans, or the Arabs realistically be able to stand a chance against Alexander?
"As Befits a King" is the working title right now, although I'm open to suggestions.
