The character of Alexander the Great is both fascinating and mystifying. He was by turns brilliant, ambitious, generous, cruel, logical, a little mad and ultimately elusive. It is possible that he even thought himself a god. Alexander III, king of Macedon and later king of Persia, was the most legendary and visionary leader the world has ever known. He was born in 356 B.C. the son of Philip II of Macedon and his headstrong queen Olympias. While Alexander was growing up, his father was bringing Greece under Macedonian hegemony, with the ultimate goal of destroying the Persian Empire. In addition to extensive military training, Alexander was tutored by Aristotle. Relations between his father and mother were often strained and both Alexander and Olympias have sometimes been implicated in the assassination of Philip II in 336 B.C. At this time, Alexander became ruler of Macedon and leader of the unified invasion force against Persia. He led his army across the Hellespont in 334 B.C. and won a series of decisive victories which led to the ultimate downfall of the Persian king Darius III. Alexander conquered Egypt and founded a new city, Alexandria which became one of the great capitals of antiquity. Altogether, Alexander and his army marched as far east as India and created one of the largest unified empires ever known. Alexander died at the age of thirty-three and his kingdom was divided among his more ambitious followers.