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The Battle of Uxian Defile was fought by Alexander the Great against
the Uxian tribe of the Persian Empire. The battle raged on the mountain range
between the key Persian cities of Susa and Persepolis. Persepolis was the
ancient capital of the Persian Empire and held a symbolic value among the
native Persian population. They believed that if this city were to fall into
enemy hands, then, in effect, the whole Persian Empire would fall into the
hands of the enemy.
Opponents:
Macedonia +Hellenic League versus Uxians
Commanders and leaders:
Macedon - Alexander the Great
Uxians - Madates
Strength:
Macedon - 8,000 infantry
Uxians - Unknown
Casualties and losses:
Macedon - Minimal-Moderate
Uxians - Unknown, total destruction of Uxian military capabilities
Background:
Alexander had recently defeated
Darius III Codomannus at
the Battle of Gaugamela on the
eastern side of the Tigris river, the result of which had been a disaster for
Darius and the Persian Empire. Darius had prematurely fled the battle, and his
army had dispersed. Thus Alexander had been unable to achieve his goal of
capturing Darius during the course of the battle. Instead, Alexander chased
Darius and, as a result, captured the important cities of the Persian Empire
along the way. Immediately after the battle, Alexander feared that the Persians
would organise the defence of Babylon, which had thick walls. This city's walls
covered a vast area, which included a large area of farm land, and could
therefore hold out almost indefinitely against a siege. However, instead of
finding the city closed to him, he found that it was open to him. The Persian
satrap Mazaeus decided to capitalise on Alexander's famed generosity and let
him into the city. It was as a result of this that Mazaeus was appointed satrap
of this city and surrounding region, a lucrative post. It was Alexander's
practice to, as much as possible, leave the old governors in their positions -
a practice he had learned from Cyrus the Great.
Alexander rested his troops in Babylon for some days, and paid them amply with
the treasures that were found there. In addition, he decided to set it up as a
secondary base. From here Alexander set out for Susa, the winter capital of the
Persian Empire. It took him twenty days to reach Susa, from where he obtained
50,000 gold talents. It was as a result of this that Alexander was able to send
Antipater, the regent of
Macedon, 3,000 gold talents for the war against Sparta. From Susa, Alexander
marched towards the mountain defile. Normally, the tribes in the Persian Empire
would pay tribute to the Great King, but the Persians had been unable to subdue
the Uxians. As a result, whenever Persian armies wanted to use the pass for
logistical purposes, they were required to pay a fee. The Uxians had sent
Alexander an embassy to the effect that they expected him to pay the same
tribute the Persians were required to. Alexander agreed, saying that on a given
day he would follow the main road and pay the agreed upon tribute.
Battle:
The Uxians had expected him to travel by the main road to pay the tribute
before they let him pass. However, on that day, Alexander, with Craterus and
his shield bearing guards, and 8,000 other soldiers passed by the northern
road, Craterus occupying the high ground where it was assumed the Uxians would
retreat as a means of last resort. He then attacked their village. After having
done so, by a series of forced marches, he took the defile from the Uxians, who
then retreated to Craterus' position, who quickly dispatched them. After having
attacked the village and taken the village, the main force arrived behind the
Uxians. At this point the battle was over, the Uxians were entirely surrounded
by the Macedonians, who put them to the sword.
Results:
The surviving Uxians sued for peace. The agreed upon terms which that each year
they were to give to the Macedonians 100 horses, 500 head of cattle and 30,000
sheep.
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