Heaven Can Not Brook Two Sons Nor Earth Two Masters

This is an alternate history I am doing. It is about Alexander surviving what in OTL, he died from, (whatever illness or poison it was) and continuing his conquests. The POD is obviously Alexander miraculously surviving.

Prologue
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The invasion force was ready. The administration was in order after a little shuffling around. The men were ready. Everything was set for the invasion of Arabia. Alexander would take the wealthy coastal Arab lands of myrrh and frankincense. Everything was ready. Everything...except for Alexander himself.

The Great King, despite continuing with his normal routine as if nothing was wrong, had been stricken with fever for quite some time, and was becoming ever more gravely ill as the days passed by. As his condition became ever more dire, his generals became worried that the man who had cheated death on so many occasions in the past, might be on his deathbed. Rumours of poison began to circulate through the leaders, and down into the rank and file soldiers. Many suspected that old man Antipater, the man whom Alexander had left as regent in Macedon all those years ago, when he had set out for the lands of Persia, was the culprit.

The motive was there. After receiving back and fourth messages between Antipater and Olympias (Alexander's mother) while on campaign, the king had finally found time to settle the dispute once and for all. Both Olympia and Antipater despised each other, but were forced to tolerate the other, as they were both stuck in Greece while Alexander was out conquering the world. As a result, they had constantly sent letters to Alexander, accusing one another of this and that, and explaining how the other was getting in the way. Antipater accused Olympia of butting in constantly on affairs, and not letting him get anything done, being a very large nuisance. Olympia argued that Antipater was acting more like a king himself, and was plotting to take control of Greece all for himself.

Alexander could have not believed the claims of Olympia, knowing that she had hated Antipater for as long as he could remember. However, he knew he had to do something about this dispute. Not being able to go against his mother, he instead decided to remove Antipater from power peacefully. A message was sent to him, stating that Craterus, who was returning to Greece with Alexander's decomissined veterans, would replace him as regent. Antipater was no fool, and knew this was a death sentence. After sending his son, an old childhood friend of Alexander, to reason with him failed, some suspect that he had resigned to murdering Alexander. The ability was there, as his other son was Alexander's cupbearer, making poison simple to accomplish.

Whether or not the cause of Alexander's illness was poison or just a result of his previous injuries, is impossible to know. However, as Alexander grew increasingly ill, the question arose of who would succeed him on the throne as regent until Roxane's (a Bactrian wife of Alexander) baby (assuming it would be a boy), was born and then came of age. Some theorized that it would be his boyhood friend, Ptolemy, who had been with the king everywhere, and shared in his perilous adventures. Other's believed it would be his longtime loyal companion, Perdicus. And others yet, believed it would be the powerful infantry commander, Cleomenes. The more sickly Alexander became, the more urgent and important the question became.

Then, the God's became merciful, and spared Alexander from death. Miraculously, like he had done so many times before, the king had cheated death yet again.
 
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Chapter 1:The Shocking Recovery
"It was then, that Alexander showed himself in good health, walking and conversing among his astonished men."
Arrian

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Alexander The Great's recovery was indeed remarkable. According to Arrian, who provides the best account on this event, it was the doctors of Alexander who found a cure for his horrible illness, just as all hope seemed to be fading away ever so quickly. Specifically, it was the same doctor who had saved his life so many years before on the plains of Cilicia, Phillip. He had been a physician in the Macedonian court under Phillip, and then Alexander, and had treated Alexander much in the past. When Alexander was waffling between life and death on the plains of Cilicia, he was the only physician who dared attempt to cure him (most were too afraid to try, as failing and having Alexander dead, would surely see them get blamed and face punishment in the form of execution.).

However, just as Phillip was making the potion to save Alexander's life, Parmenion sent an urgent message to the king, warning him that Phillip was trying to kill him, and receive a lucrative reward from Darius. Alexander however, had great trust in Phillip, so much so, that while he took and gulped down the potion, he let Phillip read the letter, who then merely shrugged it off.

Now, once again, Phillip warned Alexander that the new cure he would be given, would make him much sicker before he would start to show any signs of a recovery taking place. Given Alexander's horrible state already, this was extremely risky, as if he got any worse, he cold very well die before the potion could work its magic. It was especially risky for Phillip to even offer this cure, because if Alexander took it, and died in Phillip's care, Phillip would be accused of poisoning and killing the most powerful man in the world. Nevertheless, Phillip was confident that this potion would work, and went through great pains assuring Alexander that taking it would save his life. Trusting in his best physician, Alexander once again took his chances, and drank the potion, putting his life once again, into the hands of Phillip.

Days went by without Alexander showing any signs of recovery. As a matter of fact, his condition was getting even worse, just as Phillip had predicted. Arrian tells us that his men began to think he was dead, and that his generals were just pretending he was still alive to prevent the camp from erupting into chaos. Barely conscious, Alexander ordered that his men be allowed to see him, to prove to him that he was still alive, and stop the rumors that he was dead. The soldiers stared at him in silence when they saw his condition. Tears streamed down their faces. To them, the king seemed merely days away from certain death. It seemed to be true, that Alexander The Great was not invincible after all.

It was now, Arrian says, that Alexander began his miraculous recovery. In a mere 3-4 days he was back to doing small things, like sacraficing to the Gods, and walking around. A few days later, he showed himself to his men once more. While he still looked like he was in very bad shape, the sight of Alexander walking around and conversing with his men just days after they had left him for dead, skyrocketed their morale, as they began to thank the gods for their mercy and clemency. Just 2 weeks after he was on his deathbed, Alexander The Great was back to riding his horses.

Perhaps the speed of his recovery is more remarkable than the recovery itself. While it very well probably took longer than the two weeks Arrian tells us it took for him to mount and ride a horse again, we can be almost certain, that a month after he was left for dead, Alexander began to continue his preparations for his Arabian invasion. Time, which seemed to stop while the king was gravely ill, began to move forward once more.
 
Can you guys give feedback when you see this? Is it good so far? Is it bad? Is there anything you feel I need to improve on? Is there any glaring mistakes? Thoughts on what Alexander should do in the future?
 
It has? Hmmm. I plan on having Alexander die in battle in north Africa or Italy or someplace, and then the wars of the diadochi starting but I am
Not sure yet. Glad you like it.
 
It has? Hmmm. I plan on having Alexander die in battle in north Africa or Italy or someplace, and then the wars of the diadochi starting but I am
Not sure yet. Glad you like it.

Okay, I don't think a delayed Diadochi war been done before. I was thinking about "Alexander lives, invades Arabia."

How old would Alexander's son be at this point? If he's old enough, he'd be a power in his own right instead of a Maguffin for some general or another.
 
Well when he starts his invasion of Arabia, his son would be unborn or just having been born. I dont think he would be very old by the time of Alexander's death in this timeline (assuming I go with that) but he might be old enough to understand the situation and be more than just a pawn
 
Well when he starts his invasion of Arabia, his son would be unborn or just having been born. I dont think he would be very old by the time of Alexander's death in this timeline (assuming I go with that) but he might be old enough to understand the situation and be more than just a pawn

If the movie was correct, Roxane would have given birth to a son three months or so after Alexander's death. For the boy to be old enough to be able to DO something, Alexander would need to live for many years longer.

A ten-year-old is just as much a pawn as a three-year-old. But a teenager who might already have a following in the military if not a command in his own right is something else.
 
Chapter 2: Greece
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"Two characteristics, men of Athens, a citizen of a respectable character...must be able to show: when he enjoys authority, he must maintain to the end the policy whose aims are noble action and the pre-eminence of his country: and at all times and in every phase of fortune he must remain loyal. For this depends upon his own nature; while his power and his influence are determined by external causes. And in me, you will find, this loyalty has persisted unalloyed...For from the very first, I chose the straight and honest path in public life: I chose to foster the honour, the supremacy, the good name of my country, to seek to enhance them, and to stand or fall with them."
Demosthenes

Word had reached Athens and the other Greek cities that Alexander was on his deathbed. Demosthenes, who had returned from exile again to stir up rebellious sentiment, remarked that, "Alexander is already dead by now! Join me men of Athens. We shall be victorious!" The Athenians were not so easily swayed. It was true, if Alexander was dead, and they were to rise in rebellion, they would have a good chance of success. However, they remembered the last time they rebelled on false pretenses of Alexander The Great's death. It had ended in disaster and near destruction of Athens. With this in mind, they decided, along with Corinth and a begrudging Sparta, to wait for confirmation of Alexander's death.

They would soon be very thankful to the gods that they had been patient and waited. Only a week later, their hopes of the king's death, were dashed. Just a couple weeks after his recovery, the Greeks were told that that Alexander had recovered, and was continuing on, into the rich Arabian coast. A sheepish Demosthenes retreated to an island in shameful exile, before the Macedonians could discover his war-hawking, and get their hands on the anti-Macedonian orator.

Antipater must have had mixed feelings when the news that Alexander had recovered from his perilous dance with death. Part of him must have been wishing the king was dead. Surely if Alexander died, Craterus, who had not yet crossed the Hellespont, would, instead of marching into Greece, turn back with his veterans, and dive into the chaos that would erupt in Babylon and the rest of the eastern empire, as a very key player. Antipater would not have to give up his command, and better yet, would have all of Greece under his control. The Greeks would rebel, this he was sure of, but he would be able to crush them easily, just as he had done before.

On the other hand, he must have felt immense relief. The death of the man who was attempting to remove him from power in Greece, could put him in a complicated predicament, one he might not have been able to squirm his way out of. Alexander's generals had already suspected him of poisoning the great king, in an attempt to save his own skin. It was true, Antipater had considered this option when negotiations had failed, but quickly came to the conclusion that it was not worth it. Instead, old man Antipater would try something else. As Craterus and his decommissioned veterans crossed the Hellespont, Antipater made his preparations to hand over the regency. The whily old man however, still had one last trick up his sleeve, before he would transfer his command over to Craterus.
 
Chapter 2 Greece: Continued
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At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.*
Aristotle*


Several Thracian tribes had become anxious in the years since their subjugation by Alexander on his way to the Hellespont and the east. Their leaders had been contemplating revolt for some time now. However, they had continually put off thoughts of revolt, as they did not think they could take on the Macedonian army under Antipater, after their previous debacles against Macedonian armies in the past. Things changed however, when Antipater's envoys arrived from Pella, to offer them a deal. It came as no surprise to Antipater, when word reached him that they had eagerly accepted it.

The proposal was simple enough, but would not be easy. As Craterus and his veterans crossed the Hellespont, the Thracian tribes that had accepted, would rise up in rebellion. Craterus would be forced to make a detour from his march to Pella, and turn and face the tribes, and teach them a lesson. It would be routine for the Macedonian veterans that had fought in the moutains of Baktria and marched over the Hindu Kush, to fight in the much smaller Balkans by comparison. Or so it would seem. Antipater did not expect the Thracians to defeat Craterus' army. Instead, he wanted them to kill Craterus himself, while avoiding the bulk of the army at all costs. In return for killing Craterus, Antipater offered the tribes virtually complete autonomy, and a rich reward for killing the general.

He then went about bribing Lysimachos, the satrap of Thrace, to support his plot. Lysimachos was fond of the old man, and was not much of a fan of Craterus himself. It wasn't hard for Antipater to get him in on the plot. All Lysimachos had to do, was find an excuse for not joining Craterus on his hunt for the rebels, and to help Antipater in tipping off the Thracians of Craterus' movement. The satrap eagerly agreed.



As Craterus moved to confront and surprise the rebels before they knew what hit them, he would be that one that was surprised. Antipater and Lysimachos had tipped off the rebels of Craterus' movements, so by the time he arrived outside the city of Nicai, they had prepared an ambush. The Macedonian forces were caught completely off guard, but managed to gather themselves together, and began to repulse the rebels, as their momentum lost steam. It was then, that Craterus, caught up in the heat of the battle along with his men, had his horse collapse out from under him, struck by an arrow in it's thigh. On the ground, Craterus fought for his life, as the thracians desperately tried to kill him. His men tried their best to protect him, but a spear thrust through the chest mortally wounded him. The veterans, angered by the injury on their general, fought with even more ferocity and viciousness, intent on killing every Thracian in sight. The Thracians, with their goal accomplished and being overwhelmed, retreated back into the hills.

The men broke off their pursuit for the moment, as they tried in vain to save Craterus' life. He died later that night. Word reached Antipater from Thracians as well as runners from the Macedonian army, that Craterus had died. Antipater arrived a couple days later with a force of 7,000 men, to suppport Lysimachos, who had also now just arrived to take command of the leaderless veteran army, now thirsty for Thracian blood. Although Antipater had made lavish promises to the Thracian tribes that revolted, he never had any intention of keeping them. Not acting to suppress the rebellion ruthlessly, and giving even more leniency to the revolting tribes, would put him in immediate suspicion of Alexander and his generals. More importantly, it would gain the suspicion of Olympias and the veterans who had been under Craterus' command. Therefore, it was imperative that he crush the rebels and make an example out of them as quickly as possible.

He started my force marching his men back to Nicai. The Thracian rebels were extremely shocked. Here was the man that had enticed them to revolt in the first place, who promised them rich rewards for the head of the other Macedonian general, with a large army, intent on destroying their city. They had had no time to prepare, so their attempt to defend their city was brave, but hopeless. The entire city was brutally sacked, Antipater doing little to stop the bloodlust of his soldiers. After the sacking, hardly any people were still living in the city. All the other Thracian tribes who had revolted, fearing that the same horrible fate would happen to them, begged Antipater, who referred them to Lysimachos, for any form of peace.

The terms were harsh, as a permanent garrison was established in many of the major Thracian cities, including those of tribes that had remained idle while their brethren rose up against the might of Macedon. The leaders of the rebellion were ordered to be handed over to Antipater, who would execute them. The betrayed and bewildered Thracian tribes had no other option but to accept.
 
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Well, that was an interesting way to take care of the situation in Greece. I thought that the Thracens would be ready for this back stab, and would have something up their selves in order to implicate Antipater.
 
Chapter 3: The Arabian Campaign- Part 1: The Preparations
"There is nothing impossible to him who will try. "
Alexander the Great
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In 321, B.C. Alexander entered Egypt. Here, he took time to settle the situation in Macedon. The events that had unfolded in Macedon and Greece in 323-322, had unnerved him, but he made do with the situation as best he could. The untimely death of Craterus at the hands of the Thracians, had forced him to continue to allow Antipater to reign as regent in Macedonia. Consequently, he received a storm of angry letters from his mother, Olympias, but largely ignored them. Due to Demosthenes' renewed attempts to incite rebellion in Greece on the false pretenses of Alexander's supposed death, he ordered for his arrest and execution. Demosthenes managed to escape Athens however, and soon took his own life, which was just as well to Alexander and Antipater.

He then called upon Antipater to gather up the 10,000 formerly decommissioned veterans who had been under Craterus, the revered silver shields, along with 10,000 newly raised men, and sent them to one of the Anatolian satraps, a certain one-eyed man known as Antigonus Gonatas (commonly referred to as Antigonus the One-Eyed). There, Antigonus, along with 10,000 of his own men from the various other satraps in Anatolia, and march to Babylon. He would be met there by an intriguing Greek figure known as Eumenes of Cardia, accompanied by 10,000 more men from Alexander's army that was gathering in Egypt, giving him a total of 40,000 men, only 7,000 of those, cavalry. From there, he would march to the eastern coast of Arabia, through the lands of the Gerrha and Mascat. It was intended that he would meet up with Alexander eventually, somewhere in southern Arabia, around modern day Yemen and Oman.

Eumenes had an uninteresting career for most of Alexander's campaigns. He was a simple scribe in Alexander's army for the majority of this time. Towards the end of Alexander's campaigns, before his illness that nearly killed him, he was given small cavalry operations, and, by 321, had become one of Alexander's cavalry commanders. Antigonus, unlike other Macedonians who looked down on the Greeks, was fond of the wily Greek. Soon, they would become great friends, as they would work closely together on the ensuing campaign.

Meanwhile, all throughout 323 and 322, Nearchus' navy stationed in Egypt, had vastly enlarged. Many new warships and transports had been built, surely in preparation for the campaigns in Arabia. They would all be needed, as Alexander planned to transport his men to Arabia via ship, rather than test the deserts once more. He planned on landing initially in the lands of the Ma'in, and then marching on the Sabean Commonwealth, and going south from there, eventually meeting up with Antigonus. That being said, it would still take two trips to ferry the entire initial Macedonian force.

Alexander's army consisted at it's core, of his Macedonian phalangites. Large amounts of forces from the Persian Empire, Baktria, Egypt, Nubia, and northern Arabia, would fill his army. Added to that, 15,000 of the 30,000 newly raised eastern soldiers, who were trained, fought, and equipped in the same style as the Macedonians, would accompany him on his expedition, much to the distaste of the Macedonians veterans. While our main source, Arrian, claims that Alexander had 70,000 men, this must be taken with a grain of salt. It is widely agreed upon by current historians, that Alexander had between 40 and 60 thousand men prepared for his part of the invasion, and no more.

The plan was set. Since it was August of 321, Alexander delayed the plan until the following spring, 320 BC. This would give him ample food supply, and as an added bonus, give Antigonus more time to prepare for his invasion.
 
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