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Year 4

Alexander's journey from boy to king

I can describe how Alexander came to rule Macedon.

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New
New
Year 4

Alexander's journey from boy to king

I can describe how Alexander came to rule Macedon.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. During the wars between Greece and Persia the north-eastern Greek kingdom of Macedon had ended up under Persian control.
  2. Eventually the Greeks of Macedon pushed the Persians out and Alexander's father, Philip came to rule as King of Macedon.
  3. Philip built Macedon into a powerful kingdom, convincing other city-states to join him, creating the League of Corinth.
  4. Philip created the League of Corinth to defeat Persia once and for all, but he was murdered before he could achieve it.
  5. Philip's son Alexander, tutored by Aristotle from Athens, was now King of Macedon and led Greece against Persia.

Common misconception

That the Kingdom of Macedon and the modern republic of North Macedonia are the same place.

Although North Macedonia's name stems from Macedon, they are not exactly the same location. Most of North Macedonia was part of Macedon, but Macedon also covered large parts of what is now northern Greece, southern Bulgaria and eastern Albania.

Keywords

  • Macedon - Macedon was a kingdom in the north east of Ancient Greece

  • Kingdom - a country or state that is ruled by a king or queen is a kingdom

  • Persia - the civilisation that rivalled Ancient Greece to its east was Persia, sometimes called the Persian Empire

  • League - a league is a group of people or places that have a shared interest

  • Murder - murder is a crime, and it is when a person or persons choose to end the life of another person

Locate North Macedonia on a map of modern-day Europe and compare it to a map of the ancient kingdom of Macedon. Then ask pupils to draw on and shade the area of ancient Macedon over a copy of the modern map of Europe. This will show how the shaded area does not follow the modern-day land borders.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What were the battles that the Persians lost against the Ancient Greeks?
Correct answer: Marathon
Thermopylae
Correct answer: Salamis
Athens
Q2.
What is a messenger who carries messages by running between places called?
Correct Answer: a runner, runner
Q3.
Match the battle to the correct piece of information.
Correct Answer:Marathon,the Persians attacked by sea

the Persians attacked by sea

Correct Answer:Thermopylae,the Persians invaded by land

the Persians invaded by land

Correct Answer:Salamis,the Persians and Greeks had a sea-battle

the Persians and Greeks had a sea-battle

Q4.
What did the Persians do after Thermopylae?
they stayed in Thermopylae and built settlements
Correct answer: they quickly made their way to Athens
they stole valuable items and returned home
Correct answer: they burned the acropolis to the ground
Q5.
When did the Battle of Salamis take place?
48 BCE
48 CE
Correct answer: 480 BCE
480 CE
Q6.
How did the Greeks win the Battle at Salamis?
They had far more ships and men and so over-powered the Persians.
Correct answer: They pretended to retreat towards the narrow strait of Salamis.
They had better and stronger weapons than the Persians.
Correct answer: They blocked the Persians in the straight of Salamis and ambushed them.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a country or state that is ruled by a king or queen called?
Correct Answer: a kingdom , kingdom
Q2.
What was the name of the kingdom in the north east of Ancient Greece that the Persian Empire had conquered?
Athens
Correct answer: Macedon
Sparta
Thebes
Q3.
Who took over the throne when the Greeks won Macedon back from the Persians in 359 BCE?
King Augustus
Correct answer: King Phillip II
King Xerxes
King Darius
Q4.
What did King Philip suggest to other important rulers of Ancient Greek city-states?
they would be stronger if they became one city-state
they would become stronger if they didn't work together
Correct answer: they would be stronger if they became allies
Q5.
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence. King Phillip II created the __________ of Corinth in about 338 BCE to defeat the Persians completely.
Law
Promise
Oath
Correct answer: League
Q6.
Which of the below statements about Alexander are correct?
He was not known to be a very strong soldier.
Correct answer: He was the new king of Macedon at 20 years old.
He was not known to be very well educated.
Correct answer: He set out to conquer the Persian Empire.

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