भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

Alexander’s Aggression 10. Alexander’s attack on India is the first well-known foreign invasion during the ancient period of Indian history. It took place in 326 B.C., a period of human history when the modern European nations like England, France, Germany and others were not even born. The Roman Empire had not as yet any foundation laid for it. It was only the Greeks, who were resounding the European stage. Small Greek city-states ruled themselves independently. Of these, Sparta and Athens were the most progressive. But when these small separate city-states were invaded by the ruler of a vast, well-organised, unitary and very powerful Persian empire, they were unable to face him successfully. Those small Greek republics did their best to fight the enemy back, but all their efforts proved fruitless before the vast ocean- like Persian armies. Naturally, the Greeks earnestly thought of effecting a fusion of all their separated small city-states into a powerful Greek Kingdom and forming a united front. So, Philip, King of Macedonia, who was fired with the same ambition, conquered all those small Greek republics, but he died before he could develop them into a mighty nation. However, his son, who succeeded him to the throne, was much more ambitious, more eager to gain power than his father, whom he surpassed in valour. It was Alexander. He inspired the whole Greek community with a sense of solidarity and militant nationalism. He organised an invincible army, and marched on the Persian Emperor, Darius, himself, who had been the arch-enemy of the Greeks. This well-organised Greek army simply routed the vast but ill-organised Persian army. At the battle field of Arbela, (331 B.C.) the whole of Persian administration virtually collapsed. With his victorious army, Alexander marched straight on to the Persian capital and after conquering, it he proclaimed himself the emperor of that country. This unprecedented success whetted his lust for conquests. With the Greek and the Persian empires at his feet, the sky seemed to him well within his limit. He was intoxicated with the wild ambition to conquer the whole world and, therefore, he planned to invade India, of which the Greeks had been hearing so much for generations together. He thought he would run over India as easily as he had crushed the Persian as well as the ancient Babylonian empire. In order to execute this daring plan, he formed a new powerful army with the pick of his Greek soldiers, full of youthful enthusiasm and equipped with glittering weapons. This army consisted of one-hundred-and- twenty thousand foot-soldiers and cavalry fifteen thousand strong. These