State Development in Europe

and the Origin of Empire

Origins of Empire

Alexander the Great

Ancient Greece City‒States
 Ancient Greece City‒States
• The Greeks lived in small, independent city states. At first these city states were ruled by kings. Later they

were governed by nobles. Gradually, however, the Greeks of some City States came to govern themselves

and choose their own leaders. In developing the idea of government by the people.

• The Greek city states were often at war with one another. They joined forces to defeat Persian Empire, but

were seriously weakened by a war between Sparta and Athens, leading City states. In 338 B.C. THE

PERSIAN WARS
 Ancient Greece City‒States
• A threat by Persia unites the Greeks. Although democratic Athens and military Sparta had developed

in very different ways, the people of the Greek city states had many things in common.

• Yet the Greeks had never been politically united. They were intensely loyal to their own polis, and the

many city states were often at war with one another. Only the threat of conquest by the Persian

Empire made the Greeks set aside their quarrels and unite.
Persian Wars
 Persian Wars
• In 490 BC the Persians landed at marathon, about 25 miles from Athens, and were met by a small

Athenian citizen army. In the battle Persians were thoroughly defeated.

• The Persians were unwilling to accept defeat. Ten years after the battle at marathon, Darius’ son

Xerxes set out with a large army to conquer all of Greece. At the narrow mountain pass of

Thermopylae, They clashed with the Greek army. Led by Leonidas, the king of Sparta, 300 Sparta and

about 700 Greeks refuse to retreat. But the Greeks were defeated.
 Persian Wars
• Greeks tricked the Persians into sailing their fleet into narrow passage between the island

and the mainland. Crowded together and getting in each other’s way, the Persian ships

were easily rammed and sunk by the Greeks vessels.

• The following year Spartans defeated Persians at Plataea forcing the invaders to withdraw

from Greece.
In 50 years after the defeat of Persians, the Greek city sates reached the height of their
civilization
Peloponnesian War
 Peloponnesian War
• The war weakens the Greek city states. The 27 year Peloponnesian War involved many city states

besides Sparta and Athens. It was a great tragedy for all of Greece, causing wide spread destruction

and loss of life. The war also brought political unrest. Fighting broke out in many city states

between those who wanted democratic government and those who wanted aristocrat to rule.

Democracy declined even in the Athens, and small group of nobles ran the city.
 Philip of
Macedonia
• born 382 BCE—died 336 BC

• gained domination all over Greece by military

and diplomatic means

• Father of Alexander the Great

 Philip of Macedonia
• In 338 B.C. at Chaeronea, Philip’s forces crushed the Greek Alliance. The

Greek city states had lost what they loved most their Independence.

• the city states were conquered by Philip of Macedonia.

Alexander the Great built an Empire
 Alexander the Great built an Empire
• Philip was assassinated in 336 B.C. and his twenty year old son Alexander

became ruler. He is known to history as Alexander the Great. From his

father, Alexander acquired military skill, leadership ability, and a deeper desire

to conquer the Persian Empire.

• Alexander’s Empire breaks apart.

 History of State Development in Europe
• In 323 B.C. Alexander died in Babylon of a fever. He was not quite 33 years

old. His death ended the brief period of unity that had brought together

Greece and the Near East. None of alexander’s generals was able to control

vast empire, and It broke into separate kingdoms.

State Development in Europe
 The Fall of Alexander the Great

• Alexander’s Empire broke apart

• From feudalism to absolutism (middle age 15th to 18th century)

• began in Spain exactly at Iberian peninsular.

From Feudalism to absolutism
 Three Wises

• Spain ‒ Ferdinand the second

•England ‒ Henry the seventh

•France ‒ Louis the eleventh

 History of State Development in Europe
• After that more or less Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Russia began
centralized
• Absolutism extended such as in low land Countries, the Sicily and parts of
the Central and South Europe from 16th ‒ 18th century.
• As a result, Absolute Monarchy took over Europe as the main power
structure
• Spain and Portugal was the ‘Super powers’ of the time
 History of State Development in
• LaterEurope
Britain and France did the same controlling the Sea and other dominating

continents

• Germany and Italy succeeded unifying their nations escaped the fate to be invaded by

the other strong countries in Europe and managed to rank among world strong powers.
OLIGARCHY TO POPULAR RULE
MODERN STATE