YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → Alexander the Great: The King Who Conquered the Ancient World | Learn English Through Story

Alexander the Great: The King Who Conquered the Ancient World | Learn English Through Story — Transcript

by Storyline English · 2,853 words · 505 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:00Hello my friends, welcome back to
0:03storyline English. I hope you are ready
0:06for today's story.
0:08Did you know that there was once a man
0:11who conquered half the world? He did
0:14this in only 10 years and he was very
0:18young. Most people at that age are still
0:22learning about life. But this man was
0:25leading armies.
0:27He was crossing deserts and mountains.
0:31He was meeting new people and learning
0:33new languages.
0:35He never lost a battle, not even once.
0:41Can you imagine that?
0:43Some people say he was a hero. Some
0:46people say he was too ambitious.
0:50But everyone agrees on one thing. He was
0:54extraordinary.
0:57His name was Alexander
0:59and today we call him Alexander the
1:03Great.
1:05This is his story. A story of courage,
1:09discovery, and adventure.
1:13If you want to improve your English
1:15while listening to amazing true stories,
1:19please subscribe to Storyline English.
1:22Your support helps us create more
1:24content for learners like you.
1:28Now, let us discover Alexander's journey
1:32together. Alexander was born in the year
1:35356 before Christ. This was a very long
1:39time ago. He was born in a place called
1:43Macedonia.
1:44Macedonia was a kingdom in ancient
1:46Greece. His father was King Phillip. His
1:51mother was Queen Olympus.
1:54From the day Alexander was born, people
1:57saw that he was special.
1:59Even as a baby, he was strong and
2:02healthy. His mother told him stories
2:05about gods and heroes. She said that
2:08Alexander had special blood in his
2:10veins.
2:12She told him he was related to Achilles,
2:15a great hero from old Greek stories.
2:19Alexander believed these stories. They
2:22made him feel brave and powerful.
2:25When Alexander was a young boy,
2:28something important happened. His
2:31father, King Phillip, bought a beautiful
2:34horse. This horse was wild and strong.
2:39No one could ride this horse. The horse
2:42was afraid and angry.
2:45Many men tried to control the horse, but
2:48they all failed.
2:50Young Alexander watched all of this. He
2:53was only about 12 years old. But he saw
2:57something the other men did not see. He
3:00saw that the horse was afraid of its own
3:03shadow.
3:05Alexander walked up to the horse. He
3:08turned the horse toward the sun. Now the
3:11horse could not see its shadow.
3:14The horse became calm.
3:17Alexander climbed on the horse and rode
3:20away.
3:21Everyone was amazed.
3:24King Phillip was so proud. He said to
3:27Alexander, "My son, you must find a
3:31kingdom big enough for you. Macedonia is
3:35too small."
3:37The horse's name was Busphilis.
3:40This horse stayed with Alexander for
3:42many years.
3:44They traveled the world together.
3:47Alexander had a special teacher. His
3:50name was Aristotle.
3:52Aristotle was one of the greatest
3:54thinkers in history.
3:57He taught Alexander many subjects.
4:00He taught him philosophy, which means
4:03the love of wisdom. He taught him
4:06science and medicine. He taught him
4:08about plants and animals. He taught him
4:12poetry and art.
4:15Alexander loved learning. He always
4:18carried books with him, even when he
4:20went to war. His favorite book was the
4:24Iliad.
4:26This was an ancient story about heroes
4:28and battles.
4:30Alexander read this book many times. He
4:34wanted to be like the heroes in the
4:36story.
4:37Aristotle taught Alexander for three
4:40years.
4:41These three years changed Alexander's
4:44life. They gave him knowledge and
4:47curiosity about the world.
4:50When Alexander was 16 years old, his
4:53father went away to fight a war. King
4:56Philip left Alexander in charge of
4:59Macedonia.
5:01This was a big responsibility for a
5:03young person, but Alexander was ready.
5:08While his father was gone, some people
5:10in the north tried to attack Macedonia.
5:14They thought a young boy could not
5:16defend the kingdom.
5:18But they were wrong.
5:20Alexander gathered an army. He marched
5:24north and defeated the invaders.
5:27He won his first battle at age 16.
5:31When King Phillip came home, he was very
5:34impressed. He saw that his son was not
5:38just smart. Alexander was also a great
5:42leader.
5:44Two years later, when Alexander was 18,
5:48something even bigger happened.
5:51There was a great battle called the
5:53Battle of Kania.
5:55King Philip was fighting against other
5:58Greek cities.
6:00Alexander fought beside his father. He
6:03led the cavalry.
6:05The cavalry means soldiers on horses.
6:09Alexander and his cavalry were brave and
6:12fast. They helped win the battle.
6:16This victory made Macedonia the most
6:19powerful kingdom in Greece.
6:22King Philip was now the leader of almost
6:25all Greek lands
6:27and everyone knew that young Alexander
6:30was a hero.
6:33But then something terrible happened.
6:37When Alexander was 20 years old, his
6:40father was killed.
6:43Someone murdered King Phillip at a
6:45wedding. It was a sad and shocking day.
6:50Suddenly Alexander became king. He was
6:54very young to be a king. Some people
6:58thought he was too young. Some people
7:01did not want to follow him. There were
7:04men who wanted to take the throne from
7:06him. There were cities that wanted to
7:09break away from Macedonia.
7:12Alexander had to act quickly and
7:14strongly.
7:16He had to show everyone that he was
7:18powerful.
7:20He marched his army to the Greek cities
7:22that were rebelling.
7:24He reminded them of his father's
7:26victories.
7:28He showed his own strength.
7:31Most cities decided to follow him, but
7:34one city did not.
7:37This city was called Thieves.
7:40The people of Thieves fought against
7:43Alexander.
7:44It was a big mistake.
7:47Alexander's army destroyed the city of
7:50thieves.
7:52He wanted to send a message to everyone.
7:55The message was clear.
7:58Do not challenge Alexander.
8:01After this, no Greek city dared to fight
8:05against him. They all accepted him as
8:08their leader.
8:10Alexander was now the king of Macedonia
8:13and the leader of all Greece.
8:17But he did not want to stop there.
8:20He remembered his father's dream.
8:24His father wanted to attack Persia.
8:27Persia was the largest empire in the
8:30world at that time. It was rich and
8:34powerful.
8:35It had millions of people. The Persian
8:39king was called Darius.
8:42King Darius ruled from India to Egypt.
8:47Alexander decided to continue his
8:49father's plan. He would invade Persia.
8:54He would challenge the greatest empire
8:56on earth. In the year 334
9:00before Christ, Alexander crossed into
9:03Asia. He took his army across a narrow
9:07sea called the Helellispont.
9:09This was the beginning of his great
9:11journey. He had about 40,000 soldiers.
9:16The Persian Empire had much more. But
9:19Alexander was not afraid.
9:22He believed in himself and his men. He
9:26believed that he could win.
9:29And he believed that destiny was on his
9:32side.
9:33The first big battle happened at a river
9:36called the Granicus.
9:38The Persian army was waiting for
9:40Alexander. They stood on the other side
9:42of the river. The river was deep and
9:46fast. Alexander's generals told him to
9:49wait. They said it was too dangerous to
9:52cross the river and fight at the same
9:54time. But Alexander did not listen.
9:58[clears throat] He jumped into the water
9:59on his horse, Busphilis.
10:02His soldiers followed him. They crossed
10:05the river and fought the Persians.
10:08It was a hard battle. Alexander himself
10:12was almost killed. A Persian soldier hit
10:15him on the head, but Alexander's helmet
10:18saved him. His friend Cletus saved his
10:22life by killing the Persian soldier.
10:25In the end, Alexander won the battle.
10:28The Persians ran away.
10:31This victory opened the door to Asia for
10:34Alexander.
10:36After the battle, Alexander moved south
10:39along the coast. He captured city after
10:42city. Some cities opened their gates and
10:46welcomed him. Other cities fought, but
10:50Alexander always won. He captured
10:53important ports so the Persian navy
10:56could not use them. He was thinking like
10:59a smart general. He did not just win
11:02battles. He won the war step by step.
11:07One of the cities he captured was called
11:10Gordium.
11:11In this city, there was a famous knot.
11:15It was called the Gordian knot. This
11:18knot was very complicated.
11:21An old legend said that whoever could
11:24untie the knot would rule all of Asia.
11:28Many people had tried to untie it. No
11:32one could do it. When Alexander saw the
11:35knot, he thought for a moment. Then he
11:39pulled out his sword and cut the knot in
11:42half.
11:43He did not follow the rules. He made his
11:47own way.
11:49This story became famous. It showed
11:52Alexander's character. He did not accept
11:56limits. He found solutions that others
11:59could not imagine.
12:02In the year 333
12:04before Christ, Alexander fought his most
12:07important battle. This battle was called
12:11the battle of Isus.
12:13King Das himself came with a huge army
12:17to fight Alexander.
12:19The Persian army was much bigger than
12:22Alexander's army. Some say Das had
12:26300,000
12:27soldiers. Alexander had only 40,000.
12:32But Alexander was a brilliant commander.
12:36He understood the battlefield.
12:38He saw that the Persians were crowded
12:41together. They could not move easily.
12:45Alexander attacked at the perfect
12:47moment. He led his cavalry straight
12:51toward King Das. His soldiers were brave
12:55and disciplined. They pushed through the
12:58Persian lines. When King Das saw
13:01Alexander coming toward him, he became
13:04afraid. He turned his chariot and ran
13:08away.
13:09When the Persian soldiers saw their king
13:12running, they also ran.
13:15The battle became a complete victory for
13:18Alexander.
13:20He captured Das's family. He captured
13:24Das's tent and treasures. But he treated
13:28Das's mother and wife with great
13:30respect.
13:32He told them they would not be harmed.
13:35This kindness made many Persians respect
13:39Alexander.
13:40After this victory, Alexander could have
13:43gone straight to Persia, but he did not.
13:47He turned south instead. He wanted to
13:51capture all the cities on the coast
13:54first.
13:55He marched into Phoenicia and then into
13:58Egypt. Egypt welcomed Alexander as a
14:02liberator.
14:04The Egyptians did not like Persian rule.
14:07They were happy to see Alexander.
14:11The Egyptian priests declared Alexander
14:14to be a pharaoh, a god king.
14:18Alexander visited a famous oracle in the
14:21desert. An oracle is a holy place where
14:25people ask questions to the gods. The
14:28oracle told Alexander that he was the
14:31son of Zeus, the king of the gods.
14:35Whether this was true or not, Alexander
14:39believed it, and belief gave him even
14:42more confidence.
14:45While in Egypt, Alexander founded a new
14:48city. He named it Alexandria after
14:52himself.
14:53This city became one of the greatest
14:56cities in the ancient world. Even today,
15:00Alexandria is a major city in Egypt.
15:04In the year 331
15:06before Christ, Alexander finally marched
15:10east toward the heart of Persia.
15:14King Das gathered another enormous army.
15:18He chose a flat battlefield near a place
15:21called Gogamela.
15:23He wanted space for his chariots and
15:26cavalry.
15:28The Persian army was one of the largest
15:30ever assembled.
15:32Some historians say it had 1 million
15:36soldiers.
15:37This number might be exaggerated, but it
15:40was certainly huge.
15:43Alexander had only about 50,000 men.
15:48Before the battle, Alexander's soldiers
15:51were nervous.
15:52How could they fight so many enemies?
15:56But Alexander was calm. He studied the
15:59battlefield carefully.
16:02He made a plan. The Battle of Gaga was
16:05one of the most famous battles in
16:07history. When the battle started, the
16:10Persians attacked with everything they
16:13had. They sent war chariots with sharp
16:16blades on the wheels. But Alexander's
16:19soldiers opened gaps in their lines. The
16:22chariots rode through without hitting
16:24anyone.
16:26Then Alexander made his move. He saw a
16:29weak spot in the Persian formation. He
16:32led his cavalry in a wedge formation
16:35like an arrow. They charged straight at
16:38that weak spot. They broke through the
16:41Persian lines.
16:43Once again, Alexander rode directly
16:46toward King Das.
16:49And once again, Das ran away.
16:53His army collapsed. Thousands of
16:56Persians died. Alexander won a complete
17:01and total victory.
17:03After this battle, Das was no longer a
17:06threat. Alexander marched to the Persian
17:09capitals. He entered Babylon, the great
17:13city. He entered Susa. He entered
17:16Procepilus, the most beautiful Persian
17:19city. In Procepilus, Alexander took
17:23revenge for the Persian invasion of
17:25Greece many years before.
17:28His soldiers burned parts of the palace.
17:31Alexander now controlled the entire
17:34Persian Empire.
17:36He was 30 years old. But Alexander did
17:40not stop. He wanted to go further east.
17:44He wanted to reach the edge of the
17:46world. He marched his army through
17:49mountains and deserts. He crossed into
17:52what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan. He
17:56fought against mountain tribes. He
17:59founded more cities named Alexandria.
18:03He kept moving forward.
18:06Some of his soldiers were tired. They
18:08had been marching for years. They wanted
18:11to go home. But Alexander kept pushing
18:15them onward.
18:17In India, he fought against King Porus,
18:20an Indian king with war elephants. The
18:23battle of the Hyaspis River was
18:26difficult. Alexander had never fought
18:29elephants before, but once again he
18:32found a way to win. He respected King
18:36Porus for his bravery.
18:38After the battle, Alexander made Porus
18:41his ally.
18:43But finally, Alexander's soldiers said
18:47no. They refused to march any further.
18:51They stood at a river in India.
18:54Alexander wanted to cross and continue.
18:57His men said they could not. They had
19:01been away from home for 8 years. They
19:04missed their families. They were
19:06exhausted.
19:08Alexander was angry at first. He went
19:11into his tent and refused to speak to
19:14anyone for 3 days.
19:17But in the end, he had to accept their
19:19decision. He agreed to turn back.
19:24This was the only time Alexander did not
19:27get what he wanted. The army began the
19:30long journey home. They marched through
19:34a terrible desert. Many soldiers died
19:37from heat and thirst.
19:40It [snorts] was one of the hardest parts
19:41of the entire journey.
19:44Finally, they reached Babylon.
19:48Alexander made Babylon his capital. He
19:51planned new expeditions. He wanted to
19:54explore Arabia.
19:56He wanted to improve his empire.
20:00But then something happened that no one
20:03expected.
20:05Alexander became sick. He had a fever.
20:10At first, it did not seem serious, but
20:13the fever got worse.
20:16For 10 days, Alexander fought the
20:18sickness. His soldiers came to see him
20:22one by one. They were crying. They loved
20:26their king.
20:28On the 11th day in the year 323
20:32before Christ, Alexander died.
20:36He was only 32 years old.
20:40Alexander's death was a shock to the
20:43whole world. He had conquered so much.
20:47He had achieved so much, but his life
20:51was cut short.
20:53No one knows exactly what killed him.
20:57Some people think it was malaria. Some
21:00think it was typhoid fever.
21:03Some people even think he was poisoned.
21:06We will never know for certain.
21:10After Alexander died, his empire broke
21:13apart. His generals fought each other
21:16for power.
21:17The empire was divided into several
21:20kingdoms.
21:21But even though his empire did not last,
21:24Alexander's influence did.
21:28He spread Greek culture across Asia. He
21:32built cities that became centers of
21:34learning and trade. He connected the
21:37east and the west in ways that had never
21:40happened before.
21:43He showed that one person with courage
21:46and vision can change the world.
21:50Today, more than 2,000 years later, we
21:54still remember Alexander.
21:57We study his battles. We read about his
22:00life. We learn from his successes and
22:04his mistakes.
22:06He was ambitious,
22:08perhaps too ambitious.
22:11He was brave, sometimes too brave.
22:16He was a brilliant leader, but also a
22:20complicated person. He could be kind and
22:24generous, but also cruel and ruthless.
22:29He represents something important about
22:32human nature.
22:34He shows us that people can achieve
22:37incredible things when they believe in
22:39themselves and refuse to give up. He
22:43teaches us that limits are often only in
22:46our minds.
22:48But he also teaches us that even the
22:51greatest person cannot live forever.
22:55Even the most powerful king must face
22:58the end of his journey.
23:01Alexander's story is a story of
23:04adventure and discovery.
23:06It is a story about dreaming big and
23:10working hard.
23:12It is a story that has inspired millions
23:14of people throughout history.
23:17From a young prince in Macedonia to the
23:20ruler of the known world, Alexander
23:24lived an extraordinary life.
23:27He traveled to places no Greek had ever
23:30seen before. He met people from
23:33different cultures.
23:35He learned from them and shared his own
23:38knowledge.
23:40His journey was not perfect. He made
23:43mistakes. He lost friends.
23:46He faced dangers.
23:49But he never stopped moving forward.
23:53That is what made him great.
23:56I hope you enjoyed this journey through
23:58history with me today.
24:01Stories like Alexander's help us learn
24:04English, but they also teach us about
24:07life, courage, and human achievement.
24:11If you found this story interesting and
24:13helpful, I would be very grateful if you
24:16could like this video. It lets me know
24:19that these stories are valuable to you.
24:22And if you want to hear more stories
24:24from history told in simple English that
24:27is perfect for learning, please
24:30subscribe to this channel. Every
24:33subscription helps us create more
24:35content for English learners like you.
24:39You can also leave a comment below.
24:42Tell me what you think about Alexander.
24:45Was he a hero?
24:47Was he too ambitious?
24:50I would love to hear your thoughts.
24:54Thank you so much for listening today,
24:56my friends. I wish you peace and success
25:00on your English learning journey.
25:03Until next time, keep listening, keep
25:06learning, and keep discovering the
25:09amazing stories of our world.
25:13Goodbye for

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of Alexander the Great: The King Who Conquered the Ancient World | Learn English Through Story by Storyline English , generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 2,853 words across 505 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.