What would happen if Alexander the Great decided to go West and North and conquer italy gaul germania and the area that makes up spain and portugal? Could he do it?
Yes, and no.What would happen if Alexander the Great decided to go West and North and conquer italy gaul germania and the area that makes up spain and portugal? Could he do it?
So basically Italy and North Africa can be taken and maybe East spain and southern gaul. Everything else is a logistical nightmare.Yes, and no.
What would be there for him to hold? There was some urbanization in Gaul and Iberia when the Romans and Carthaginians started getting involved, but whatever is there would seem like pittances compared to the east. Their decentralized nature, the lack of any clear infrastructure, and logistical nightmares would probably make him a person whom people surrendered to when he was present, and then reverted as soon as he left outside of the few areas where that mattered. Italy and North Africa are different matters though, and Alexander could reasonably take both. Eastern Spain and Southern Gaul are also possibilities. The frontiers, however, would be pointless. Sooner or later, Alexander would turn east.
Yes, Italy and North Africa had the Tyrrhenian Sea trade axis, while older Iberian trade routes were first established by the Phoenicians. Both sectors were well connected by maritime routes and had a long history of connectivity. Mercenaries from Gaul, Iberia, Africa, Sicily, Italy, and the Eastern Mediterranean regularly fought against one another in this or that theater of conflict, and they were starting to coalesce into states at this time.So basically Italy and North Africa can be taken and maybe East spain and southern gaul. Everything else is a logistical nightmare.
Italy itself would be incredibly difficult to pacify. The geography of Italy is not nice to any state wishing to control it.So basically Italy and North Africa can be taken and maybe East spain and southern gaul. Everything else is a logistical nightmare.
At around the time of Alexander Syracuse the pre-eminent state in eastern Sicily, while Tarentum still held sway over Magna Graecia. The ethnic diversity of pre-Roman dominated Italy is just insane though. Suffice it to say, the Romans and Samnites were battling for control of Campania. Rome had heavy influence in Etruria in this time, but they did not dominate the region and the Etruscans would play a role in the Second and Third Samnite Wars. North/North East of them were the various Gallic tribes in the Po Valley and in the north of Picenum.Sly and Scholar at the time of Alexander what were the strongest Natives/States/Groups in Italy? And of them which would last the longest if Alexander invaded Italy?
The Greeks in the South of Italy and Sicily, predominately Syracuse, Carthage, and the Etruscan were the most powerful naval states in the entire western Mediterranean. The Greeks and the Etruscans, however, were fragmented and rarely cooperated with one another. Syracuse was typically limited to affairs in Sicily, fighting wars to standstills against Carthage. Rome was rising, but still in the midst of the Samnite Wars depending on when this takes place. So, this is before they broke out and started exerting hegemonic forces in Italy. The Gallic peoples in the North were notoriously difficult for Rome to pacify, but that was more to do with their disorganization than anything else.Sly and Scholar at the time of Alexander what were the strongest Natives/States/Groups in Italy? And of them which would last the longest if Alexander invaded Italy?
Someone will just throw a tile at him at some point.Even if he survives his fever/poisoning in Babylon, how long does it take before he gets killed in a battle somewhere?
The logical response to this is Alexander took an arrow to the lung, nearly died as a result, and was likely much physically weaker as a result of it, and that did not convince him to slow down a little (though it might have been one of the factors convincing him he has to start paying some attention to ruling and creating a succession). I don't think there's anything that can keep Alexander from the front lines.There's no particular reason he couldn't go West after finishing with the East. After all, he was planning to invade Arabia - how long do you reckon he'd have waited around before deciding that Carthage (and thence Spain and Italy) also deserved his attention?
Of course, the problem with that is he dies! And I don't just mean at Babylon in 323BC - I mean the dude was an irreplaceable genius-level commander, superb warrior, and god-king with a serious personality cult who loved to be in the front line of battle. Even if he survives his fever/poisoning in Babylon, how long does it take before he gets killed in a battle somewhere? Or straight up pisses off the Macedonians by being an arrogant sod to the extent that someone (Krateros?) murders him? Unless you go full ASB and have Athena-espy visit him in a dream and tell him to stop being a dick, it's not gonna happen.
Saying that, I saw an interesting suggestion on a timeline a while back to make Alexander actually live a reasonable life-span. Cripple him.
Seriously, if Alexander gets, say, his right-hand cut off in a battle (and survives the resultant horrible trauma/illness/etc), he now can't fight in the battles, so you take him out of the danger zone. This might also temper his arrogance a little - he knows, for a fact, he's not invincible. Perhaps, with a lot of luck, you could end up with an Alexander who not only wants to conquer more (as it's the only 'fighting' he can now do), but is also a little more interested in setting up permanency (for his sons) too, as he sees he can't be around for ever.
More than that (and this is my favourite part), you'd end up with a seriously pissed off Alexander. Can you imagine how apocalyptic his wrath would be when he sees he can no longer be the best in everything? Frankly, I would feel kind of sorry for the poor Italians.
The logical response to this is Alexander took an arrow to the lung, nearly died as a result, and was likely much physically weaker as a result of it, and that did not convince him to slow down a little (though it might have been one of the factors convincing him he has to start paying some attention to ruling and creating a succession). I don't think there's anything that can keep Alexander from the front lines.
So basically Italy and North Africa can be taken and maybe East spain and southern gaul. Everything else is a logistical nightmare.