Philip II of Macedon transformed his kingdom from a peripheral power at the edge of the Greek world into Greece’s hegemon. The assertion of his supremacy over Greece was only the first step towards his main goal: the conquest of Persia. He was assassinated, however, before he commenced that adventure, which fell to his son, Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered the Persian Empire, then pushed beyond through Central Asia and into India. He only stopped when his soldiers finally had enough, and refused to march any further. Thwarted from further conquests in the east, Alexander began to make plans for conquest in the west. That would have included Italy and the then-still-minor Roman Republic.
Alexander’s Planned Invasion of Italy
Alexander the Great never got around to an invasion of Italy. However, ancient sources suggest that he had planned future conquests in the western Mediterranean. They likely would have included a campaign to conquer the Italian Peninsula. His plans involved a multi-stage campaign starting with Arabia. Next were campaigns against Carthage and Rome, which would have required building a large fleet of ships for the invasion. Ancient historians, such as Quintus Curtius Rufus, claim Alexander intended to conquer as far west as the Strait of Gibraltar.
After the completion of his campaign to subdue Arabia, Italy and Carthage were to have been Alexander’s main targets. As part of his planned campaign in the Western Mediterranean, he intended to build approximately seven hundred ships to support his endeavors. Fortunately for both the Carthaginians and Romans, they were saved by the Grim Reaper. Alexander died unexpectedly at a young age in 323 BC, and was thus prevented him from executing those plans. They were subsequently abandoned as his generals divided the empire and began to fight among themselves.
An Ambitious Campaign to Conquer the Western Mediterranean
The travels of the pioneering Greek geographer Pytheas, in the fourth century BC, were reportedly a scouting trip and intelligence gathering mission in preparation for Alexander’s planned invasion of Italy. Ancient sources disagree on the details of how Alexander had planned on going about his planned western conquests. Some authorities claim that he had planned to march westwards from Macedonia to Ilyricum. From there, he would have invaded the Italian Peninsula, then continued on to Gaul and Hispania. Others claim that he had a more ambitious plan to circumnavigate the Mediterranean, clockwise, by land.
Alexander intended to march west from Egypt to conquer North Africa, starting with Libya, thence to Carthage, Numidia, and Mauretania. That done, he planned to cross the narrows near the Pillars of Hercules – the Strait of Gibraltar – and invade Hispania. From there, he would have marched north to conquer Gaul, then descended upon the Italian Peninsula from the north. The conquest of Italy completed, he planned to finally return to Macedon. Whichever route Alexander took, Italy and the then-small but rising Roman Republic therein, were on his agenda.
Alexander the Great’s Unexpected Demise Saved Rome
If Alexander the Great had invaded Italy, odds are he would have won. That would likely have prevented the rise of Rome into the ancient world’s hegemon, and extinguished the Roman Republic when it was still in its cradle. It was within his grasp. In addition to being one of history’s greatest conquerors, Alexander had in the elite Macedonian phalanx and Companion Cavalry the world’s best infantry and cavalry. Rome back then was simply not a match for Alexander the Great (see map above).
If Alexander had invaded Italy, many historians believe he would have succeeded. Rome was not yet the powerful force it would later become, and some Greek colonies in Italy might have supported him. To be sure, when the Roman legions met the Macedonian phalanx in the second century BC, they crushed them at the battles of Cynoscephalae and Pydna. However, the Roman army of the fourth century BC in the days of Alexander had not yet evolved into the Ancient world’s mightiest military force.
In Alexander’s day, the legion was still a spear-based force. Influenced by both the Greeks and Samnites, the fourth century BC Roman legion more closely resembled the traditional Spartan phalanx, albeit more flexible, than the second century BC sword-centric legions that conquered Macedonia. Two generations after Alexander, the Macedonian-type phalanx proved superior to the Roman legions during the war against Pyrrhus. Pyrrhus was a competent general, but he was not Alexander’s equal. Fortunately for Rome, Alexander’s planned invasion of Italy was never carried out. He died in Babylon in 323 BC, before he launched his campaign to conquer the west.
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Some Sources & Further Reading
Greek Reporter – Why Didn’t Alexander the Great Conquer Italy?
History Halls – The Unintended Consequences of the Professionalization of the Roman Legion
Live Science – Why Didn’t Alexander the Great Invade Rome?
